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NORTHSIDE COLLEGE PREP MUSTANGS:
2004 XC SEASON |
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Monday, August 9
2004 Tenative XC Schedule
Day Date Time Meet City
Tuesday 8/31/2004 4:30pm St. Patrick H.S. Invitational Chicago
Saturday 9/04/2004 9:00am Plainfied Central Invitational Plainfield
Saturday 9/11/2004 9:00 am TBA TBA
Saturday 9/18/2004 9:00 Libertyville Invitational Libertyville
Tuesday 9/21/2004 4:30 Lane Tech Invitational Chicago
Saturday 9/25/2004 10:00am St.Joseph-Ogden St.Joseph
Saturday 10/02/2004 9:00 am Loyola Lakefront Invitational Chicago
Wednesday 10/06/2004 TBA City Sectionals Chicago
Saturday 10/16/2004 TBA City Championships Chicago
Horner Park
Saturday 10/23/2004 TBA IHSA Regionals TBA
Saturday 10/30/2004 TBA IHSA Sectionals TBA
Saturday 11/06/2004 TBA IHSA State Championship Peoria, IL
Saturday 11/27/2004 TBA Footlocker Midwest Regional Kenosha, WI
Saturday 12/11/2004 TBA Footlocker National Championships San Diego,CA
Monday, August 23
1200m Propel Challenge Winners
On Monday, Junior Daniel Kittaka won 3 lbs of Organic Bananas in this week's Propel Interval Challenge by running 3 (1200 meters repeats) under 4 minutes.
Sophmore Joe Paquette, and Freshman Preston Buehrer also won 3 lbs of Organic Bananas by running a 1200 meter repeat at 4:30 min and under.
Junior Maruja Yoshimur, and Junior Madeline Roche also won 3 lbs of Organic Bananas by running a 1200 meter repeat under 5 minutes.
Sophmore Mary Shelus, Freshman Lena Guerriero, and Freshman Rachel Kittaka also won 3 lbs of Organic Bananas by running a 1200 meter repeat at 5:30 min and under.
Who will be next to win the Propel Challenge?
Tuesday, August 31
Varsity Boys place 6th at St.Patrick Invitational!
On Tuesday, August 31, 2004, the Northside College Prep Varsity Boys Cross Country team placed 6th out of 13 teams in their first meet of the season! The team was lead by Captains Daniel Kittaka (17th overall) and Joseph Terdik (25th overall). Sophmore Joe Paquette ran negative splits on his third mile to finish 3rd for the Mustangs! Senior Andrew Watson, had over a 3 minute time drop from his last 5k race to finish 4th for the Mustangs. Freshman Preston Buehrer completed the scoring for the Mustangs with an amazing kick. Junior Nick Florence also had a nice finish to place 6th for the Mustangs. Junior Andrew Hanebutt ran a personal best time and finished 7th for the Mustangs.
In the Freshman-Sophmore Boys race, Sophmore Robert Garcia lead the team. Garcia was followed by Sophmore Patrick O'Connor, who ran a personal best time. Freshman James Casper-Shipp and Irfan Hussain also finished with personal best times.
 | | Preston outkicks a runner to the finish! |
Tuesday, August 31
Varsity Girls win 3rd place Trophy at St. Patrick Invite!
On Tuesday, August 31, 2004, the Northside College Prep Varsity Girls placed 3rd out of 13 teams at the St. Patrick Invitational! The team was lead by the 1-2 punch of Junior Stephanie Couchman (6th Overall), and Sophmore Mary Shelus (11th Overall). Freshman Rachel Kittaka ran an amazing race, placing 15th overall out of 91 runners in her first race ever. Captain Madeline Roche, and Freshman Lena Guerriero completed the scoring for the Mustangs without outstanding finishes to edge Trinity 90-92 for the Third Place Trophy! Senior Jennny Bellendir and Sophmore Heni Ali finished 6th and 7th respectively for the Mustangs with personal best times. Grace Range Singerman also ran a personal best time, including negative splits on the final mile in the Junior Varsity Girls race to earn a spot on the Varsity Roster for next Saturday's Plainfield Central Invitational.
 | | Mary Shelus | |
Saturday, September 4
Varsity Girls tie Westmont at Plainfield Central Invite!
The Northside College Prep Varsity Girls tied Westmont with 230 points at the Plainfield Central Invitational. The tie was broken by the place of each respective teams, 6th runner. Westmont won the tie breaker. The Mustangs look forward to the rematch and the start of a friendly rivilary. The Mustangs posted victorys over Providence, Mt. Assisi, Cristo Rey, Oaklawn, and Plainfield South!
The Varsity girls were lead by Sophmore Mary Shelus with an outstanding time of 20:07. Shelus placed 22nd overall at the 2004 Plaintfield Central Invitational, representing a 23 place improvement from 2003!
Freshman Rachel Kittaka finished 2nd for the Mustangs, passing several runners in the final 8/10 of mile to place 34th overall out of 119 runners!
Junior Madeline Roche finished 3rd for the Mustangs with a 44 second time drop from Tuesday's meet! Freshman Lena Guerriero had an outstanding kick to the finish 4th for the Mustangs. Jenny Bellendir completed the scoring for the Mustangs by finishing 5th. Ariana Kaiser ran a personal best time in her first race of the season.
 | | Lena Guerriero and Jenny Bellendir |
Saturday, September 4
Varsity Boys Victorious over Bradley, Romeoville, Joliet!
|  | | Daniel Kittaka |
On Saturday, September 4, 2004, at the Plainfield Central Invitational, the Northside College Prep Varsity Boys Cross Country team posted victories over Bradley, Romeoville, Cristo Rey, DeKalb, Joliet Catholic, and Providence!
The team was lead by team Captains Daniel Kittaka and Joseph Terdik. Kittaka placed 24th overall with an outstanding time of 16:20. Terdik placed 38th overall with an outstanding time of 17:10, representing an improvement of 22 places from 2003 to 2004!
Senior Andrew Watson finished 3rd for the Mustangs with a Personal Best time of 18:12. Sophmore Joe Paquette finished 4th for the Mustangs with a time of 18:59. Junior Nick Florence completed the scoring, finishing 5th, securing vital points for the Mustangs in the final mile.
Junior Jordan Stacey ran an outstanding race in his very first ever Cross Country race, finishing 6th for the Mustangs. Freshman Preston Bueher outkicked a runner to finish 7th for the Mustangs, with a personal best time of 20:39.
 | | Andrew Watson |
Saturday, September 4
Freshman-Sophmore Boys place 13th at Plainfield!
|  | | Munir Ahamed |
On Saturday, September 4, 2004, the Freshman-Sophmore Boys team placed 13th at the Plainfield Central Invitational. The team was lead by Sophmore Munir Ahamed with an outstanding time of 18:42 (2.5 Miles). Sophmores Patrick O'Connor and Robert Garcia finished 2nd and 3rd respectively for the Mustangs. Freshman Japes Casper-Shipp and Irfan Hussain completed the scoring for the Mustangs with personal best times.
 | | Patrick O'Connor |
 | | Joe Paquette | |
Saturday, September 11
Varsity Boys post Victories over 8 teams!
|  | | Nick Florence |
On Saturday, September 11, 2004, in Hoerner Park, at the Gordon Tech Invitational, the Varsity Boys Cross Country team was victorious over Latin, Quigley, Gordon Tech, Northride Prep, St. Benedict, Leo, Walter Payton, and Shurz!
Captain Daniel Kittaka lead the Mustangs with an outstanding race, placing 12th out of 112 runners, with a time of 17:16. Kittaka was awarded a Medal for placing in the top 15.
Sophmore Joe Paquette also ran an outstanding race, flying through the Uphill finish on Hoerner Hill to place 2nd for the Mustangs. Senior Andrew Watson ran negative splits on the final mile, passing several runners, to finish 3rd for the Mustangs.
Junior Nick Florence dropped over a minute and 42 seconds from his first race of the season, to finish 4th for the Mustangs. Junior Jordan Stacey also ran negative splits on the final mile, to finish 5th for the Mustangs, and complete the scoring.
Freshman Preston Buehrer and Junior Andrew Hanebutt, finished 6th and 7th respectively for the Mustangs, and beat the 5th man from Leo, Northride Prep, St.Benedict, Walter Payton and Schurz to secure victories for the Mustangs.
 | | Preston Buehrer |
 | | Stefanie Couchman | |
Saturday, September 11
Varsity Girls dominate Mather and Gordon Tech
|  | | Maruja Yoshimura |
On Saturday, September 11, 2004, the Varsity Girls took 1st place out of 3 teams entered in the Gordon Tech Invitational Open Race. Six of the top 7 finishers in the race were all from Northside College Prep.
The team was lead by the 1-2 punch of Junior Stefanie Couchman (13:04) and Sophmore Mary Shelus (13:24). Freshman Rachel Kittaka followed with an outstanding two mile of 13:42. Captain Maruja Yoshimura finshed 4th for the Mustangs, in her first race of the 2004 season, with a time of 14:23. Freshman Lena Guerriero completed the scoring with a time of 14:50.
Jenny Bellendir and Marisa Buchheit finished 6th and 7th respectively for the Mustangs.
Saturday, September 11
Patrick O'Connor places 35th in the GT Invite Sophmore Race!
|  | | Patrick O'Connor |
On Saturday, September 11, 2004, Patrick O'Connor placed 35th overall in the Sophmore race with a personal best time of 21:43. In less than 3 weeks, Patrick has taken off 5 minutes and 15 seconds off his PR!
Saturday, September 18
Freshman-Sophmore Boys Top Elmwood, Lake Zurich, Lockport,..
|  | | Patrick O'Connor and Robert Garcia |
On Saturday, September 18, 2004, the Freshman-Sophmore Boys posted victories over Elmwood, Lake Zurich, Lockport, and Resurection. The team was lead by the 1-2 punch of Patrick O'Connor (21:43) and Robert Garcia (21:50). Freshman Harold Jaffe finished third for the Mustangs with a time of (24:09). Freshman Irfan Hussain and James Casper-Shipp completed the scoring, finishing 4th and 5th respectively, for the Mustangs.
Saturday, September 18
Freshman-Sophmore Girls beat GBN, Elmwood, BG, & St.Viator!
On Saturday, September 18, 2004, the Freshman-Sophmore Girls team posted victories over Glenbrook North, Elmwood, Buffalo Grove, and St.Viator at the Libertyville Invitational! The team was lead by Marisa Buchheit (26:22), and Grace Range Singerman (26:50). Jackie McDermott (27:02), Hena Ali (27:35), and Marisol Najera (30:28), completed the scoring by running personal best times over the 3 mile course.
Saturday, September 18
Couchman closes in on School Record
|  | | Mary Shelus |
On Saturday, September 18, 2004, at the Libertyville Invitational, the Varsity Girls were lead by the 1-2 punch of Junior Stefanie Couchman (20:42), and Sophmore Mary Shelus (21:21). Couchman took 27 seconds of her personal best time, and is now within 4 seconds of the school record. Shelus, ran an outstanding race on day after her birthday, and dropped 17 seconds of her season 3 Mile PR! Freshman Rachel Kittaka had her earings taken away from her by the IHSA official, momments before the gun went off, and didn't let it upset her, and stayed focused, and ran an outstanding race with a personal best time of 21:39! Freshman Lena Guerriero finished 4th for the Mustangs with a personal best 3 Mile time of 23:19, representing a PR of over a minute and 27 seconds, and only 9 seconds slower then she ran at Plainfield on a 2.8 Mile Course! Senior Jenny Bellendir completed the scoring for the Mustangs, and dropped a Minute and 40 seconds, off her best 3 Mile time, with a PR of 23:29, to secure victory for the Mustangs over Elmwood.
 | | Jenny Bellendir |
 | | Dan Kittaka | |
Saturday, September 18
The Pack gets closer at Libertyville!
|  | | Andrew Watson |
On Saturday, September 18, 2004, at the Liberyville Invitational, the Mustangs were lead by Captains Daniel Kittaka, and Joseph Terdik. Kittaka finished 38th overall with an outstanding time of 17:12. Terdik also ran a good race with a time of 18:40, to finish 2nd for the Mustangs. It was Terdik's first race back after recovering from a knee injury.
Sophmore Joe Paquette, ran an agressive race, and dropped 23 seconds off his personal best time with an outstanding time of 19:05, to finish 3rd for the Mustangs. Senior Andrew Watson, also dropped 23 seconds off his personal best time, and had impressive finish, for a personal best time of 19:39.
Junior Bobby Ziegler was notified at 6:45 am the day of the race that he would be running Varsity, and he came through for the team, big! Ziegler ran a personal best time of 19:59, to finish 5th for the Mustangs.
Junior Nick Florence also ran a good race, finishing 6th for the Mustangs with a time of 20:26. Freshman Preston Buehrer, ran his 4th consecutive PR, with an outstanding time of 21:02 for the Mustangs, finishing 7th for the Mustangs.
The Mustangs have improved dramatically in less than a week. Last week, at the Gordon Tech Invitational, the Mustangs had two athletes under 20 minutes. On Saturday, at the Libertyville Invitational, the Mustangs had five athletes under 20 minutes.
The Mustangs take on Lane Tech this Tuesday at 4:30 pm at Clark Park, 1/2 Block west of Lane Tech, Addison and Rockwell).
 | | Bobby Ziegler |
Tuesday, September 21
Varsity Girls placed 2nd at Lane Tech Invitational!
On Tuesday, September 21, 2004, the Northside College Prep Varsity Girls Cross Country Team placed 2nd out of 12 Teams, at the Lane Tech Invitational, posting victorys over Austin, Walter Payton, Providence, Kennedy, Kenwood, Noble Street, Whitney Young, Lakeview, Southshore, and Taft!
The Team was lead by Freshman Rachel Kittaka, who finished 3rd overall over the difficult 3.1 Mile course. Sophmore Mary Shelus placed 5th overall. Freshman Lena Guerriero placed 8th overall. Senior Jenny Bellendir placed 10th overall. Junior Madeline Roche completed the scoring by placing 16th overall out of 84 runners! Kittaka, Shelus, Guerriero, Bellendir, and Roche all earned Medals by placing in the top 20 in the Invitational.
Sophmore Marisa Buchheit placed 21st in her very first Varsity race. Sophmore Grace Ranger Singerman also ran an outstanding race, to place 23rd in her very first Varsity race!
Tuesday, September 21
Varsity Men go 10-1 at Lane Tech Invitational!!!
On Tuesday, September 21, 2004, the Northside College Prep Mustangs Cross Country Team placed 2nd out of 12 teams at the Lane Tech Invitational! The Mustangs posted victories over Austin, Walter Payton, Providence, Kennedy, Kenwood, Noble Street, Whitney Young, Lakeview, Southshore, and Taft high school!
The team was lead over the difficult 3.1 Mile course by Captain Daniel Kittaka, who placed 3rd overall out of 84 runners! Senior Andrew Watson, earned a Medal by placing 15th overall. Sophmore Joe Paquette also earned a Medal by placing 17th overall. Junior Nick Florence ran an outstanding race, and placed 22nd overall. Junior Bobby Ziegler completed the scoring by placing 23rd overall!
Sophmore Patrick O'Connor placed 33rd overall, in his very first Varsity race of his career! Freshman Preston Buehrer ran an outstanding race, and placed 36th overall for the Mustangs.
Tuesday, September 21
Clarisa Valdez earns Medal by placing 19th overall!
On Tuesday, September 21, 2004, Junior Clarisa Valdez earned a Medal in the Lane Tech Invitational by placing 19th overall in the Junior Varsity race.
Valdez (17:57), was followed by Sophmores Helen Hapner (18:59), Hena Ali (19:18) Maggie Wrona (19:22), Freshman Julia Shimada (19:23), Sophmore Marisol Najera (20:07), Senior Ariana Kaiser (20:18), and Freshman Jackie McDermott (27:02) over the 2.2 Miles Course.
Tuesday, September 21
Sophmore Robert Garcia leads Junior Varsity at Lane Tech
On Tuesday, September 21, 2004, at the Lane Tech Invitational, Sophmore Robert Garcia (15:58) lead the Junior Varsity by placing 35th overall on the difficult 2.2 Miles Course.
Garcia, was followed by Freshman Harold Jaffee (16:18), Junior Dokken Nakham (17:30), and Freshman Irfan Hussain (18:21).
Saturday, September 25
Varsity Men bring home 3 Trophys! 2 Athletes break 17!
|  | | Daniel Kittaka, Joseph Terdik, Joe Paquette |
On Saturday, September 25, 2004, the Northside College Prep Boys Cross Country Team, awoke at dawn, received new uniforms, boarded a yellow bus, and traveled 221 miles to St.Joseph, Illinois for the
Spartan Classic.
The Spartan Classic featured 31 teams, including defending Class A State Champion, Eureka. The Mustangs responded to the intense competition by running their best meet of the season.
Captains Daniel Kittaka and Joseph Terdik, both broke 17 minutes for the first time this season. Kittaka ran negative splits, for a personal best time of 16:37, and was awarded a Trophy in an assembly held after the meet in front of all of the teams that competed that morning. Terdik also ran negative splits, for a personal best time of 16:52, representing a minute & 41 seconds time drop from 2003! Terdik was also awarded a Trophy.
Sophmore Joe Paquette, ran one of the fastest times by a Sophmore in
the meet, with a personal best time of 17:54! Paquette also earned a Trophy.
Senior Andrew Watson, on his birthday, had an amazing 5:38 final mile, and dropped 56 seconds, for a personal best time of 18:43.
Junior Nick Florence, finished 5th for the Mustangs to complete the scoring, by running negative splits, for an outstanding time of 18:58, which was 28 seconds faster than last year at the same meet!
Junior Bobby Ziegler, finished 6th for the Mustangs with an outstanding time of 19:14.
Sophmore Patrick O'Connor, finished 7th for the Mustangs, dropping 2 minutes and 15 seconds off his PR, for an outstanding time of 19:28!
Junior Andrew Hanebut (20:05) and Freshman Preston Buehrer (20:16) also ran personal best times to finished 8th and 9th for the Mustangs.
Sophmore Robert Garcia (20:24) also ran a Great race for the Mustangs.
Freshman James Casper-Shipp ran negative splits, for a huge PR, of 21:15. Freshman Irfan Hussain also ran a great race, with a personal best time of 22:22.
The Mustangs look forward to taking on rivals Lane Tech, Gordon Tech, Loyola, and Mather this Saturday. The meet will also be the Mustangs' first meet against International Competition (Canada), and out of state teams from Ohio, Kansas, and Wisconsin in the Loyola Lake Front Invitational at the Montrose Avenue Beach House, on Saturday, October 2, 2004.
 | | Daniel Kittaka |
Saturday, September 25
Varsity Girls bring home 6 Trophys from Spartan Classic!
|  | | Bellendir, Guerriero, Couchman, Roche, Kittaka |
On Saturday, September 25, 2004, the Northside College Prep Girls Cross Country Team got up at dawn, armed with New Uniforms, and traveled 221 Miles to St.Joseph, Illinois for the Spartan Classic.
The meet consited of 31 Teams, including 2003 Class A State Champion, Breese. The starting line was so crowded, that a Cannon was fired by two war veterans instead of a starting pistol. The Mustangs responded to the great competition by running their best meet of the season. The Mustangs brought home a Trophy for a Top 8 Team Finish, and 6 individual athletes earned Trophys as well.
The Team was lead by Stefanie Couchman, who placed 19th overall, with an outstanding time of 12:32, dropping 32 seconds off her best Two Mile Time. Sophmore Mary Shelus finished right behind Couchman, for 20th place overall, with an outstanding time of 12:33, dropping 51 seconds off her best Two Mile time.
Freshman Rachel Kittaka finished 3rd for the Mustangs, with a personal best Two Mile time of 13:22.
Freshman Lena Guerriero had her best race of the season, dropping 1 minute and 10 seconds off her personal best time, with an outstanding Two Mile time of 13:40.
Senior Jenny Bellendir, ran a Minute and 52 seconds faster than last year, to place 5th for the Mustangs with a personal best Two Mile time of 14:00.
Junior Madeline Roche, earned a Trophy, and placed 6th for the Mustangs, with a time of 14:19.
Sophmore Marisa Buchheit finished 7th for the Mustangs with a personal best time of 15:02.
Sophmore Helen Hapner (16:38), and Sophmore Marisol Najera finished 8th and 9th respectively for the Mustangs.
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Saturday, October 2
Varsity Men top Kentucky at Loyola Lakefront Invitational
On Saturday, October 2, 2004, 30 Teams, and over 371 runners lined up for the 2004 Varsity Loyola Lakefront Invitational. The Northside College Prep Mens Cross Country Team, in their first meet against out-of-state competion posted victory, among others, over Christian Acedemy of Louisville, Kentucky, regional rival Gordon Tech, Lincoln Park High School, University High - Chicago, Illinois Math and Science Academy, and Morton High School.
The Mustangs were lead by Junior Daniel Kittaka. Kittaka ran a 5K PR of 17:29, representing a time drop of a Minute and 27 seconds from 2003 to the 2004 Loyola Lakefront Invitational! Kittaka also ran a Minute and 17 seconds faster than the 2004 Lane Tech 5K Invitational!
Junior Joseph Terdik finished second for the Mustangs with a 5K PR of 18:35, representing a time drop of 53 seconds from 2003 to the 2004 Loyola Lakefront Invitational!
Senior Andrew Watson finished third for the Mustangs, with a 5K PR of 19:30, representing a time drop of 46 seconds from the Lane Tech 5K Invitational! Watson dominated the hills, and only had a 2 second time difference from his first mile (6:17) to his second mile (6:19)!
Sophmore Joe Paquette finished fourth for the Mustangs, with an outstanding 5K time of 19:42. Junior Jordan Stacey completed the scoring by finishing fifth for the Mustangs, with a 5K Personal Best time of 20:06.
Junior Bobby Ziegler, Sophmore Patrick O'Connor, Junior Andrew Hanebutt, and Freshman Preston Buehrer, finished 6th, 7th, 8th, and 9th respectively for the Mustangs.
The Mustangs will next race at the City Sectional Championships on Wednesday, October 6, 2004, at Washington Park.
Saturday, October 2
Varsity Women Upset Lane Tech at Loyola Lakefront Invite!!!!
On Saturday, October 2, 2004, the Northside College Prep Varsity Womens Cross Country Team upset #1 ranked Lane Tech, 657 to 699!, in the 32nd Annual Sean Earl Loyola Lakefront Invitational! The Mustangs are now ranked as the #1 Public High School team in the City of Chicago heading into Wednesdays City Sectional Championship.
Lane Tech was lead by Stephanie Hughes with an outstanding time of 19:11. The Mustangs showed the strength of their pack, by following Hughes with 3 runners before Lane Tech was able to get a second finisher across the line.
The Mustangs were lead by Sophmore Mary Shelus with a 5K PR of 21:19. Shelus broke Jessie Johnson's 5K school record by 51 seconds! Freshman Rachel Kittaka finished second for the Mustangs, with a 5K PR of 21:38. Junior Stefanie Couchman finished third for the Mustangs, with an outstanding time of 22:06. The Mustangs top 3 finishers were all within 47 seconds of each other!
Freshman Lena Guerriero finished fourth for the Mustangs, with a 5K PR of 23:14. Guerriero finished ahead of Lane Tech's respective 3rd and 4th finisher.
Junior Maruja Yoshimura secured the upset victory over Lane Tech by finishing ahead of Lane Tech respective 5th runner, with an outstanding 5k time of 24:23. The morning of the race, Yoshimura, spent hours making adjustments to orthodics, ankle brace, and her shoes just to be able to race today. Yoshimura showed a lot of determination and pure "Guts" in a very difficult and challenging meet to help secure an upset victory for the Mustangs.
Juniors Madeline Roche, and Clarissa Valdez finished 6th and 7th respectively for the Mustangs.
The Mustangs will next race at the City Sectional Championship on Wednesday, October 6, 2004, at Washington Park.
Wednesday, October 6
Varsity Men qualify for the City Championships!!!
On Wednesday, October 6, 2004, the Northside College Prep Mens Cross Country team competed in the City of Chicago North / Central Sectional for the right to qualify for the City of Chicago Cross Country Championships. The top 5 teams advance to the City Championships, and Northside was missing their second fastest runner due to illness.
Very few teams have strong enough depth to qualify for the City Championships without one of their top runners, and the Mustangs showed the strength of their depth on Wednesday, by placing 5th overall out of 37 teams to qualify for the City Championships.
The Mustangs were lead by Captain Daniel Kittaka, who was the 2nd fastest Junior in the meet, with a time of 17:08.
Sophmore Joe Paquette, ran negative splits, for a time of 18:48 to finish 2nd for the Mustangs.
Senior Andrew Watson ran a 5:59 mile for his final mile, to pass several runners and secure vital points, to finish 3rd for the Mustangs with an outstanding time of 18:55.
Junior Jordan Stacey finished 4th for the Mustangs, with a personal best time of 19:14.
Junior Bobby Ziegler, dropped 3 minutes and 24 seconds from the 2003 City Sectionals, with an outstanding time of 19:21, to finish 5th for the Mustangs and complete the scoring.
Junior Nick Florence, dropped 49 seconds from the 2003 City Sectionals, with an outstanding time of 19:40, to finish 6th for the Mustangs. Florence (43rd overall) finished ahead of Lincoln Park, Foreman, Lake View, Steinmetz, Regional rival Senn, Tilden, and the Chicago Military Academy's 5th runner to secure 5th place for the Mustangs and advance to the City Championships.
Junior Andrew Hanebutt, finished 7th for the Mustangs with a time of 20:34, and finished ahead of Foreman's 5th runner to help the Mustangs advance to the City Championships.
Wednesday, October 6
Lane Tech Edges Mustang Varsity Women 29-41!
On Wednesday, October 6, 2004, the Northside College Prep Varsity Women Cross Country Team qualified for the City of Chicago High School Cross Country Championships by placing 2nd out of 37 teams in the North / Central City Sectional Championships. Only the top 5 teams in the Sectional advance to the City Championships.
Regional rival Lane Tech edged the Mustangs 29-41 for the Victory. On October 16, 2004, at Washington Park, at 1 pm, the teams will meet again in the City Championships to determine the 2004 Varsity Girls City Champion.
At the City Sectional Championships, the Mustangs were lead by Junior Stefanie Couchman (4th overall), with an outstanding time of 20:46.
Freshman Rachel Kittaka dropped 16 seconds off her Personal Best 3 Mile Time, and entered the schools record books as a member of Northsides Sub 21 Club, with an outstanding time of 20:52. Kittaka was also the fastest Freshman in the meet!
Sophmore Mary Shelus finished third for the Mustangs with a time of 21:24, which represented almost a 3 minute time drop from the 2003 City Sectional Meet.
Freshman Lena Guerriero finished 4th for the Mustangs and edged out Lane Tech 4th runner with an outstanding time of 22:26. Guerriero was the 2nd fastest Freshman in the meet!
Senior Jenny Bellendir finished 5th for the Mustangs, completing the scoring with a personal best time of 23:08.
Captains Maruja Yoshimura and Madeline Roche finished 6th and 7th respectively for the Mustangs. Roche dropped 51 seconds in less than a week, with a season best 3 mile time of 24:42.
The Mustangs posted victories over: Lincoln Park, Foreman, Steinmetz, Von Steuben, Hubbard, Chicago Military Academy, Amundsen, Prosser, Taft, Senn Metro Academy, Tilden, Noble Street Charter, Roosevelt, Kelvyn Park, Schurz, Sullivan, Walter Payton, Gage Park, Hubbard, Kennedy, Lindblom, Richards, DuSable, Harper, Hyde Park, Kenwood, Phillips, Robeson, Englewood, Hope, Kelly, King, Prospectives Charter, Tilden, and Dunbar High School.
Wednesday, October 6
Freshman-Sophmore JV Girls Qualify for City Championships!
On Wednesday, October 6, 2004, the Northside College Prep Freshman-Sophmore JV Girls qualified for the Chicago Public School Championship meet by placing in the top 5 out of 37 schools in the City Sectional meet. The top 5 schools included: Lane Tech, Walter Payton, Mather, Von Steuben, and Northside.
The Mustangs were lead by Freshman Julia Shimada, who placed 9th overall, and was the 5th fastest freshman in the race, with a Personal best Two Mile time of 15:05.
Shimada, was followed by Sophmore Marisa Buchheit, who lead the field much of the race. Buchheit finished 10th overall, and was the 5th fastest Sophmore in the race with an outstanding time of 15:09.
Sophmore Hena Ali dropped 29 seconds of her personal best two mile time, to finish third for the Mustangs with a time of 16:59.
Sophmore Helen Hapner (16:59.5) and Sophmore Grace Range Singerman (17:01) finished right behind Ali to secure a qualifying spot in the City Championships.
Sophmore Marisol Najera (17:52) finished sixth for the Mustangs.
Wednesday, October 6
Freshman-Sophmore JV Boys Qualify for City Championships!!!
On Wednesday, October 6, 2004, in Washington Park, the Freshman-Sophmore JV Boys team ran in the City of Chicago Sectional Cross Country meet for the right to advance to the City Championships. The fielded consisted of 37 schools, and only the top 5 schools advanced to the City Championships.
Northside College Prep Freshman-Sophmore JV Boys Cross Country team advanced to the City Championships by placing fourth overall.
The team was lead by the 1-2 punch of Sophmore Patrick O'Connor (11th overall) and Freshman Preston Buehrer (21st overall). Patrick O'Connor ran the 6th fastest time by a Sophmore in the race, with a two mile personal best time of 12:34.
Preston Buehrer ran the 10th fastest time by a Freshman in the race, with a two mile personal best time of 12:49. Buehrer showed great leg speed with a tremendous finishing kick to pass several runners in the final 300 meters of the race.
Sophmore Robert Garcia (30th overall) ran an outstanding race with a time of 13:30, to finish third for the Mustangs.
Freshman James Casper-Shipp (35th overall, 13:57) and Freshman Irfan Hussain (42nd overall, 14:17) completed the scoring for the Mustangs, finishing 4th and 5th respectively.
Harold Jaffe (44th overall) finished 6th for the Mustangs with a personal best two mile time of 14:18.
Saturday, October 16
Varsity Women place 2nd in City Championships!!!
|  | | Mary Shelus set a new School Record for 3 Miles |
On Saturday, October 16, 2004, the Varsity Women placed 2nd overall
in the City Championships. Lane Tech raced at 9 am, and the Mustangs raced at 1:30 pm, and the results were combined to determine the City Champion. However, the Mustangs will get a rematch against rival Lane Tech in the same race, at the IHSA Regional Championships on Saturday, October 23, 2004 at Harms Woods, in Skokie, Illinois.
The Mustangs were lead by Sophmore Mary Shelus, who set a new 3 Mile School Record with a personal best time of 20:31. Shelus time placed her only 2 seconds in back of Lane Tech's Lauren Phillips. It will be a great race between Phillips and Shelus at Regionals, where they will get the opportunity to race against each other in the same race, and it could come down to the finishing kick.
Junior Stefanie Couchman finished second for the Mustangs with a personal best time of 20:38, which represented a time drop of 8 seconds from City Sectionals!
Freshman Rachel Kittaka finished third for the Mustangs with a personal best time of 20:40, which represented a time drop of 12 seconds from City Sectionals!
Freshman Lena Guerriero dropped 30 seconds from City Sectionals for a personal best time of 21:54!
After two Mustang runners (Yoshimura, Bellendir) became disoriented and went the wrong way in the final 250 meters with the clock ticking, and had to re-trace their steps to get back on the course, Captain Madeline Roche recognized the need for urgency, and sprinted to the finish to secure vital points for the Mustangs with a season best time of 23:07, which represented a time drop of a minute and 35 seconds in only a week!
Captain Maruja Yoshimura ran an outstanding race with a season best time of 23:10, which represented a time drop of 45 seconds!, despite a wrong turn on the course.
Senior Jenny Bellendir finished 7th for the Mustangs with a time of 23:11.
The Mustangs will get a rematch against rival Lane Tech in the IHSA Regional Championships on Saturday, October 23, 2004. In addition to Lane Tech, the Mustangs will also take on Gordon Tech, Mather, Senn, Taft, Evanston, Niles North, Niles West, and Loyola Academy. The Top 5 teams will advance to the IHSA Sectional Championships.
 | | Madeline Roche |
| | Daniel Kittaka finished 2nd in the 1:30 Varsity Race at the City Championships! | |
Saturday, October 16
Varisty Men 4th overall in the City Championships!!
On Saturday, October 16, 2004, the Varsity Men finished 4th overall in the City Championships!! 74 Chicago Public High Schools and over 518 runners started the season, and the final 10 teams squared off on Saturday in two different races. The latest combined results, place the Mustangs 4th overall, with Mather edging out Lane Tech for the City Title on a tie breaker.
The night before the meet, the team held a Pasta Party and watched the movie "Without Limits" about American Distance Legend Steve Prefontaine, who was not able to race his main competition for the Olympic Gold, Lasse Viren of Finland, until the 1972 Olympics, due to AAU Meet restrictions. On Saturday, the Mustangs were not able to race Lane Tech and Mather in the same race due to CPS Sports administration accidential error in failing to notify 6 of the 10 teams of a time change. However, all three teams are in the same IHSA Regional, and will race again on Saturday, October 23, 2004, at Harms Woods, in Skokie, Illinois.
The Mustangs responded to the difficult circumstances surrounding the race, by running their best meet of the season as a TEAM. The Mustangs have had a season goal of having their Top 5 runners within 2 minnutes of their fastest runner. On Saturday, the Mustangs ran their best race of the season, and had 6 runners within 2 minnutes of their top runner.
The Mustangs were lead by the one-two punch of Juniors Daniel Kittaka and Joseph Terdik. Captain Daniel Kittaka finished 2nd overall in the 1:30 pm Varsity race, and 7th overall in the combined results, with an outstanding time of 16:58, which represented a 10 second time drop from the City Sectional Meet.
Captain Joseph Terdik, in his first race back, after a two week battle with the flu, ran an outstanding time of 18:22. The return of Terdik will have a major impact in the Regional Championships.
Senior Andrew Watson ran his best race of the season, with a personal best time of 18:26, which represented a time drop of 29 seconds in only one week!
Junior Bobby Ziegler ran a "Pure Guts" race with a personal best time of 18:27, which respresented a time drop of 54 seconds in only one week! Ziegler had the biggest time drop on the Varsity in the City Championships.
Sophmore Joe Paquette completed the scoring for the Mustangs, with an outstanding 3 Mile race in 18:40, which represented a time drop of 8 seconds from the City Sectionals!
Junior Jordan Stacey ran an outstanding race to finish 6th for the Mustangs, with a personal best time of 18:51, which represented a time drop of 23 seconds!
Junior Nick Florence finished 7th for the Mustangs with a time of 19:49. Florence's favorite race course is Harms Woods.
This season, Harms Woods is the site of the 2004 IHSA Regional Cross Country Championships, which will be held on Saturday, October 23, 2004, at 1:30 for the Varsity Women, and 2:30 for the Varsity Men. Harms Woods is located on the corner of Harms and Golf road in Skokie, Illinois.
Sophmore Patrick O'Connor, Junior Andrew Hannebut, and Freshman Preston Buehrer will serve as Alternates for the Varsity in the Regional Championships.
| | Bobby Ziegler |
| | Patrick O'Connor finished 1st overall in the 1pm F/S City Championship Race | |
Saturday, October 16
City Championship Results Unofficial, No Awards Distributed
On Saturday, October 16, 2004, the City of Chicago Public High School Cross Country Championships were scheduled to begin at 1 pm. The City of Chicago Public High Schools consists of 74 schools, and over 518 runners. The top ten teams were to square off at 1 pm on Saturday for the City Championships.
However, the meet was rescheduled for 9 am instead of 1 pm, with only 4 schools given notice of the time change. Four teams raced at 9 am in the Varsity Men and Women respective divisions. Lane Tech and Mather were among the four schools that raced at 9 am.
Upon arrival at the meet, Northside College Prep received confirmation from CPS XC Director Ed Pipes that no notice was given to the other 6 schools about the time change. Northside College Prep raced at the originally scheduled time at 1 pm, with several other schools that were also not given notice of the time change, including Lincoln Park.
However, some schools did not show up to race at all after being told the start of the meet was changed from 1 pm to 9 am without notice, and chose to protest the meet. All schools have upcoming IHSA Regional Championships, so re-running the meet is not a likely option. The current proposed remedy is to combine the individual race times from the morning races with the individual race times from the afternoon races to determine the City Champion, and distribute awards on Tuesday. However, the CPS Sports Administration will not make a decision until Tuesday.
Despite the tremendous pressure, and difficult conditions, the Northside College Prep Mustangs Cross Country team stayed focused throughout the day, and responded to the difficult challenge of racing phantom competition, in addition to Lincoln Park, and Simon, by running their best meet as a TEAM on all levels.
In the Freshman-Sophmore Boys Race, Sophmore Patrick O'Connor gave everyone a motivational lift, by finishing 1st overall in the 1 pm race, and 9th overall in the combined results, with a personal best two mile time of 12:12. O'Connor dropped 22 seconds off his 2 Mile PR in only a week.
Freshman Preston Buehrer finished second for the Mustangs and 34th overall in the combined results, with an outstanding Two Mile time of 13:02.
Freshman James Casper-Shipp finished third for the Mustangs, running his best race of the season, for a personal best Two Mile time of 13:10, which represented a 47 second time drop!
Sophmore Robert Garcia finished fourth for the Mustangs, with a personal best time Two Mile time of 13:19. Freshman Irfan Hussain completed the scoring for the Mustangs, with a personal best Two Mile time of 14:00. Freshman Harold Jaffe finished 6th respectively for the Mustangs with a time of 14:32.
The latest combined results, have Whitney Young winning the Freshman-Sopmore Boys Division. Northside College Prep Freshman-Sophmore Boys placing 5th overall with 150 points, topping Juarez with 151 points, and Kenwood with 152 points, and Chicago Argiculture with 194 points.
The Freshman-Sophmore Girls team was lead by Freshman Julia Shimada. Shimada ran a personal best Two mile time of 14:38, representing a time drop of 27 seconds!
Sophmore Marisa Buchheit ran an outstanding Two Mile time of 15:21. Sophmore Helen Hapner ran a personal best Two mile time of 16:09, representing a time drop of 50 seconds in only one week!
Sophmores Hena Ali (16:16) and Grace Range Singerman (16:17) completed the scoring for the Mustangs by finishing 4th and 5th respectively.
Jackie McDermott ran an outstanding time of 16:33, and Marisol Najera ran a time of 19:10 to finish 6th and 7th respectively for the Mustangs.
The latest combined results, have Lane Tech winning the JV Girls Division. The Northside College Prep JV Girls placed 5th with 109 points, only 3 pts behind 4th place Morgan Park. Von Steuben, Noble Street, Simeon, and Farragut finishing 6th, 7th, 8th, and 9th respectively.
Friday, October 22
Northside prepares for IHSA Regional Championships
On Saturday, October 23, 2004, Northside College Prep will compete in the IHSA Regional Championships at Harms Woods, located on the corner of Harms and Golf roads, in Skokie, Illinois.
Northside College Prep will take on rivals Lane Tech, Mathers, Gordon Tech, Senn, Taft, Evanston, Niles North, Niles West, and Loyola Academy. The Top 5 teams will advance to IHSA Sectionals, and the Top 5 runners not on advancing teams will also advance to IHSA Sectionals.
The Varsity Women's race will start at 1:30 pm, and the Varsity Mens race will start at 2:30 pm.
Saturday, October 23
Northside Men finish 7th at IHSA Regionals
IHSA Regional Host, Loyola Academy won both the Men and Women respective divisions at the 2004 IHSA Regional Championships.
The Northside College Prep Men were lead by Captain Daniel Kittaka (17:30), who finished 17th overall to qualify as an individual for the Sectional Championships.
Captain Joseph Terdik (18:20) finished 2nd for the Mustangs, and 29th overall. Terdik came within 12 seconds of qualifying for the IHSA Sectional as an individual. Terdik, who lost two weeks of training due to the Flu after breaking 17 minutes at the St.Joseph Invitational, is looking forward to the upcoming Footlocker Midwest Regional in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Footlocker Midwest Championships will take place after Thanksgiving, and it is open to all athletes that wish to enter, and gives athletes the opporunity to qualify for H.S. Nationals in California.
Junior Bobby Ziegler (18:29) ran one of his best races of the season at the IHSA Regional, finishing 3rd for the Mustangs, and 33rd overall. Ziegler came within 21 seconds of qualifying for the IHSA Sectional as an individual.
Sophmore Joe Paquette (19:07) finished 4th for the Mustangs, and 42nd overall. Paquette was the 13th fastest Sophmore in the race.
Senior Andrew Watson (19:34) finished 5th for the Mustangs, and 48th overall in his final regular season XC race of his high school career. Watson had a major impact on the team, and will be missed by his teammates and the coaching staff. Watson will be a great addition to the Track team in the Spring.
Junior Nick Florence (20:12) finished 6th for the Mustangs, and 54th overall. Junior Jordan Stacey (20:23) finished 7th for the Mustangs, and 55th overall. Florence and Stacey both ran hard from start to finish.
Sophmore Patrick O'Connor, Junior Andrew Hanebutt, and Freshman Preston Buehrer served as alternates for the race, and gained valuable experience that will help them in 2005.
It has been a great season for the Mustangs. The work ethic and dedication in practice and the weight room has been second to none. If this team runs 300 Miles between XC and Track, and another 500+ Miles during the Summer, they will put the first State Championship banner in the history of Northside College Prep on the Gym wall in 2005.
A team meeting will take place on Monday, October 25, 2004, at 3:45 PM. Topics of the meeting include: 2004 XC Banquet, voting for Awards, Footlocker Midwest XC Championships, Training Logs, and Off-Season Training. All members of the 2004 Mens and Womens XC Team (Freshman-Sophmores, Junior Varsity, Varsity) are encouraged to attend. Freshman-Sophmores, and JV members who attended meetings at the close of their respective seasons, will be provided with updated information.
Saturday, October 23
Dan Kittaka, Rachel Kittaka, Shelus Qualify for Sectionals!
On Saturday, October 23, 2004, at the IHSA Regional Cross Country Championships, Northside College Prep Sophmore Mary Shelus (24th), and Freshman Rachel Kittaka (26th), qualified as individuals for the IHSA Sectional Championships. Ann Achufusi (Taft, 21:24), Tecnika Fernando (Niles North, 19:34), and Alina Iikevitch (Niles North, 21:07) were the remaining 3 athletes to qualify for IHSA Sectional Championships.
Regional Host, Loyola Academy won the 2004 Varsity Girls Regional Championships. The Mustangs finished 7th with 170 points. Junior Stefanie Couchman (33rd), followed Shelus and Kittaka, to finish 3rd for the Mustangs with a time of 22:17. Couchman a year round, multi-sport athlete, is looking forward to an upcoming soccer tournament in Delaware.
Freshman Lena Guerriero (44th) finished 4th for the Mustangs with a time of 23:24. Guerriero was the 10th fastest Freshman in the race.
Senior Jenny Bellendar (47th) finished 5th for the Mustangs with an outstanding time of 23:30, in the final race of her high school XC career. Bellendar will be missed by her teammates and coaching staff.
Captains Maruja Yoshimura (52nd) and Madaline Roche (53rd) finished 6th and 7th respectively for the Mustangs. Yoshimura and Roche showed great mental toughness throughout the season, fighting off injuries and doing everything they could to run. If Yoshimura and Roche take a much needed two weeks of rest, weight train, and slowly build up their mileage during the off-season, they will both place in the Top 25 in the Region in 2005.
Julia Shimada, Marisa Buchheit, and Helen Hapner served as alternates for the Regional Championship and the experience will help them in 2005.
In the Mens Race, Northside College Prep Captain Daniel Kittaka (17th) qualified for the IHSA Sectional Championships. Ryan Leyba (Niles West, 17:04), Max Stein (Niles West, 17:51), Chris Kammerer (Niles West, 17:53), and Tim McDermott (Gordon Tech, 18:08) were the remaining 4 athletes to qualify for IHSA Sectional Championships.
The IHSA Sectional Championships will take place on Saturday, October 30, 2004, at Niles West High School, located at 5701 Oakton Street, Skokie, Illinois.
The Varsity Girls race will start at 1:30 PM, and the Varsity Boys race will start at 2:30 PM. The first (7) runners who are not members of first (5) placing teams in the Sectional, as well as the 8, 9, or 10th overall individual finisher(s) in the sectional will Qualify for the State Championships.
Tuesday, October 26
Northside College Prep Wins Appeal!!! Justice!
This morning, Calvin Davis, the Public League's executive director of Sports administration, announced Results from the morning races and afternoon races from the City Championships will be combined. A failure to notify 60% of the teams that qualified for the City Championships of a time change, resulted in two races being run at different times. As a result of the ruling, Lane Tech and Mather will share the boys city cross-country championship. Northside College Prep Women will be awarded 2nd place in the Varsity race, and all Northside College Prep athletes that earned individual awards in the Boys and Girls respective Freshman-Sophmore divisions, and Varsity Divisions will receive their awards.
Davis said the Chicago Public Schools Athletic Board, a subcommittee made up of 12 administrators, made the decision.
Saturday, October 30
Sectionals featured Arthur Lydiard,McNamara, Kittaka, Shelus
On Saturday, October 30, 2004, the IHSA XC Sectional Championship took place at the Niles West High School. The meet included one of the strongest fields ever assembled, including York's Sean McNamara (Tied for the second best 3 mile cross country time (14:30) in the nation this season), and New Zealand coaching legand Arthur Lydiard was among the spectators. Lydiard has coached 17 athletes to Olympic medals, including Peter Snell, often referred to as the greatest middle distance runner who ever lived.
York's Mens team won the Sectional, lead by McNamara (14:59). Northside Junior Dan Kittaka handled the strong winds and strong field on Saturday, to place 58th overall in the IHSA XC Sectional Championships. Kittaka improved 48 places from 2003 (106th), to finish 58th in 2004 with an outstanding time of 16:54.
In the Womens race, Lyons' Lisa Bokios won the Womens Sectional title with an impressive 19 second victory over Jessica Blondell of Downers Grove North. But York's women, led by Molly Sullivan's third place, took the team title. Northside Rachel Kittaka finished 74th overall with a time of 20:50, and was among the top Freshman in the meet. Sophmore Mary Shelus finished 92nd overall, and was also among the top Sophmores in the meet.
The Mustangs are looking forward to the upcoming Footlocker Midwest XC Regional, and have already begun their quest for 300 Miles of running this winter, as they prepare for a State Title run in 2005.
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Sunday, October 31
Cross Country Banquet: December 2, 2004, 6:30 pm
|  | | 2004 Northside College Prep Mustangs Cross Country Team |
The Northside College Prep Athletic Department's 6th Annual Fall Athletic Awards Assembly will take place on Thursday, December 2, 2004. Banquet Ticket Information can be downloaded from the "Team Handouts" Section of the website. The evening's itinerary is the following:
6:30 PM Buffet Style Dinner (School Gymnasium)
7:45 PM Introduction of Awards Aseembly (School Gymnasium)
8:00 PM Athletic teams will assemble in individual Banquet Rooms
8:05 PM Cross Country Banquet
-Season Highlight Video
-Freshman-Sophmore, J.V. Letter Awards Announced
-Varsity Letter Awards Announced
-Team Awards Announced
(All members of the Cross Country Team will receive a
season Highlight video, photos, and a copy of our Team Year
book)
Friday, January 21
300 Miles Club
To become a member of Northside College Prep's first 300 Miles Club, an athlete had to run 300 miles or more from the end of XC season to January 21, 2005. All athletes who completed 300 Miles were awarded a Hooded Sweatshirt with Team logo. *Athletes were also awarded 300 Miles sweatshirts based on combined running Miles and Cross Training completed. (i.e., Swimming, Cycling, Weight Training).
300 MILES CLUB
MEN
1. Joe Paquette 335 Miles
2. Preston Buehrer 322 Miles
3. Dan Kittaka 320 Miles
4. Nick Florence 300 Miles
5. Joseph Terdik 188 Miles*
6. Bobby Ziegler 162 Miles*
7. Andrew Watson 150 Miles*
WOMEN
1. Rachel Kittaka 261 Miles*
2. Lena Guerriero 210 Miles*
There will be another opportunity this summer to become a member of the coveted 500 Miles Club as Northside College Prep prepares to bring home its first Cross Country State Title in 2005!
During Track season, Coach Gordon is coaching the Middle Distance runners at the University of Chicago. However, Coach Gordon will be frequently checking in on everyone, and can be easily reached via email (JonGordon9@Aol.com) and/or telephone. Coach Gordon strongly encourages everyone to run Track this Spring. At the end of Track season, we will have a Team meeting to discuss summer plans and the 2005 XC Season.
Let's Kick this Pig!
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