Alec Danner all-state 19th, Trojans 17th at state meet

Congratulations to junior all-stater Alec Danner and the Downers Grove North boys cross country team, which finished 17th at the Class 3A state championships Saturday, Nov. 7, at Peoria’s Detweiller Park.
Danner was 19th (14:43 for 3.0 miles) to earn top-25, all-state honors. Danner was one second from the top 15 and three seconds ahead of 25th. Five juniors and three sophomores finished ahead of him.
Making their third straight state team appearance, the Trojans (403 points) were just seven points from 15th with an all-underclass lineup.
Sophomores Jacob Ridderhoff (82nd, 15:23), Ryan Birkmeier (122nd, 15:38) and Nick Chudzik (125th, 15:38) all ran significant personal records as the team’s No. 2-3-4 finishers, followed by junior Andrew Marek (153rd, 15:54), sophomore Sam McCool (186th, 16:17) and freshman Matt Moravec (197th, 16:26).
Danner and Marek also had PRs by seconds. Danner improved from taking 50th (15:06) for last year’s senior-led 13th-place state team (340). With senior Robby Prescott, working his way back from injury, out of the lineup after competing at sectionals and regionals, Danner was the only one of the three underclassmen from the 2014 state lineup who competed Saturday.
Danner becomes the 18th all-state runner in Downers Grove H.S./Downers Grove North history. Only seven runners have been all-state multiple times.
Three other West Suburban Conference Silver Division schools were part of the 25-team state field. Lyons Township (118) took second to state champion Sandburg (79), rated No. 1 since the preseason. York (171) was fourth, losing out third to Neuqua Valley on a sixth-runner tiebreaker, and two-time defending state champion Hinsdale Central (268) was ninth.
York sophomore Charlie Kern, Jr. (14:22), Hinsdale Central junior Blake Evertsen (14:26) and LT junior Vince Zona (14:30) were second, fourth and sixth to Buffalo Grove senior Kevin Salvano (14:20). Oakwood senior Jon Davis had the fastest time of the meet, winning his third consecutive 1A championship in 14:00.