Even when not at full strength, Kennedy’s Viviana Tryfonopoulos has been one of the top distance runners in the Public League.
The junior is heading back to state for the second straight cross country season after finishing 12th at the Class 2A Fenton Sectional on Nov. 1 with a time of 19 minutes, 43.13 seconds.
The state meet is Nov. 8 at Detweiller Park in Peoria.
Tryfonopoulos also ran a personal-best 18:39.66 to take third in the Latin Regional on Oct. 25 and was eighth in the Public League Meet on Oct. 18 at 19:22.2.
“Honestly, I’m still injured, basically from the end of freshman year till now,” she said at the city meet.
That’s kept Tryfonopoulos from putting in as many practice miles as she would like.
“Coming into (the Public League Meet) I was really scared,” she said. “I was scared I was gonna lose my stamina. … For the first two miles I was able to push it. But the third mile, I feel like I had no energy in the tank.”
Still, she was one of just two runners not from state power Lane to crack the top 10 at the city meet.
Now Tryfonopoulos will try to improve on her state finish from last fall when she was 118th in Class 2A at 19:20.71.
She’ll be joined at state by senior teammate Katherine Hernandez-Ruiz, who was 17th at the sectional in 20:29.21.
Football, soccer seasons end
Three local Public League teams dropped their IHSA playoff openers.
Curie lost 56-8 to Homewood-Flossmoor in Class 8A, while Kennedy fell 42-6 to Fenwick and Goode lost 56-8 to Simeon in 6A.
Dream Horton returned a kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown for Curie (8-2), which won the Public North title.
Sophomore Alex Hernandez made his first varsity start for Kennedy (7-3), filling in for injured starter Mason Rychetsky. Hernandez was 12-of-20 passing for 97 yards, including a TD to Kavarion McCarter. McCarter had five catches for 53 yards, Jacob Tunstill caught three passes for 25 yards and Victor Leal added three receptions for 15 yards.
Quaylen Dobbs had a 79-yard kickoff return touchdown for Goode (7-3). He ran 29 times for 53 yards, returned four kickoffs for 119 yards and added five tackles. Aedan Cleveland ran 12 times for 55 yards.
In boys soccer, Kennedy and Solorio each made it to Class 2A sectional semifinals before being eliminated.
Meteors move on
De La Salle won its own Class 3A girls volleyball regional, 25-12, 25-14 over Westinghouse, on Oct. 30. The Meteors advanced to the Fenwick Sectional semifinals on Nov. 4.