The Naperville North High School boys and girls cross country teams hosted the 15th annual Twilight Invitational on Wednesday, Oct. 5. 

The NNHS girls varsity team took first place with 53 points and the boys varsity team took 15th place with 400 points. 

The girls had some trouble at the start of the race. Over 20 schools attended the meet, making the race environment highly competitive.  Many runners got stuck towards the back and fought to break away from the large pack. Despite these initial challenges, the girls were able to shake it off and finished in first place, with all top five North runners reaching personal best times. Junior Julie Piot, who finished fourth overall with a time of 17:26.9, notes that even with a rocky start, she was proud of her performance. 

“Our team did really good, a lot of our teammates PR’d, including me. It was just really good,”  Piot said.

With the end of the season approaching, Assistant Coach Dan Billish is focused on keeping the girls team well-rested and healthy for the upcoming Dupage Valley Conference (DVC) meet. 

“We’re going to relax the rest of the week… give the girls time to get some rest,” Billish said. 

The boys team juggled various challenges throughout their race, too. Like the girls, some were boxed in by the large packs of runners in the back. Additionally, multiple team members are currently  injured, sick, or entering the recovery stage, throwing off the team dynamic. 

“A lot of our team is injured. A lot of our team is sick. It’s just a little messed up because everyone is gone. But, other than that it’s good,” Senior Sean Chilcoat said. 

Chilcoat, the boys team’s top runner, finished in 63rd place with a personal record of 16:01.4, and is looking forward to the upcoming Dupage Valley Conference meet. Chilcoat explains his mindset after the race. 

“I wouldn’t really change anything. I had a great race, I put it all out there,” Chilcoat said.

Both teams will compete next at their DVC meet on Saturday, Oct. 15 at Waubonsie Valley High School at 12 p.m.