Glenbard West's boys and girls cross country teams are both headed to the IHSA Class 3A state finals after qualifying at the Lake Park Sectional on Saturday, Oct. 31.
The Hilltoppers earned spots among the top seven teams in each race at the sectional in Roselle. In Class 3A, the first seven placing teams advance to state, along with the top 10 individual finishers not on a qualifying team, according to Yahoo Sports.
The state meet is set for Saturday, Nov. 7, at Detweiller Park in Peoria.
On the boys side, Glenbard West qualified behind sectional champion York, Lane Tech, St. Charles North, Payton, Wheaton Warrenville South and Wheaton North, Shaw Local reported. York won its 40th sectional title with 61 points, led by junior Patrick Hill's fifth-place finish in 14 minutes, 42.5 seconds.
The Glenbard West girls qualified behind Lane Tech and St. Charles North. St. Charles East, St. Ignatius, York and Wheaton Warrenville South rounded out the seven advancing teams.
St. Charles North girls coach Shari Hayes called the Hilltoppers' girls squad formidable. "For us to come in and beat a phenomenal team like that, I can't ask for much more," Hayes said after her North Stars edged Glenbard West for second place.
The girls' state qualification caps a strong fall for the program. Glenbard West won the West Suburban Silver conference championship on Oct. 17, scoring 35 points to beat Hinsdale Central and York, as we reported Oct. 20.
Kyle Nugent coaches the Glenbard West boys cross country team, according to the program's Instagram page. The boys squad won the 2026 West Suburban Conference indoor championship earlier this year.
Both Hilltopper teams will race at Detweiller Park on Nov. 7.
