The Kits advanced to sectionals following a fourth place finish at the Loyola regional meet on Oct. 20.

After the regular season ended, the expectations elevated for postseason play, and the team hasn’t disappointed.

They will compete at the Niles West sectional tomorrow for a chance to advance to the state meet.

Top five finishes from junior Max Peterson and senior Max Ebeling secured a spot in sectionals. The two Max’s get the most recognition on the team, but the other five runners have contributed to the teams’ success.

“We have quite a few runners this year that have been under the radar. Jack Rutstein (junior),  Julion Michelin (senior), Jay Moran (junior) and Ellis Allen (sophomore) are all coming on strong in the post season and will hopefully hit their peak on Saturday.”

At regionals, Moran, Michelin, junior Conor Ward, Rutstein and Allen all ran under a 17:30 on a three mile course.

“Everyone needs to run their personal best on Saturday,” Rutstein said . “We need to beat the runners we haven’t been able to beat all year. In order to have a shot, we need to get over the New Trier and Maine South hump. We are very capable of doing this with a good mental game and a heads up approach to the competition.”

The point system adds up the place of a team’s top five runners, so a lower score is better.

The Trevs had the best score of the meet, as they earned a solid 38 points at regionals. Maine South tallied 62 points, to come in second. Loyola tied with the Kits with 84. All seven runners from these four teams are moving on together.

With pressure to succeed, the team takes it a little easier on themselves for the upcoming competition.

“Peterson and Ebeling have started tapering down, decreasing the stress on the body,” Michelin said.

The heavy-lifting has been done by the team to get to this point. The only thing left to do is execute for a chance to advance to the state meet. As coach Donald Michelin Sr. said, ‘The hay is in the barn.’

Sectionals take place tomorrow, Saturday, Oct. 27, at Niles West.