Fall XC Session Coaches

John Darrow

Coach Darrow has coached the boys and girls cross-country and track teams at Notre Dame School in Clarendon Hills since 2009. Ten of his Notre Dame cross-country teams have qualified for the IESA State Championship meet, winning multiple State trophies. Notre Dame has placed in the top ten teams in State on six occasions, including two IESA State Championships. He has also coached 17 individual qualifiers for the State meet. His teams have won four IESA Sectional Championships. Notre Dame competes in the Suburban Parochial League (SPL). During Coach Darrow’s tenure, his teams have won 15 SPL XC Championships and 15 SPL Track Division championships. On the individual level, he has coached one individual IESA State Champion, 14 All-State runners, 12 SPL XC individual champions, and 8 SPL Track Athletes of the Year. In 2020, Coach Darrow received the ITCCCA Distinguished Middle School Coach Award, a lifetime achievement recognition awarded by the Illinois Track and Cross Country Coaches Association.

Kate DeProsperis

Kate has been an active figure in the Illinois running community for more than 30 years as both an athlete and coach. Kate competed for Lyons Township in both cross country and track and field, earning All-State and Junior Olympic All-American honors through the 4 x 800 meter relays. She ran cross country and track and field at the University of Notre Dame focusing on middle distance. She sought further running challenges, and after college signed up for a marathon. Over the span of 20 years of post-collegiate road racing, Kate gradually dropped over an hour from her debut marathon and qualified for her first U.S. Marathon Olympic Trials in 2012 in Houston, TX. Kate was the only Illinois woman to compete at the 2012 Olympic Marathon Team Trials. After taking a hiatus to have children she came back to run two more Olympic Trials Qualifiers and competed in the 2020 U.S. Marathon Olympic Trials in Atlanta, GA, as a mom and masters runner (over 40 years old). Kate has retired from competitive running and takes joy in coaching athletes using her experiences to help others achieve their running goals. Kate has more than 10 years of coaching experiences and carries USATF Level 1 Run Coach and SafeSport Certifications.

Ryan Jaskiewicz

Ryan Jaskiewicz brings a wealth of experience and passion for running to the West Suburban Harriers. His running journey began earnestly in 2007 with the Chicago Marathon, and he has since participated in well over 15 marathons, including a personal best of 2:26 in Berlin in 2022. Ryan’s dedication to the sport is evident in his personal records, with a 5K best of 15:07 and a half marathon time of 69:17. In 2024, he won the USATF Masters Indoor National Championship in the 3000m with a time of 8:56, achieved at age 40. He continues to compete and improve with the DWRunning Elite Team.

Ryan focuses on fostering a supportive team environment, emphasizing consistent training, proper technique, and mental strength. His goal is to help each athlete achieve their personal best while developing a lifelong love for running. Outside of his running achievements, Ryan is a devoted father of three and the founder of a finance company. He is eager to share his knowledge and enthusiasm with the West Suburban Harriers, inspiring and guiding young runners on their athletic journeys.

Jeannie Sullivan

Jeannie has been a competitive runner on the track, roads, and cross country for over 30 years. Her love of running began in middle school in southeastern Michigan by default when she got cut from the basketball team but then broke the gym class 8th grade mile school record. In high school, she quickly became one of the top cross country runners in the State and competed in all track distance events. She continued her career at the University of Michigan earning a 2nd team All-Big Ten Conference award in XC and academic All-American awards in indoor/outdoor track and XC, ultimately finishing her collegiate career in 2002 as XC team captain with a team Big Ten Conference Championship, regional team runner-up, and top 15 team placement in the NCAA. She continued sub-elite post-collegiate road racing for the Impala Racing Team in San Francisco and now DW Running in Chicago where a recent highlight was placing 4th in the State of Illinois in the 2018 Chicago Marathon.

Sophie Abitz

Sophie is a sophomore at Hinsdale Central where she competes on the cross country and track teams. Sophie joined the West Suburban Harriers in 6th grade and has participated every year since. She is a graduate of Clarendon Hills Middle School, where she ran both track and cross country. Sophie is super excited to be back coaching this year!

Joey Costello

Joey is currently a junior at Hinsdale Central High School. He is a member of the Cross Country and Track teams. Joey graduated from CHMS, where he competed on the Cross Country and Track teams.

Kathy Gu

Kathy is a sophomore at Hinsdale Central High School where she is a member of the cross country team. She has been competing in cross country since 7th grade in middle school. Kathy is a dedicated runner who also loves to inspire others to do the same, and is so excited to coach for Harriers this year.

Will Heintskill

Will resides in Hinsdale, where he attended Monroe Elementary and Clarendon Hills Middle School. He is currently a junior at Hinsdale Central, where he competes on the cross-country and track teams. As a freshman, he placed 8th at the West Suburban Silver fresh-soph conference championship. Will began running cross-country in sixth grade at CHMS and continued there through eighth grade. Will joined the West Suburban Harriers in 2021.

Lucy Jucovics

Lucy is a junior at Nazareth Academy where she competes on the Cross Country team. She also plays travel soccer where she is an acting team captain. Lucy ran cross country and track for Notre Dame School for 4 years and was on the 2019 and 2021 IESA State qualifying teams, placing 7th in the State in 2021. Lucy is excited to help coach because she knows first-hand how much running can help improve not only performance in other sports but also overall health and well-being.

Aidan Lazaro

Aidan is a freshman at Benet Academy in the fall of 2024 and plans to compete for both their cross country and track teams. Aidan’s passion for running began in 6th grade at St. Joan of Arc. He recently competed in the IESA State Championship and the Cross Country Coaches National Youth Championships. Aidan has been a member of the West Suburban Harriers since 2021 and began coaching for the Junior Harriers this summer.

Grace Mayer

Grace began running at Lagrange Highlands and continued at Lyons Township High School in both cross country and track. Fun fact: She was one of the first female competitors in the Distance Night Special Olympics in Palatine. She is now coaching cross country at Gurrie, and her work at Peak Running has also given her a wealth of knowledge about the sport. Grace hopes to run a half-marathon in the near future.

Audrey McCarthy

Audrey is a junior at Lyons Township High School . She ran cross country at Saint Francis Xavier grade school 5th-8th grade, where she was on the IESA State team throughout her time there. She placed in the top 25 in the IESA Class A State Championship meet and led her team to a second-place finish in 2021. She is focusing on soccer in high school, where she competes on a national level with Chicago Inter. She has coached the Junior Harriers and the Harriers the last three years. She is excited to be coaching the Harriers this fall.

Olivia Mowrer

Olivia is a graduate of Notre Dame School and is currently a senior at Nazareth Academy. At Notre Dame, she competed in both cross country and track since 5th grade. Olivia plays lacrosse for Nazareth where she was named All Sectional her freshman year and is currently a captain of her varsity team. She plays club lacrosse as well. Olivia is really looking forward to coaching and having the opportunity to share her love of running with the athletes.

Raphael Patacsil

Raphael is a freshman at Montini where he competes on the cross country and track & field teams. He is a graduate of Holy Trinity School where he participated in cross country, volleyball, basketball and track & field. Raphael discovered his love for running when he joined the track team in 6th grade. His racing memories of his middle school career includes racing in the Magis Miles, the frozen race of the SAN Classic, and CCCNYC National meet in Kentucky. He is excited to be able to help inspire young Harriers by helping coach this fall.

Jane Shannon

Jane is a sophomore at Benet Academy, where she competes on the cross country and basketball teams. She is a graduate of Notre Dame School, where she was part of the Cross Country and Track teams from 5th to 8th grade. Jane looks forward to working with the Harriers. She also enjoys art, bike riding and basketball.

Claire Sigmund

Claire is a sophomore at Nazareth Academy where she runs both Cross Country and Track. She attended Clarendon Hills Middle School where she currently holds the record in the 400m, and was the 2023 conference champion in the 400m. Claire is very excited to have the opportunity to coach!

Owen Tims

Owen is a sophomore at Hinsdale Central High School. He ran track and cross country at Clarendon Hills Middle School, winning conference and having a great time with his friends. He has been with the West Suburban Harriers since 6th grade and loves the program. This will be Owen’s second year coaching and he is very excited to be back!

Elsa Voight

Elsa is currently a freshman at Hinsdale Central where she competes on the cross country team. She is a graduate of Clarendon Hills Middle School where she competed in cross country and track. She has been a part of the West Suburban Harriers club since summer of 2021. In addition to running, Elsa also enjoys dancing competitively and participates in a number of school and community activities, such as the National Charity League. She loves running and is looking forward to helping out with coaching.