Cross country notes: Lianna Surtz and Rosary relished chance to step up in competition against state’s best in Naperville North quadrangular

This was an offer Rosary coach Vic Mead and his team, led by junior Lianna Surtz, couldn’t refuse.

The Royals weren’t originally scheduled to run Friday at Naperville North but jumped at the chance offered by Huskies coach Dan Iverson to join Benet and Naperville Central in a quadrangular.

“We kind of squeezed it in because we wanted to run against better competition,” Mead said.

Thanks to restrictions due to the coronavirus pandemic, Rosary’s schedule has been limited primarily to fellow Class 1A schools and a handful of 2A foes.

Naperville North and Benet are the reigning 3A and 2A state champions, respectively.

Picture Source: H. Rick Bamman

SOURCE ( RICK ARMSTRONG /Chicago Tribune)