Dixon High School Cross Country Team Wins Second Consecutive 2A State Title
Led by senior duo Dean Geiger and Averick Wiseman, the Dukes became the second program in IHSA history to capture three state championships in the division.
By Rafael Bailey ·
Dixon High School has joined an exclusive group in Illinois high school athletics.
The Dukes won the IHSA 2A state cross country championship on Saturday at Peoria’s Detweiller Park. It marks their second consecutive title and their third in the division’s history. Only one other team in 2A history has won three state titles. Dixon is the first to repeat as champion since Mahomet-Seymour did so in 2017.
Senior runners Dean Geiger and Averick Wiseman anchored the team’s scoring effort. Geiger finished 13th with a time of 14:36, while Wiseman placed 16th in 14:40. Both runners improved upon their 2025 results and earned all-state honors for the second straight year. Their performances were part of a tight pack, as Dixon’s top five scorers were separated by only 34 seconds. That margin represented the second-best pack time in the 2A division.
The race was won by Cuyler Swanson of Morris, who clocked 14:10. His twin brother Everett Swanson finished fifth with a time of 14:20. Coach Simon Thorpe noted that Geiger stayed with the lead group for much of the race before falling back and closing the gap. Thorpe said Wiseman had a rough start but held on in a competitive field. "Averick didn’t get out well, but held on valiantly," Thorpe stated.
Sophomores Ethan Carter and Alonzo Bautista secured the final two all-state spots for Dixon. Carter finished with a personal record of 14:50, while Bautista ran 14:51. Bautista came from behind to claim the 25th place finish. The IHSA awards all-state medals to the top 25 runners. Senior Brody Hopper was the final scorer for the Dukes, finishing 52nd with a time of 15:10. Freshman Bentlee Lawrenz placed 65th in 15:19, and sophomore Jaron Greve finished 195th in 16:30.
Dixon totaled 101 points for the team victory. That was 59 points better than second-place Morton, which scored 160. Deerfield finished third with 240 points. The Dukes’ average runner time was 14:50. That is faster than the 14:52 average set by Belvidere North when they won the state title in 2010 with a team score of 28. Thorpe admitted the team felt pressure due to the strength of the 2A field. "As a group, we felt quite a bit of pressure because 2A was so good," he said. "I don’t think anybody running for us really felt well."
Thorpe described his own mindset as more process-oriented this year compared to the previous season. He attributed this shift to the birth of his son. "Last year I was more high-strung, like being in a daze," Thorpe explained. "This time, I was more process-oriented. Having a (newborn) son makes me more even-keel."
The state win qualifies Dixon for the NXR Midwest Regionals in Indiana next Saturday. The event will be held at the Lavern Gibson course in Terre Haute. The regionals will feature teams from Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Missouri, and Ohio. It serves as a qualifier for the Nike national meet in Oregon. York won the 3A state title on Saturday, and Thorpe has set a goal to beat them at the NXR. "A headline from the state meet could be that the Dukes won the 2A and 3A titles," Thorpe said. "We won 2A, and York won 3A. A goal at the NXR is to beat them."
The team celebrated their victory at a steakhouse following the meet. They will resume training immediately to prepare for the regional race. The Dukes will look to maintain their tight pack strategy as they face runners from four other states.
