A first, a second headline Hill's big day at state
CHARLESTON - Katelyn Hill was on the cusp of Glenbard South athletic history Saturday on the second day of the Class 2A girls track and field state finals.
The Illinois State recruit had already captured the first individual state championship for the Raiders in nine years with her win in 14.84 seconds in the 100 hurdles.
Hill began her day at Eastern Illinois University on the second leg of the Raiders' 400 relay that Taylor Blohm Bivins' anchor propelled to a seventh-place finish.
In the finals of the 300 hurdles Hill was engaged in an epic showdown with three other runners at the finish line.
In a blink of the eye, the race was over.
Fifteen one-hundredths of a second separated the quartet, but Normal U-High sophomore Chante Stonewall was declared the winner in 43.84. Hill had to settle for runner-up in 43.92.
"We were all very close," Hill said. "There's nothing I can do about it."
Hill ended her program-first achievement of four finals appearances by anchoring the 1,600 relay to fifth place in 4:00.73.
"I beat everybody to the first hurdle (at 100 meters)," Hill said. "When you do that you just have to keep going as you usually have the race."
The Raiders' 1,600 relay won the first Class 2A title at the distance in 2009, but the Hill triumph was the first by a Glenbard South individual since Ashley Raymond captured the 2005 Class AA 3,200 run.
Glenbard South finished with 26 team points to place ninth.
Montini senior Brittany Fisher passed five runners in the 3,200 relay to give the Broncos their third consecutive runner-up finish at state. The Dayton-bound Lombard resident has been a member of all three teams.
"We needed some momentum," Fisher said. "That's the nature of relays. It was my last race, and I gave it my all. We came out and did pretty well."
Gianna Salzbrunn, Emma Makovski and Madeline Jamrozek were the Broncos' other relay members; the unit was timed in 9:26.47.
Salzbrunn also earned all-state distinctions in the 300 hurdles and triple jump.
In Class 1A sprint action, Lisle freshman Edoise Omoike was sixth at both 100 and 400 meters in respective times of 12.65 and 59.37.
"I'm just happy to be all-state," Omoike said. "Lisle hadn't had any (individuals) at state in a long time (in the finals)."
In the respective team races, Lincoln-Way East eased past DuPage Valley Conference and Metea Valley sectional champion West Aurora, 72-39, to defend its Class 3A title behind former Naperville North sprinter Alexis Hyshaw and Michigan-bound 100 champion Meghan Marias.
Cahokia denied Normal University 71-64 for the Class 2A championship, and Aurora Christian won its first girls state championship in school history in 1A with a 49-45 triumph over Tremont.