O'Brien, Palatine work through another MSL title
Palatine junior Kelly O'Brien made it look easy early, but she had to work hard late.
On a cool and damp morning, O'Brien jumped out to a comfortable lead in the first mile in the Mid-Suburban League girls cross country conference meet on Saturday at Busse Woods.
But Fremd senior Ayako Higuchi made her work in the final 2 miles.
The two ran neck-and-neck in the final mile before O'Brien made a final surge with 20 meters remaining to secure the MSL title in 17:52 leading Palatine to its third consecutive MSL triumph with 40 points.
"It was such a battle mentally," said O'Brien of the final mile. "It goes to show you can never settle, and the kick at the end was for the team."
"To win the title and help the team to the championship is the most exciting feeling in the world."
Higuchi settled in with the trail pack for the first mile and some, she turned it up a notch midway through the race and found her self side by side with O'Brien entering the final mile.
The Vikings senior couldn't match O'Brien's final surge, settling for her second consecutive MSL runner-up finish.
"I tried to stay with her, but she just had a little extra," added Higuchi who crossed the line in 17:55. "I'm happy with the finish; I gave it everything I had."
As a team, Palatine made it look easy from start to finish. The Pirates started the race with seven runners in the top 10 and didn't let up, finishing with six runners in the top 19 to comfortably earn its 15th overall MSL title.
Schaumburg took a distant second with 72 points followed by Fremd (99 points), host Barrington (123 points), and Hoffman Estates (129 points).
O'Brien set the tone for Palatine, but the junior had plenty of help as senior Amy Kieliszewski (17:59) and senior Megan Beach (18:15) took 4th and 8th place.
"We wanted to get out strong and set the tone," said Kieliszewski. "It definitely gives us a huge boost in confidence and shows what we can do going forward."
Senior Kara Burton (18:28), junior Sam Lechowicz (18:30) and freshman Lauryn Simons (18:41) kept the Pirates humming right along by taking 12th, 15th and 19th place.
"They put themselves in a good spot," said Palatine coach Joe Parks of his team's early surge. "Most of them hung really tough and kept battling. It's been a great team and they keep stepping up.
"I feel like we're coming on."
Schaumburg is also gathering momentum. Senior Ali Gutt (18:11) took charge on Saturday, taking sixth place to pace the Saxons.
After a relatively slow start, Gutt has come on strong.
"I felt really good today," said Gutt. "Once we all get on the same page, we're going to kill it."
Freshman Lauren Kubinski (18:27) and sophomore Ellie O'Connell (18:28) followed by taking 11th and 13th place, with senior Caroline Kurdej (18:40) and sophomore Valerie Schacketlon (18:47) adding 18th and 24th place.
"It's coming together," said Schaumburg coach Courtney Smith of her evolving team. "We will keep working hard and see where it takes us. We're moving in the right direction."
Fremd's arrow is also pointing up. Higuchi set the tone but got a big helping hand from senior Katie Escobar (ninth, 18:24) and senior Anita Grudzien (17th, 18:36).
"We knew the race was going to go out with a blistering pace," said Fremd coach Joe Marcin. "I told the girls to run a conservative first mile, use the energy saved for the second mile - and that is what they did."
Barrington junior Lauren Conroy won the MSL title as a freshman before battling through illnesses as a sophomore. She jumped back to the front of the pack on Saturday, coming from behind to secure third place in 17:57 to help Barrington's fourth-place finish.
"I really felt like going for it," said Conroy, who made a huge surge in the second mile to put herself in position. "I enjoy racing from behind and I know when to turn it on."
Freshman Jocelyn Long (18:33) also gave the Fillies a boost with a 16th-place finish.
Sophomore Meagan Biddle (18:26) powered Hoffman Estates by taking 10th place and pushing the Hawks to a fifth-place finish. Senior Alondra Aguirre (18:44) and senior Yazmin Nunez (18:48) also gave the Hawks a boost finishing in 21st and 25th place.
Sophomore Brooke Wilson (18:07) continued her strong season by taking fifth place individually, leading Prospect to a sixth-place finish. Senior Hannah Getschman (18:46) aided the Knights attack with a 23rd-place finish.
"I wanted to stay loose the first two miles and keep moving up," said Wilson. "I just feel more confident and know what works for me."
Sophomore Sydney Davis (18:28) took 14th to lead Conant's seventh-place finish.
Rolling Meadows junior Gaby Sanchez (18:43) took 20th place to lead the Mustangs to eighth place.
Wheeling senior Aurora Mala (18:45) took 22nd place in leading Wheeling to ninth place, and defending MSL champion Kaitlyn Ko (18:12) took seventh place for Buffalo Grove.