Girls track: Scouting the Fox Valley
Burlington Central RocketsCoach: Vince Neil (4th season)
2014 finish: Big Northern Conference champions
Top returning athletes: Seniors Karli Chmelik (jumps), Bryce Weinrich (sprints, hurdles), Jasmine Castillo (sprints, hurdles), Liz Spencer (sprints, jumps), Allie Mueller (pole vault), Aly Detamble (pole vault), Charlotte Metz (jumps), Melissa Leone (sprints), Vanessa Lorenz (distance), juniors Brenna Williams (throws), Emily Westergaard (sprints), sophomore Megan Goehrke (sprints, jumps)
Key newcomers: Senior Brittany Bourdage (sprints), Belle Rivera (distance), freshmen Chloe Bilyk (distance), Meghan Conn (pole vault), Hannah Overmyer (sprints, jump)
Outlook: The defending conference-champion Rockets have point-scoring ability from many sources once again this season. "Our strength this year will come from multiple point scorers across all events," said Neil. "We are very well-balanced and we have the potential to steal points away from many teams at large invites. We are balanced in the sprints, jumps and relays and we will have point scorers in the vault and distance events as well. Our core strength will come from a team heavy in senior leadership. Most of our senior girls have been involved with our program for the past four years. They are committed to success in their last season of high school track and field." Weinrich qualified for state in the 100 hurdles, while Castillo went Downstate last year in the 300 hurdles.
Cary-Grove TrojansCoach: Mark Anderson (15th season)
2014 finish: First place Fox Valley Conference
Top returning athletes: Seniors Morgan Schulz, Eva Burk, Delaney Perrone, Bridget Lauritsen, Olivia Roehri, Talia Duzey, Gretchen Price, Jill Sikora, Iris Melcher, Magalie Baker, juniors Nicole Robbins, Maggie Cherveny, Sabrina Mishall, Sarah Riley, sophomores Sarah Caesar, Linnea Yokup, Paige Groves, Sheridan Taylor, Alyssa Abrams.
Key newcomers: Juniors Katie Michie, Jordyn Solka, sophomore Rachel Feuerhelm, freshmen Taylor Pinnello, Libby Hansen, Paige Schulz, Tabor Gleason, Fiona Pack, Elisha Bushman, Hailey Hochel, Kate Rhode.
Outlook: The Trojans are the pick of many as a prime candidate to repeat as Fox Valley Conference champions this season. Schulz returns for her senior season after earning all-state honors in the 800 and 300 low hurdles last year. "We've got a strong leadership core returning and some new additions who have shown a great work ethic so far," said Anderson. "Our goal is to focus on ourselves and let everything else fall into place."
Crystal Lake South GatorsCoach: Matt Dunker (6th season)
2014 finish: Third place Fox Valley Conference
Top returning athletes: Seniors Kianna Clark (shot put, sprints, sprint relays), Gaby De Jesus (sprints, sprint relays, long jump), Kat Pencak (sprints, sprint relays), Natalie Boorom (sprints, hurdles), Kiley Britten (mid-distance, distance), juniors Andie Kobrick (distance), Maddy Gil (mid-distance, distance, hurdles), Cecilia John (sprints, sprint relays, long jump), Caitlyn Bruzzini (mid-distance, distance)
Key newcomers: Junior Brandie Minogue (sprints, sprint relays), sophomore Cailey Ciezadlo (sprints, sprint relays), Kayla Ehranhaft (mid-distance, distance)
Outlook: Clark qualified for state in the 400 relay and the shot put, while De Jesus and Pencak also were part of the 400 relay team. "We are a very deep team this year," Dunker said. "We are looking to score points in almost all the events. On of our biggest strengths should be our relays."
Dundee-Crown ChargersCoach: Christine Hopkins-Muehl (3rd season)
Top returning athletes: Seniors Jazmine Dulaitis-Askew (sprints), Kimmy Skvarla (sprints), Anette Woolf (throws), Mandy Mosher (throws), Veronica Caballaro (throws), Sofia Marquez (hurdles/jumps), Monica Boado (hurdles/jumps), juniors Audrey Schmatz (sprints), Lauren Hogue (sprints), Jessica Pflanz (throws), Maggie Himmel (distance), Kayla Hostetler (distance), sophomores Kaylee Rendl (sprints), Alyssa Muhvic (throws), Olivia Scarpelli (hurdles/jumps), Kayla Leal (hurdles/jumps), Karly Livengood (hurdles/jumps)
Key newcomers: Senior Quanita Johnson (sprints), sophomore Viktoria Kolros (sprints), freshmen Tarrah Kamp (throws), Maddie Tripp (throws), Skyler Finucane (distance), Sylvia Waz (distance)
Outlook: Experience is on Dundee-Crown's side this season. "We have a large group of girls who are returning track athletes so we are hoping to see them step up and emerge as new leaders of our program," said Hopkins-Muehl. "We definitely lost some of our main point-scorers from last year. We are looking to develop our previous athletes to have more confidence and to be more competitive. We are looking for our rookies to find their niche on this team. We will be underdogs in most of our meets and we hope to have some 'surprising' performances. Our biggest obstacle is going to be ourselves. We need to keep fighting for personal bests every meet. We have a lot of very nice young women who have been proving they are willing to work hard to get better and to be competitive."
Elgin MaroonsCoach: Dave Borg
Top returning athletes: Seniors Megan Alexander (400), Nikki Zimmer (400, 300 hurdles), Abby Pierre Louis (sprints), juniors Andi Hagan (jumps), Anali Cisneros (3,200, 1,600, 800), sophomores Nyali Cisneros (3,200, 1,600, 800), Chloe Burkhardt (800, 1,600)
Newcomer: Junior Marcici Santiago (throws)
Outlook: Borg is encouraged by the team's numbers. "We have a good mix of experience and youth," he said. "We should be pretty strong in the 400 and relays can be strong if we can limit injuries. This is a group that wants to learn and our young athletes are getting better. Track season is the sign winter is over and spring is here. What's not to love? Kids competing, kids improving outside away from all the technology." Hagan has gone 30-plus feet in the triple, while Alexander has run 1:05 in the 400. Zimmer also is in the 1:05 range in the hurdles. Pierre Louis is back from injury. The Cisneros sisters both have gone under 6 minutes in the 1,600, as has Burkhardt.
Elgin Academy HilltoppersCoach: Adrian Ayala (5th season)
2014 finish: Fourth Independent School League
Top returning athletes: Senior Kaitlyn Pearson (100, 200), juniors Corinne Lam (throws) and Tori Teik (sprints)
Key newcomers: Sophomore Stephanie Pierson (hurdles/sprints)
Outlook: Pearson returns after qualifying for state in the 100 and 200. "As a team we would like to continue the progression we've made in the Independent School League," Ayala said.
Hampshire Whip-PursCoach: Patti Nihells
2014 finish: First place Fox Valley Conference Fox Division
Top returning athletes: Seniors Natalia Sztukowski (800), Rebecca Freund (pole vault), Dallas Krueger (high jump), Nikki Dumoulin (jumps), Rachel Dumoulin (jumps), juniors Elizabeth Evans (800), Jackie Pytel (100, 200, high jump), sophomores Aimee Jarvis (200, 400), Morgan Richert (1,600, 3,200), Valerie Wozniak (sprint relays), Alexis Nguyen (100, 200)
Outlook: Hampshire returns plenty of experience throughout the track and some of the field events. "We're working on being well-rounded in all the events," said Nihells.
Harvest Christian Academy LionsCoach: Steven Bland (3rd season)
2014 finish: NAC champions
Top returning athletes: Seniors Valerie Richter and Kylee Knox
Key newcomers: Freshmen Nygia Pollard (distance) and Rachel Higbee (distance)
Outlook: Richter finished 13th in the state in the 800 last year, while Knox ran at state in both hurdles events. Harvest also narrowly missed sending 3,200 and 1,600 relay teams to state. Pollard was Harvest's top finisher at the state cross country meet this past fall, while Higbee was the team's third finisher at state. "Both our boys and girls teams share the same goals to win conference and advance to the state meet," said Bland. "The strength of our team is in the distance events. We have a core group of committed athletes who are focused and have consistently trained throughout the year. The girls should be supported in the hurdles as they seek a third consecutive conference title. Being a small school, we lack the numbers to compete against the larger schools that drop down into the 1A category for the track season. We still are recruiting athletes that could help us in the sprint and field events and if we are successful we may do well at the sectional meet."
Huntley Red RaidersCoach: Shawn Nordeen (17th season)
2014 finish: Second place Fox Valley Conference
Top returning athletes: Seniors Macy Tramblay (hurdles, triple jump, sprints), Delaney Lyman (pole vault, long jump), Tess Miller (jumps, sprints), Emily Schmidt (hurdles, sprints), Kelly Meehleib (distance), Nicole Zielinski (sprints), juniors Kate Mitchell (distance), Sarah Henderson (throws), Alyssa Bushman (sprints)
Key newcomers: Freshmen Chloe Smith (distance), Lindsey Ferguson (distance), Rhian Whitfield (vault, sprints, hurdles), Alex Handchetz (sprints), Katie Bessey (throws), Cassidy Lackovic (sprints)
Outlook: Nordeen likes the mix of veterans and newcomers on this year's roster. "We have a very strong group of returners coming back that will mix very well with our 30-plus freshmen that came out," he said. "We have depth in many events that we have not had in the past. We had a very successful indoor season are all are very excited to get the outdoor season going."
Jacobs Golden EaglesCoach: Ryan Lemanski
Top returning athletes: Seniors Lauren Van Vlierbergen (800, 1,600, 3,200 relay), Taylor Bona (3,200 relay), Molly Barnes (3,200 relay), Courtney Eubanks (3,200), Taylor Bradford (sprints), juniors Caleigh Walsh (300 hurdles, long jump), Lindsey Farriessey (throws), Madilyn Moeller (200), Holly Alessio (100), sophomores Rachel Holstein (100 hurdles, jumps, sprints), Kristina Diana (throws), Nikki Dobson (400), Sam Savage (200)
Key newcomers: Junior Anisa Talic (sprints), sophomores Jessie Gessner (middle distance), Katheryn Van Vlierbergen (middle distance), freshmen Kelly Ross (sprints, long jump), Chloe Walsh (middle distance), freshmen Kiley Speckneck (sprints), Bria Lasher (hurdles), Monika Ziemann (hurdles)
Outlook: Lauren Van Vlierbergen is the defending Class 3A state champion in the 800 and also medaled in the 1,600 a year ago, plus was part of the team's 3,200 relay state qualifier. She ran 5:04.55 in the 1,600 the first time out in the indoor season. The Jacobs 3,200 team of the Van Vlierbergen sisters, Barnes and Bona ran a school Top 10 all-time best in March (9:58.04). Holstein jumped 31 feet in the triple jump, her first time ever competing in the event and also threw 29 feet in the shot, in addition to running in the hurdles and doing the high jump. Walsh already has hit a PR in the long jump at 16-10. Freshmen Ross and Speckneck will be key additions to the sprint group, while the 400 and 800 relay teams go into the season with high expectations. Talic, a transfer student who was a state qualifier last year, adds further sprinting depth. "This is one of the best girls track and field teams here in recent history," said Lemanski. "The pieces are starting to come together to really compete in the FVC in May."
Larkin RoyalsCoach: Brandie Lindo
Top returning athletes: Seniors Damaurice Fuentes (hurdles), junior Isabella Orozco (400, 300 hurdles), sophomores Shawniece Douglas (shot and discus), Naomi Hibbler (shot and discus), Dianne Cruz (800)
Key newcomers: Sophomore Layla Wisser (400), freshman Tela Tate (sprints)
Outlook: Larkin is loaded with participants this season. "The biggest strengths for us are our numbers and our youth," Lindo said. "We have 65 girls compared to the 14 girls we ended the season with last year. Of those 65, more than half are freshmen." Throwing events will be a calling card for the Royals this season. "I feel we have potential to carve out a conference niche in throws and we'll look to capitalize on our young throwers to do that," Lindo said. "They are young and have natural talent. With help from our throwing coach Jesus Gonzalez, they will develop the form and skill to enhance their natural abilities. They already have placed at the varsity level but they are competitive and look to improve those places." Lindo loves the makeup of this year's roster. "I am very lucky to have the athletes I do on my team," she said. "I have a group of amazing girls who handle the recruiting I need for the future based on their personalities. They are supportive of each other, their coaches and their school and that creates a team that people want to be a part of and will guarantee our success for future seasons. I already have seen success this year. I have seen 65 girls take the initiative to come out for a school team. I've seen them work hard at practice, support each other on and off the track, manage their grades and attendance well. I've seen more than a few juggle a job, practice, other involvements and family obligations and not once have I had to deal with bad attitude or a complaint and that in my opinion is the recipe for success for this season and those in the future."
St. Edward Green WaveCoach: Katie Beckett
Top returning athlete: Sophomore Megan Kremer
Key newcomer: Freshman Lourdes Galido
Outlook: Beckett is the team's new coach this year and is pleased by what she has seen so far. "I like the amount of patience they have shown in dealing with poor weather and indoor practices, as well as the teamwork they demonstrate and the fun they have. I'm excited to see how everyone develops and grows as the season goes on," she said.
South Elgin StormCoach: Jorie Bartholomew
2014 finish: Eighth place Upstate Eight
Top returning athletes: Senior Caroline Muller (high jump, 100 hurdles), juniors Bridgette Williams (shot put, 100, 1,600 relay), Emalee Smith (jumps, 300 hurdles), Sam Czuprynski (800, 1,600, 3,200 relay), Maggie Vickery (800, 1,600, 3,200 relay), Jasmin Duncan (100 hurdles, 1,600 relay), sophomore Kennedy Wells (200, 1,600 relay, 400 relay)
Key newcomers: Junior Kiera Ordijia (100, 400 relay), sophomore Lisa Derwoski (1,600 relay, 800), freshmen Sydney Lusco (1,600, 800), Lindsay Alvarado (400, 1,600 relay), Rileigh Swanson (400, 1,600 relay)
Outlook: Bartholomew will be coaching the largest team in the program's history. "That will be to our advantage," she said. "We have so many girls who are interested in learning everything about track and being the best in as many events as possible." Field events will help the Storm in 2015. "We have strong field events with shot, high jump, long jump and triple jump," said Bartholomew. "We also have some strong mid-distance runners with our 1,600 relay team. These girls are ready to learn and work hard. We have so many girls with great attitudes and great outlooks on the season. There are girls on the team that have high goals and they know the only way to achieve them is to start now and to push themselves to be better. I am looking forward to the outdoor season with our biggest team and all the awesome talent that is starting to surface. I am hoping the team will be able to surpass their team and personal goals and finish the season with no regrets."
Streamwood SabresCoach: Kellie Stich (1st season)
Top returning athletes: Seniors Gabby Juarez (distance), Addie Kelly (distance), Sam Harding (distance), Cassidy Wingerd (distance), Olivia Ortiz (distance), senior Aaliyah Winters (sprints), Bernice Cabal (distance)
Outlook: The Sabres are deep in the distance events with standout Juarez leading the way. "We hope to see Gabby on the podium at state in May in the 1,600 run," said Stich. "We also want to see Kelly and Sam running at Eastern Illinois in the 3,200 run, we want the 3,200 relay team competing there and Aaliyah running the 400 at state. The girls have been working hard throughout the indoor season and I am hoping to surprise some people during the outdoor meets."
Not responding to requests for information: Bartlett