West Aurora, St. Charles East share title at SCN

West Aurora and St. Charles East staged a re-enactment of the Class 3A girls track and field state finals from a year ago at St. Charles North on Saturday afternoon.

Last season, West Aurora edged the Saints by a point to cement its runner-up status in Charleston.

But the rivals were even closer on Saturday at the St. Charles North Invitational, an eight-team meet, as the two-time defending state champions in the 1,600-meter relay, St. Charles East, captured the event.

First-year participant West Aurora was fifth in the final event, meaning the two schools shared the team title with 104 points each.

Wheaton North was third, followed by St. Charles North, Benet, Glenbard South, Glenbard East and Conant.

"I told (West Aurora counterpart, Teresa Towles) that we were going to have to start racing each other in a coaches' race to decide the trophy," St. Charles East coach Tim Wolf said.

West Aurora star underclassman Tamia Rayford was looking for a complete sweep of the three sprints after earlier winning the 100 and 400 dashes in 12.88 and 58.22 seconds, respectively.

But St. Charles East senior Allison Chmelik, the Saints' Marquette-bound two-time member of the back-to-back relay state champions, foiled the plan by claiming the 200 dash in 26.25 seconds.

Rayford had to settle for second in the event.

The all-state returnee in the triple jump was looking to erase an off-day in her two vertical jumping events a third-place result to Rayford at 100 meters.

"Going into the two, I was thinking, 'This is going to be my redemption,'" said Chmelik, who finished third in the long jump and runner-up to Charles North twin champion Hannah Schilb. "I tried to keep the same pace (down the stretch) and give it my all. Running around to my different events, I wasn't mentally into (the triple jump)."

"I had to run the 400 before (the 200), so I knew I would be a little tired," Rayford said. "I'm actually really happy (about my day). (Chmelik) had me in the two; there's always next time."

Rayford, a returning all-stater at 400 meters, destroyed the field in the fast heat to win by over five seconds.

West Aurora made its living in the sprints as the quintet of Tatyana Skokan, Lauren Harris-Williams, Rajiah Andrews, Marin Munos and JeMya McClendon swept the 400 and 800 relays in: 53.02 and 1:50.82.

"I think getting out with a great start and then having a strong finish was (the difference)," said McClendon, who anchored both all-underclass relays. "I had my eye on the finish line the whole time."

Andrews, a sophomore, and freshman Kiyanna Rodgers duplicated their one-two sweep of the Upstate Eight Conference sprint hurdles with their finish in the 100 hurdles.

West Aurora junior SaMya Hunt won the discus with a throw of 114 feet even after the returning state qualifier finished third in the shot put earlier.

Casey McNichols, the lone of three returning members to participate, had a brilliant leadoff leg that allowed the all-freshmen trio of Sophie Jackson, Reece Fisher and Lauren Williams to coast to the title.

St. Charles East was missing critical personnel, including 3,200 state-champion relay runners Torree Scull and Anastasia Honea, but the Saints still gave West Aurora everything they could handle.

"For the most part, it was all underclassmen today," Wolf said. "Our young kids have stepped it up."

Rayford and Schilb were the only individual multiple winners on the day as the former won the triple and long jumps with respective distances of 37-1.5 and 17-2.5.

The junior also placed in both hurdles events for St. Charles North.

"I had a little adrenaline going into (the triple jump)," Schilb said. "It was a good day to open up the season. I haven't jumped outside yet, but I was pretty happy with how I jumped today."

Audrey Ernst made an immediate impact in cross country last fall, and the freshman all-stater in the sport starred for the North Stars in her outdoor debut.

The prized ninth-grader began her day by anchoring the North Stars' 3,200 relay to a victory; Ernst then was the class of the field in the open 1,600 run.

"I just try and go out as fast as I can in all of my events," Ernst said. "So far the two-mile relay and the mile have been really fun. I was trying to PR in the mile."

Ernst fell a little short of her goal in the event with her 5:11.48 posting.

Sydney Brellenthin, Nina Olshevar and Morgan Lain were the North Stars' other 3,200 team members.

The highlight for third-place Wheaton North unquestionably came in the pole vault.

Junior Jessica Klisch and senior teammate Lenna Klein tied for first place at 10 feet, but the former was declared the winner on criteria.

"I have never won a major invite before," Klisch said. "It was a great day for pole vault. I think (the win) was part of the weather, the environment. I finally got my technique down that I was working on."

Klisch, Klein, Rachel Garcia, and freshmen Malia Humecki and Macie Rodriquez helped the Falcons score valuable points in the three spring relays.

In the 800 run, Benet sophomore Rachel Strons enjoyed a narrow margin over St. Charles East sophomore Alexis Scull at the gun lap.

Strons' final 400 meters were as impressive as her opening lap; the Redwings' star underclassman held off Scull to win in a new personal-best of 2:24.09.

"I decided to go out faster and stay in the lead," Strons said. "I knew with 200 meters to go (Scull) was pretty close to me. I didn't want to her to get me and went like a shot."

The Redwings crowned another champion in the high jump as senior Mia Jones claimed the title at 5-2.

Glenbard South also had a pair of first-place performers in distance runner Becca Sippel and thrower Mercedes Whitaker.

The former had little competition in winning the 3,200 run in 11:44.61.

"I just wanted to race well and stay in reach of the leaders," Sippel said. "That was basically what I was trying to do. There was good competition (early) today."

Whitaker is a returning state finalist in the Class 2A shot put.

Throwing just shy of 38 feet to win the championship, Whitaker was also runner-up in her discus debut this spring.

"I kind of went out there and did it," Whitaker said of her shot-put win. "It was kind of like my comeback from last season."

"We have a lot of young girls who don't understand that we put them up against big schools so they get better," Glenbard South coach Mark Tacchi said. "We want to be able to compete against big schools. No offense, but we don't want a 2A mentality."