Barrington victorious at Glenbard West invite
Barrington is regarded by many girls track and field observers to be a serious contender for a trophy next month at the Class 3A finals.
"We're not talking too much about what we're expecting at the state level," Barrington junior workhorse Anna Cossio said. "We're working on getting as many of us down there as we can."
Saturday at the rain swept Sue Pariseau Invitational in Glen Ellyn, the Fillies rode their balanced attack on the both the track and in the field to claim a 119-85 victory over Geneva at the 14-team meet.
Distance-rich Naperville North was a few points behind Geneva for third, followed by Whitney Young, Oak Park-River Forest and host Glenbard West.
Hinsdale Central, Wheeling, Lake Zurich, Sandburg, Wheaton North, Hersey, Proviso East and Willowbrook rounded out the field.
Barrington has the fastest 1,600-meter relay in the state, and Cossio gave the unit the lead on her second leg.
Neither 300 hurdles champion Addison Coy nor triple-jump victor Kelsey McLaurin surrendered the Fillies' advantage in the winning time of 4:02.95, almost eight seconds off their state-leading best.
"This race was a battle to keep our spirits up," said Cossio, who was second in the open 400. "We had to do as well as we could considering the conditions. It wasn't our best time, but we worked hard."
Sara Kate Capel is the lead leg of the Fillies' concluding event.
Coy anchored the Fillies' 400 relay to second, and the sophomore won the 300 hurdles in 46.31 after placing third in the shorter variety.
"I'm more of a long-distance hurdler," Coy said. "I think I'm most pleased with how mentally tough we were as a team. Horrible rain and cold today. We can get through anything that comes at us now."
None of the four Barrington relays finished worse than second.
McLaurin augmented Jada Jones' runner-up finish in the long jump with the winning distance of 36 feet, 5½ inches in the triple jump.
Sprinter Nina Hodges' second-place finishes in the 100 and 200 dashes gave Barrington 16 more valuable points.
The invitational had some of the top distance runners from suburbia collide Saturday in Glen Ellyn, even with defending 1,600 state champion Anne Zaher of Hinsdale Central missing.
Lake Zurich junior Caitlin Shepard was one of the few competitors to compete at both 1,600 and 3,200 meters.
Shepard was competitive early in the 3,200 before settling for third.
The junior came back to finish sixth in the distance half as long.
Wheeling crowned a pair of champions to frame its day.
Senior Alanah Greenberg won a major shot-put invitational for the second time in as many weekends with a throw of 36-9.5.
The shining moment on the track came in the 800 run for Wheeling as senior Hailey Dammeier outlasted Naperville North junior Jenny Gibson to take the title in 2:21.23.
Junior Aurora Mala was third for Wheeling in 2:24.23.
"I don't think I've ever won the 800 at a major meet before," Dammeier said. "I knew I had to get out fast because a lot of people would be affected by the weather. I figured they would be coming up behind me on the second lap."
Shepard was competitive early in the 3,200 run before settling for third in 11:14.34.
Shepard also placed in the 1,600 for the Bears.
"I really wanted to PR today (in the 3,200)," Shepard said. "I wanted to run as close as I could to sub-11 (minutes) in the 2-mile. I feel like I'm stronger in the 3,200 because I have the endurance and strength to push through the whole race."
The thoroughbreds of the Naperville North reigning Class 3A cross country championship team all made their mark between 800 and 3,200 meters.
Judy Pendergast, who won the demanding 800-1,600 double at the indoor DuPage Valley Conference championship, showcased her versatility by dominating the 3,200 run.
Naperville North freshman Sarah Schmitt passed Shepard with 500 meters to go to give the Huskies a sweep in the event.
Pendergast was 22-plus seconds ahead of her teammate to win in 10:43.36.
"I am going to see after this race to see where I'm going to go (in terms of event sequence)," Pendergast said. "I'm just going to go where I can help my team out the best. (Schmitt) is an awesome freshman to have on the team. She pushes us like she's a senior."
The 1,600 run featured four all-state cross country competitors, headlined by Lindsay Graham, the Glenbard West individual champion.
Graham, making her outdoor invitational debut, skipped the 3,200 run - she is the defending state runner-up - to anchor the Hilltoppers' 3,200 relay to a comfortable victory in the event.
The Hilltoppers' star junior took a 4-meter lead at the first lap and only extended it for the remaining 1,200 meters.
But Graham was still dissatisfied with her winning time of 5:01.03.
Graham teamed with Grace Rogers, Kathryn Kenwood and Abby Shaver in the track-opening relay; she ran the anchor leg in 2:18-plus to frame the 9:33.45 winning time.
"When Abby gave me (the baton) in the lead, I just wanted to make sure to keep it," Graham said. "I just wanted to run by feel and take it out hard (in the 1,600). That's how I run. I did that. I kind of wanted to be under five (minutes)."
Graham turned back the Naperville North duo of Claire Hamilton and Elly DeTurris for the 1,600 title.
"It was really fun," Hamilton said of the field, whose all-state flavor was finalized by Geneva junior McKenzie Altmayer. "I thought (my time, 5:12.15) was good. I was hitting the 400 (splits) that I wanted."
DeTurris, like Hamilton, helped the Huskies' 3,200 relay to third place in the event.
"I don't know exactly what events I'm going to focus on (for the second half of the season)," the Missouri-bound DeTurris said. "My whole team is amazing in those events (800-3,200). This (distance) team is the strongest Naperville North has ever seen. Hopefully we will be able to show that at state this year in all the events."
Returning triple-jump state qualifier Elise Chao led the Huskies in the field with her third-place finish in her specialty event.
Mary Nevins' third-place result at 400 meters - which Anna Gambol duplicated in the discus - were the other top performers for Glenbard West.
Wheaton North junior Jessica Klisch would have been one of the top seeds in the pole vault, but the event was canceled over safety concerns.
Sprinter Kathryn Sluman led Hinsdale Central, and Willowbrook short hurdler Stefania Enescu did likewise for the Warriors.
Kristin Higgins' record-setting day for Geneva came on her final effort at 5-5 in the high jump.
"The pressure was on," the sophomore said.
But Higgins cleared the bar to establish a new program benchmark.
"At first I was really shocked," Higgins said of her lone event on the day. "I felt like someone was (kidding) me (about the record). I couldn't believe it. It feels so good. I think because it wasn't that windy, (the conditions) were fine for me. The rain didn't really bother me."
Foster Ignoffo continues her climb back from indoor-season injury issues.
The Vikings' returning all-stater at 400 meters won turned back Cossio to win the event in 60.76.
Ignoffo also anchored the Vikings' relay to fifth and concluded her day by losing third-place in the 200 dash by one-hundredth of a second.
"I was really nervous to start off (the 400)," Ignoffo said. "In the blocks I just got out hard, paced myself and tried to hit it at the 100-yard mark. I am definitely happy with (the win)."
But Ignoffo did not finish her day in the 200 as planned.
"Not at all," Ignoffo said, when asked about her performance in 26.94. "I'm not very happy with that one, but I'll try it again."
Janie McCloughan has taken the hurdles this spring as if she were a season veteran in the 100- and 300-meter events.
The Geneva senior scored 16 individual points with her two second-place results in respective times of 16.96 and 47.21.
McCloughan had no previous competitive experience in the disciplines before this season.
"Coach (Peter) Raak said there would be a lot of good girls at this meet," McCloughan said. "I have been doing track since seventh grade, and this is my senior year. I was a little tired of doing all (sprint) races. I love a challenge. I'm thrilled to have two runner-up finishes."
Senior Grace Ginsberg was fourth in the shorter hurdles race for Geneva, and freshman Georgia Reed placed for the Vikings at 300 meters.
Altmayer and Brooke Nusser are the Vikings' mainstays in the distance races.
The former was within striking distance of Graham early before settling for a fifth-place 5:15.47 in the 1,600.
"I had big plans for this meet," said Altmayer, the lead leg on the Vikings' fourth-place 3,200 relay. "But the weather kind of affected them. (The 1,600) was a hard race, knowing that all those girls (Graham, Hamilton and DeTurris) that were in there are amazing."
Nusser was fourth in the 3,200 run with her 11:36.58 posting.
Reed anchored the Vikings' 1,600 relay as the freshman was joined by Colette Malovany, Molly McQueeny and Mary Grace Neville.
The quartet won the slow heat to place fourth overall.
Malovany is a promising underclass sprinter who placed in the 100 dash.
"I felt pretty good about it," Malovany said. "My main event is the 4-by-4. I was an alternate (on the Vikings' state-qualifying unit from last year)."
Raak could barely contain his excitement.
"This is a huge surprise for us to come in and compete against these historic programs - and be right there with them," Raak said. "I'm very proud of the way our girls competed today. They got ready for (the meet) physically, they got ready for it mentally. They brought it today."
Geneva, Batavia and St. Charles East will look to end the West Aurora supremacy at the Kane County meet on Thursday in St. Charles.
The reigning Class 3A runner-up Blackhawks have won five consecutive county titles.