Montini goes the distance

CHARLESTON - Gianna Salzbrunn had a look of unrelenting determination on her face in the final stages of the 3,200-meter relay Saturday morning.

The Montini junior had little interest in the program enduring a runner-up finish on the final day of the Class 2A girls track and field season in the event for a fourth consecutive year.

Salzbrunn earned her fifth state medal in the last two years when she held off Rosary senior Emily Martin.

"I just had all adrenaline," Salzbrunn said. "We didn't want (another second-place finish) repeated."

It was the first state championship in Montini girls track and field history.

"We had four really solid kids," Montini coach Pete Connelly said of Salzbrunn, Madeline Jamrozek, Jenna Wiedacher and Emma Makowski.

It was the third straight year Jamrozek participated in the race; the second for Salzbrunn.

"I worked so hard for this the last four years," Jamrozek said.

Salzbrunn later added a fourth-place finish in the 300 hurdles for Montini.

The Broncos' championship served as a precursor for an extraordinary day of eclectic talents the much-more plentiful number of Class 3A area programs proceeded to showcase.

Metea Valley bettered its standing from a year ago by one behind its talented throwers Holly Julifs and Courtney Morgan.

In tying Oak Park-River Forest for fourth with 29 points, the Mustangs' three state qualifiers all scored in their five combined events.

Julifs captured the discus with a throw of 142 feet, 7 inches after earlier placing in the shot put.

The Alabama-bound senior defied all expectations by winning a throwing event with an injured shoulder.

"I sprained my rotator cuff about a month ago," Julifs said. "It was diagnosed by our athletic trainers. The theory is it's a slight tear."

Defending state shot put champion Morgan scored 13 points in the two throws for Metea Valley, and 800 runner Nicki Cast made it 5-for-5 for the Mustangs with her sixth-place finish.

Neuqua Valley senior Olivia Griswold was runner-up in the shot put; Lake Park junior Michaela Smith was second to Julifs in discus and fourth in the shot put.

The pole vault also featured another peculiar succession of local finishers as Heidi Nassos, Danielle Wojciechowski and Ali Munson of WW South, Lake Park and Benet, respectively, were fourth through sixth.

The trend of field excellence continued with Neuqua Valley junior Kenna Lonergan and WW South senior Alex Enright placing fourth and fifth, respectively, in the high jump.

Glenbard North junior Allison Wahrman has a third-place triple jump credit to her name.

Emelia Burris concluded the epitome of a breakout season for Fenton.

The junior was fourth in the long jump and seventh in a volcanic 100 dash in her maiden state appearances.

Burris is the first Bison two-event medal-winner since the late 1970s.

"I wanted to prove to my coaches that I could be all-state," Burris said. "I wanted to put Fenton on the map. I'm glad I could represent Fenton in this way."

Naperville Central junior D'Jenne Egharevba duplicated her sprint-relay career haul from two years ago by placing at both 100 and 200 meters.

"I thought it would have been crazy," Egharevba said of the likelihood to start the season. "I'm looking to use this for my senior year."

The 800 run was an all-Downers Grove affair at the top.

Michaela Hackbarth, the reigning state runner-up for South, passed Jacobs' defending champion Lauren Van Vlierbergen and held off Downers North sophomore standout Emma Moravec to win the event in 2:11.84.

Samara Miller was fifth in the 400 for Neuqua Valley, which finished in the top 14.

Lincoln-Way East won its third straight team title; Warren and Barrington tied for second.