St. Charles East relay suffers heartbreaking finish
CHARLESTON - The St. Charles East 1,600-meter relay collectively refused to quit during the final event on the last day of the girls track and field season Saturday afternoon.
The Saints' members - twins Elizabeth and Allison Chemlik, Casey McNichols and Kyanna McClinton - had rallied from several deficits in their bid to give the program a third consecutive title at the Class 3A state finals at Eastern Illinois' O'Brien Stadium.
There was an electrically charged final rush by McClinton and her fellow anchors from Barrington, Lincoln-Way East and Oak Park-River Forest in the closing meters.
But disaster befell the Saints when McClinton dropped the baton while lunging for the finish line.
"We went (potentially) from first to eighth," St. Charles East coach Tim Wolf said. "I have seen it happen before. It's track and field: anything can happen. However you look at it, it's a learning experience."
The girls were too physically and emotionally spent to comment on the race.
One year after securing the first trophy in program history, the Saints led the five area largest-classification teams with 21 to points to finish in 12th place.
St. Charles East also failed to defend its title in the 3,200 relay as Naperville North won its first track and field state championship in program history.
Torree Scull, the Saints' four-year standout who has never failed to medal at state, was looking for redemption after fading to fifth place on the last leg of the 3,200 relay.
"I really wasn't feeling that good today," Scull said. "I didn't have what I wanted left (on the anchor leg)."
But Scull was the top seed in the open 1,600. Palatine junior Kelly O'Brien opened a commanding lead on the pack, nine of whom had qualified for the finals on Friday by breaking five minutes.
"She went out so fast that I couldn't even stay with her," said St. Charles North freshman Audrey Ernst.
But O'Brien noticeably slowed on the gun lap, enabling Scull and longtime Streamwood rival Gabby Juarez to close the gap.
The Upstate Eight River athletes passed the Mid-Suburban standout with 230 meters to go. Juarez had a slight edge on Scull.
"I knew (Scull) was going to come after me," Juarez said. "I knew she has an incredible kick."
Juarez, though, withstood the Scull foray to become the first Streamwood state champion in track history with her time of four minutes, 55.56 seconds.
"My strategy for the race was to stay with the pack and hopefully have a kick at the end," Scull said. "Even in the mile, it was a struggle."
Ernst earned her first career state medal with a fourth-place finish.
"I was really happy with it," Ernst said.
Allison Chmelik earned her third career state medal in the triple jump by leapfrogging eight competitors to place fourth.
"I just wanted to do better than I did last year (sixth)," Chmelik said.
St. Charles North junior Hannah Schilb is an all-stater for the first time by placing sixth in the event.
West Aurora continued its streak of consecutive years with state points when its 800 relay of Tamia Rayford, Joslyn Noel, Lauren Harris and JeMya McClendon were sixth.
"We did a lot more than expected," said Noel of the defending team state runners-up.
Batavia earned its lone points from Emma Stephens' eighth-place finish in the open 3,200.
Lincoln-Way East won its third consecutive state championship; Warren and Barrington tied for second.