Barrington preps for another big combined effort

When it comes to relays, Barrington coach Jody Gitelis has a pretty simple philosophy.

The Fillies embodied it perfectly last season, specifically in the 1,600-meter relay.

With a state trophy on the line, Barrington closed the Class 3A state meet in classic form.

Sara Kate Capel, Anna Cossio, Addi Coy and Kelsey McLaurin made it look simple in passing the baton to one another, and when McLaurin crossed the finish line the Fillies found themselves with a state title, which helped them tie Warren for a second-place state trophy.

"I basically tell the kids it takes four of you," said Gitelis, "Just get the baton to the next one."

And the four Fillies did just that in crossing the finish line in 3:52.26. Barrington held off Lincoln-Way East, Oak Park-River Forest and St. Charles East capping a sensational season.

Ten months later, three of the four Fillies who composed that relay gathered in the gymnasium hallway to relive that big run. Capel and Cossio, both seniors, joined McLaurin, a junior, to revisit the tension, excitement and joy of the big day.

Missing was Coy, a big part of the relay, who has transferred to Culver Academy in Indiana.

Capel, who led off the relay, spoke of the white noise that was buzzing in her ear. Cossio, who ran the second leg, spoke of breaking the stagger, and McLaurin, the anchor, spoke of bringing home a title.

"Two years ago, it was not on our radar," said Cossio of the Fillies' title run. "Once we got to last year, we realized we had the talent, so we just put it out there."

"We had never made it to finals," added Capel, who could hear her teammates urging her on from the bleachers as she set herself on the starting line. "That was my last thought."

Then there was the finish - and oh, what a finish. After trailing for the entire race, McLaurin made a move in the final 100 meters to secure the title.

"I was just thinking 'finish,' " McLaurin said. "I could hear all the noise from the bleachers; it was cool. All the workouts we do are geared to helping us finish. It was really awesome."

It has been a pretty awesome run for Barrington the past two years. The Fillies have won back-to-back Mid-Suburban League titles and added a state trophy last year.

Capel, Cossio, and McLaurin have definitely done their part during the run.

Capel can cover the sprints, relays, hurdles, and high jump, McLaurin adds points in the sprint relays and triple jump, and Cossio does her part in the 400 and 1,600 relays, and high jump. Both Capel and McLaurin were members of the 800 relay that finished fifth in Class 3A

But the challenge now is replacing some big pieces that contributed to the recent successes. Nina Hodges, who took third in the 200 in Class 3A and was a member of the 800 relay, has graduated. Liz Nykaza, who also was member of the 800 relay, has also graduated.

Also missing is Coy, who finished third in the 300 low hurdles for Class 3A, and seemed to cover so many other events.

"It was something she really wanted to do," said Cossio of Coy's transfer to Culver Academy. "She is just one of our really good friends and we are so happy for her."

Despite the subtractions, the Fillies seem to be in a good place. Sophomore Jocelyn Long finished fourth in the 3,200 for Class 3A last season and added a fifth-place finish in Class 3A for cross country and will be a key part of her team's drive this season.

Barrington is also counting on some younger runners such as sophomore sprinter Eleni Fille and sophomore hurdler Julia Piotrowski to add to their attack.

And of course there are Cossio, Capel, and McLaurin.

"The challenge is finding the pieces of the puzzle and putting them together," Gitelis said. "And as always, we need to remain healthy."

The big screen on the Barrington sports wall of fame was buzzing with the Fillies' 1,600 title run with Cossio, Capel, and McLaurin taking one last look back before facing the challenges at hand this spring.

"I was a running for my teammates," McLaurin said. "I just wanted to finish well."

"It was such a crazy experience," Capel said. "It didn't seem like it was real. It was like, 'We can do that.' And we did. It was a great feeling."

"Finishing it off and seeing where all our hard work had taken us," Cossio said, "I felt incredibly blessed to be a part of that team."

Now the three Fillies are ready to embrace their next challenge.

"When we go into workouts we're just thinking of improving ourselves," Cossio said. "Giving it everything. We think of it more as motivation."