Girls cross country: Fast start, big finish by Barrington's Long

Barrington's Jocelyn Long erased all suspense in the Wheeling Invitational from the get-go.

Long charged to the lead in the opening mile, leaving the rest of the field in her wake in cruising to the title in 17:29.4 on a sunny fall morning at Heritage Park. She continued to make separation in the second mile and comfortably entered the chute with a 27-second winning cushion in powering Barrington's girls cross country squad to the team title with 43 points.

"We wanted her to go out hard and just hang on as long as she could at that pace," said Barrington coach Deb Revolta of her star runner, who finished fifth in Class 3A last season. "She is in a much better place this year. Her times have been consistently faster, she looks a lot stronger, and her mindset is good."

The Fillies junior has definitely put herself in a nice position heading into the high-stakes postseason meets, and now she is eager to for the challenges looming ahead.

"Definitely, right from the gun I wanted to get out fast," said Long who was five seconds off the course record set by Prospect's Brooke Wilson (17:24) at last season's Mid-Suburban League meet. "I trust Deb (Revolta), I trust all the work we've been doing. Nnow I'm excited to see what is next for me."

Libertyville finished a distant second place with 87 points, followed by Evanston (94), Lakes (123) and Lake Zurich (145).

Libertyville junior Melissa Manetsch (17:57.1) took second individually followed by Lake Forest junior Brett Chody (18:10.5), Elk Grove senior Emily Stegmeier (18:46.7) and Lakes freshman Olivia Schmitt (18:52.8).

Barrington started the season dealing with numerous injuries, but the Fillies seem to be getting healthy.

Long set the tone, but she had plenty of support. Freshman Alyssa Norris (19:07.4) and sophomore Eve Hoeltgen (19:15.2) were slowed by injuries early this season, but were back in form on Saturday in securing seventh and ninth place. Sophomore Shelby Peterson (19:30.2) and freshman Isabella Fier (19:44.8) weren't far off the pace, finishing 12th and 14th.

"We kind of took our hits early," said Revolta of the Fillies' early challenges. "I knew we had some talent and it's nice at this time of year it's starting to come together."

Manetsch has been dealing with her own injuries to start the season for Libertyville. The junior finished 32nd in Class 3A last season, but was slowed by a shin injury early this fall.

Manetsch looked impressive in taking second at the Peoria Invitational the prior weekend and continued to build momentum with a second place-finish on Saturday.

"I'm getting back on track," said Manetsch, "I'm beginning to feel more like myself."

With Manetsch pushing the pace, the Wildcats followed her lead. Junior Maggie Shutts (19:37.1) and junior Jenna Ocheltree (19:49.7) combined to finish 13th and 17th, with freshman Margaret Buchert (20:15.4) taking 25th place in aiding the attack.

"It was our best finish at an invite this year," said Libertyville coach Bill Etnyre. "We've been practicing all year to stay in contact with the next runner in front of you, and today we did better than we have all year."

Lakes also had a pretty impressive day with Schmitt, who has had an impressive freshman season, leading the way.

"I knew there was a lot of competition here today," said Schmitt, who won the Warren Invite earlier this season. "It has definitely been a learning experience, but I feel like I have been adapting pretty well."

The Eagles were missing sophomore Megan Knuettel but showed strong depth as sophomore Rae Dwyer (19:47.7), senior Alyssa Stromsland (19:55.9) and sophomore Simone Lippmann (19:56.3) combined to secure 15th, 21st, and 22nd place.

"We had a strong workout on Wednesday," said Lakes coach Keith West, "and it gave me confidence going into today. "

Sophomore Emily Burns (19:09) gave Lake Zurich a lift by taking ninth and leading the Bears to a fifth-place finish. Also aiding the Bears attack was junior Melody Multra (19:55.5) who secured a 20th-place finish.

Elk Grove's Emily Stegmeier also had an impressive run for the Grenadiers on Saturday. A state qualifier and fourth-place finisher in the Mid-Suburban League meet last season, Stegmeier ran her first invitational of the year after dealing with an early season hip injury.

The Grenadiers senior made up for lost time on Saturday. She came from behind in the final 2 miles to grab her fourth-place finish.

"Mentally it was important," said Stegmeier of her first race back. "I started off conservatively and worked on passing everyone."

Rolling Meadows sophomore Elizabeth Clark (20:09.9) aided the Mustangs with a 23rd-place finish.