Waubonsie Valley's Wilson takes step forward
The arrow tattooed on Brooklyne Wilson's right arm represents a bow and arrow, which signifies overcoming adversity to the Waubonsie Valley senior.
"Everything that pulls you back throws you forward," she said.
All that restrained Wilson on Thursday at Naperville North's Gus Scott Invitational track meet were laws of physics. The left-hander spun her way to meet records in shot put and discus and was named girls athlete of the meet.
"It's all speed," Wilson said after throwing the shot put 44 feet, 10¾ inches, a 5-foot lead over all girls at the three-level coed meet.
In discus Wilson immediately bumped her own school record to 143 feet, then uncorked a 148-footer that, according to Dyestat, ranks second in Illinois and 24th in the nation.
"I definitely take pride in the throws but to me once I hit it, it's in the past," said the three-time state qualifier, "and I just try to move past it as much as I can."
Naperville North was definitely moving, both genders. The girls won the overall title while the Huskies boys shared theirs with New Trier.
Huskies girls won every race from 800 to 3,200 meters plus two relays, the 3,200 with freshman Wagner Osborne, sophomores Sophia Bruce and Megan Driscoll and Jillian Fitz.
Senior Claire Hamilton ran the state's third fastest 800-meter time at 2 minutes, 17.41 seconds. In the 1,600 junior Sarah Schmitt's 4:58.00 stands at No. 1 as she achieved her sub-5-minute goal.
"The last 600, 400 (meters) I just gave it all I had, I just went," Schmitt said.
Benet's Princeton-bound Ali Munson placed second in long jump at 16-11 and had to be satisfied with 12 feet to win pole vault. The defending Class 3A champion and Gus Scott record holder at 12-3 echoed Wilson in quickly putting the past behind her.
"It's just another practice, just getting ready for the state meet," said Munson, whose classmate, Michael Welsh, ran the fastest 110-meter hurdles time of anyone, 16.08 seconds.
It looked for awhile that Naperville North's Kris Heinz may be disappointed by winning high jump at 6-3 - below his 6-5 seed height - and couldn't break 50 seconds in the 400 despite winning it at 50.67.
"For sure," he said, the meet-ending 1,600 relay win with Barry Cate, Sterling Stanley and Griffin Blecke improved his mood.
"I couldn't be happier," said Heinz, named male athlete of the meet. "With Griffin pulling through it makes me so proud of him."
Blecke, a sophomore, needed to reclaim the lead.
"When I saw him pass me right at the beginning I was thinking, I've got to stick with him and just go to the end of the race," Blecke said.
Wheaton Academy was the sole Class 2A team at the meet, but senior Jonah Jones was right there in the A-level 1,600, third at 4:28.70. After 800 meters he knew he was in good shape.
"My second half of the race is always faster than my first half of the race even when I'm having a bad day," he said. "And I wasn't having a bad day."