Girls track and field: Huntley wins FVC title
It was a history making night for the Huntley girls track program.
After winning the McHenry County meet last weekend, the Red Raiders added a Fox Valley Conference championship to its resume Friday night at Jacobs High School in Algonquin.
Scoring 128 points, the Red Raiders edged out Cary-Grove, which placed second with 122 points.
It was the first time in school history the Red Raiders have won the county and FVC meets in the same season.
"On the bus ride over we talked about being the first team on school history to win the county and conference meets in the same season," said Huntley coach Shawn Nordeen. "The girls responded and did a great job. This group helps each other and really works well together."
Junior hurdler Tyra Miller was the main catalyst for the FVC champs. Miller won the 300 hurdles in a clocking of 48.80 and came back to claim top honors in the 100 hurdles in a time of 15.41.
'It was a perfect night to hurdle," said Miller. "I feel very confident heading into sectionals next week."
Sophomore Mary Raclawski added a third individual title for the Red Raiders winning the 800 meters in a time of 2:23.53.
"It was a tough race," said Raclawski. "I was finally able to get the lead in the final 150 meters. I had enough left at the end to win."
The Red Raiders' quartet of Cassidy Lackovic, Alex Handchetz, Sabrina Krog and Taryn Sergeant crossed the finish line first in the 800 relay in a time of 1:46.44.
Cary-Grove, the runner-up and 2016 FVC champs, were led by Paige Groves who won the shot put (38-9) and discus (109-4).
"It was a perfect night to throw," said Groves. "My muscles weren't tense and I was able to be loose. It was a really good night."
Tabor Gleason picked up a third first place finish for the Trojans winning the high jump with a leap of 5-6. Huntley's McKenzie Krich, the FVC indoor high jump champ, was second with a jump of 5-5.
The Trojans ended the night's festivities claiming the 1,600 relay in a time of 4:14.96. The winning foursome consisted of Taylor Pinnello, Cathy Franco, Sam Gagliano and Sophia Galfano.
Crystal Lake South, led by double winner Caitlin Bruzzini, placed fourth with 64 points.
Bruzzini, who was battling a cold, won the 1,600 in 5:08.58 and the 3,200 in 10:58.76.
"I wasn't feeling the best but I was able to still concentrate and run my races," said Bruzzini. "It was a good effort going into the sectionals."
South's Cailey Ciezadlo won the 200 in a time of 26.29.
Jacobs, fifth with 39 points, won the 3,200 relay (Sam Smith, Isabell Friend, Katherynn Van Vlierbergen and Jenna Skuza) in a time of 9:49.24.
Hampshire finished eighth with a score of 29 points. The Whip-Purs' lone first place effort came from Riley Seagren (400, 1:01.56).