Girls cross country: Vernon Hills runs to Class 2A regional victory
Girls cross country
Antioch regional: At Fox River Park in Wisconsin, Vernon Hills cruised to the Class 2A regional championship with 33 points, well ahead of second-place Lakes (89). Carmel (95), Grayslake Central (119), Grayslake North (132) and Prairie Ridge (143) also earned spots in next Saturday's Kaneland sectional.
Vernon Hills' pack featured senior Lauren Katz (third, 18:54), junior Ryan Schofield (sixth, 19:51), sophomore Carly Sear (seventh, 19:53), junior Leah Wilkowski (eighth, 19:54) and junior Payton Makowskyj (ninth, 20:08). Juniors Hannah Ray (20:16) and Katie Wilkowski (20:41) were 11th and 18th, respectively, for the Cougars.
Lakes boasted freshman Brooke Stromsland, who finished second (18:47) behind Prairie Ridge freshman Chelsea Gale (18:37). Lakes' top five also included freshman Alex Bryant (16th, 20:33), junior Simone Lippmann (19th, 20:42), junior Megan Knuettel (25th, 21:02) and junior Morgan Gillespie (27th, 21:09).
Carmel senior Aileen Hull was fifth (19:46). Her teammates were packed closely together, as freshman Brigid Hull finished 20th (20:43), sophomore Ezzie Posner placed 21st (20:44) and sophomore Abigail Kuderna nabbed 23rd (20:56). Senior Lauren Laughlin (26th, 21:07) completed the Corsairs' scoring.
Grayslake Central got a 12-13 finish from junior Maura Fitzgerald (20:23) and junior Mali Chiodi (20:27). The Rams' top five also included senior Vanessa Olmos (30th, 21:17), senior Amy Moore (31st, 21:25) and junior Abby Tonkery (33rd, 21:34).
Grayslake North was led by sophomore Kelli Tosic's fourth-place effort (18:59), while junior Caroline Riss (20:13) was 10th. The Rams' other scorer were sophomore Gabi Conceicao (15th, 20:30), junior Leialani Akalaonu (49th, 22:19) and freshman Ashlynn Castagna (54th, 22:38).
Palatine regional: At Deer Grove Forest Preserve, Barrington (32 points) won the Class 3A regional, comfortably ahead of runner-up Cary-Grove (68). Palatine (87), Lake Zurich (104), Grant (137) and Wheeling (178) also advanced to next Saturday's sectional at Busse Woods.
Junior Emily Burns led the way for Lake Zurich with a fourth-place finish (18:08). The Bears' top five also featured freshman Hayley Burk (16th, 18:52), senior Melody Multra (24th, 19:28), junior Jillian Baffa (27th, 19:44) and senior Carley Peldiak (33rd, 19:58). Bears seniors Meghan Furlong (19:59) and Elisa Krause (20:01) finished 34th and 35th, respectively.
Grant was paced by junior Eva Cardy (18:15) in sixth. The Bulldogs' other scorers were sophomore Eliza Scoggin (18th, 19:09), junior Danielle Osmon (25th, 19:37), senior Roxanne Temple (41st, 20:20) and junior Jana Nehila (47th, 20:52).