Girls track and field: Naperville North completes state championship double
CHARLESTON - Naperville North girls track and field coach Dan Iverson was basking in the glow of a historic achievement Saturday afternoon at Eastern Illinois University.
Moments earlier, 1,600-meter relay anchor leg Allison Grady concluded the Huskies' second-place finish in the race to cement the unprecedented feat in Class 3A history.
"I just knew I had trust in my teammates," Grady said.
Naperville North turned back Homewood-Flossmoor, third in the event, 53-47 to win its first state championship.
In doing so the Huskies are the first Class 3A school to ever augment a track title with a cross country crown in the same school year.
Iverson directs both programs.
Ironically, Dunlap achieved the same feat in defending its Class 2A title.
In amassing its point total, Naperville North was led by Halle Bieber, who defended her 300 hurdles championship while also finishing second in the 100 hurdles.
"There's no question you have to have people get big points," Iverson said of Bieber. "The 18 points from Halle were huge."
"I just went in with the same mindset," Bieber said of her respective times in 43.48 and 14.13 seconds. "I ran for the team. North has built up a great cross country team. I think it's important to bring that into track."
Sarah Schmitt and Alex Morris were third and fourth in the 3,200 run for the Huskies.
"This was the best possible ending to my racing career," said Schmitt, who was also eighth in the 1,600. "Our targets have always been high (in track). We wanted to win state."
Naperville North dethroned Glenbard West for top honors, but Katelynne Hart put on yet another show for the ages to complete a second consecutive flawless running season in the Triple Crown, winning state cross country, the 1,600 and 3,200 runs.
Hart, who first destroyed the field in the 3,200 with a championship time of 10:12.96, established a state record for large-school 1,600 runners with an extraordinary triumph over Evanston 800 champion Enyaeva Michelin in 4:47.36.
The North Carolina-bound Michelin also broke the 33-year-old record in 4:48.18.
"I feel like as I have gotten older things have got better for me," Hart said. "I started backing off a little bit (due to the heat in the 3,200). (Enyaeva) was on my shoulder the whole time. I just tried to stay calm. I was hoping that would be enough."
"(Hart) always represents Illinois so well," said Michelin, who was runner-up to Hart last fall in Peoria as well.
In the 3,200 relay, Reilly Revord capped a sensational three-year run in the event by anchoring Hinsdale Central to a second state championship in the period. The Red Devils were second last year.
The Missouri-bound Revord threatened the WW South 2012 state-record time of 8:59.03 before settling for a 9:03.41.
Glenbard East, Downers South and Naperville North were second, third and fourth, respectively.
"I was not thinking about (the WW South record)," Revord said. "I had no idea we could run that fast."
The triple jump also had a heavy local presence, but Neuqua Valley freshman Riley Ammenhauser was too much for runner-up Isabel Maletich of Downers North and Lake Park senior Izzy Kennedy, third.
"All the other girls were almost 2 feet behind me (from the Friday preliminaries)," said Ammenhauser, who improved 2.25 inches on her final attempt to win at 40 feet, 2.5 inches. "It gave me more confidence, knowing I could go for it and not foul."
Kelly Zehnder claimed the final local Class 3A championship with a 11-9 clearance in the pole vault for Lake Park.
In Class 2A Karyn Best had her bid for a repeat championship in the 300 hurdles denied by Mahomet-Seymour senior Jessica Franklin, 43.45-43.78.
The Wheaton Academy senior was sixth in the 100 hurdles.
"I didn't execute my races," Best said.