Steady start, spectacular finish for Olson

Warren's Heather Olson made quite an impression in her first visit to the Palatine Invitational.

Olson hung close to the lead pack in the opening mile, then took over just after the second mile and cruised to the individual title in 17:16 on a fast course at Deer Grove East Forest Preserve.

Crystal Lake Central's Stephanie Peisker (17:20) took second, followed by Barrington's Rebecca Tracy (17:35), Vernon Hills' Danielle Dickman (17:37), and Prospect's Annette White (17:42).

"I'm ecstatic," said Olson, who also won the Wauconda and Warren invitationals. "I never expected this, I'm so happy."

Lyons placed five runners in the top 33 to take first in the 24-team field with 103 points.

Host Palatine (121 points) ran an impressive race with four runners in the top 27 to finish as the runner-up, followed by Barrington (129 points), Mother McAuley (178 points), and Cary-Grove (199 points).

"We're making progress," said Palatine coach Steve Currins, whose team rebounded nicely from its 10th-place finish at last Saturday's Peoria Notre Dame Invitational. "We had it with about 500 meters remaining, but we dropped a few places at the end But we can make that up."

Olson was third after the first mile, but the junior took the lead in the second mile and never relinquished it.

"I've been trying to be really careful this year by not going out too fast," said Olson who finished 17th in the 2006 IHSA state meet. "Last year that is what killed me, so I tried to run the first mile steady and work my way up to the front."

Tracy used a strong final mile to secure third place, holding off Dickman.

"I think I've run a little bit more relaxed this year," said Tracy, who finished 13th last year at Palatine. "I don't know what changed for me this year, but it's like 'let's do it.' "

The junior Dickman ran with the lead pack the entire race.

"I just wanted to go out with the top pack," said Dickman who finished 37th at Palatine last fall. "Last year I wasn't as confident, but this year I'm feeling comfortable throughout the whole race."

White battled side cramps the entire race, but the sophomore gutted it out to secure fifth place.

"I think it was mental, too," said White who took third at Palatine last year. "I didn't really feel too good and I think that took me out of the race mentally. Now I just have to brush it off my shoulder and use it as a learning experience."

Lyons senior Jane Simpson (17:46) took 10th, followed by senior Keegan Kilrea (17:53) and junior Kathleen Flaherty (17:57) -- who secured 13th and 15th places to lead the Lions to the title.

Palatine stayed step for step with Lyons the entire race before succumbing at the end.

Junior Tory Wright (17:52) led the Pirates' charge by taking 12th place.

"We came out with a lot more determination today," said Wright of the Pirates' attack. "As long as we all work with each other, we can compete with the best in the state."

Senior Colleen Standridge (18:08) and sophomore Ruth Allen (18:10) aided the Pirates, finishing 22nd and 25th.

"We've been really working hard," Currins said. "As long as we keep fighting, we'll be fine."

Molly Glantz (17:43) took sixth place and combined with Tracy to lead Barrington to third in the team standings.

"I thought we ran well up front," said Fillies coach Debbie Revolta. "But we have to find a bit of consistency in the back. There's still another day, and we'll fix things."

Madeline Aufman (17:44) took seventh, leading Cary-Grove to fifth place. The senior started out conservatively in the first mile, using an aggressive second mile to make her move.

"I was determined to get a good spot and run this course like it should be run," said Aufman who turned it up a notch in the final stretch. "I'm a half-miler, so I used my speed to get up the final hill."

Senior Lucy Taylor (18:10) took 23rd place and combined with White to lead Prospect (206 points) to sixth place.

Senior Erin Walgamuth (18:04) and junior Wendy Rasmussen (18:06) took 18th and 21st place combining to lead Downers Grove North (218 points) to seventh place.

Junior Kelsey Siler (17:54) finished in 14th place leading Dundee-Crown (218 points) to an eighth-place finish.

Junior Sarah Beth Jones (18:05) took 20th place, combining with Olson to lead Warren (240 points) to ninth place.

Freshman Erin Jaffke (18:01) and junior Hannah Reilly (18:04) took 16th and 19th place, propelling Libertyville (247 points) to 10th place.

Individually Buffalo Grove's Cari Geyer (17:44) earned eighth place, the sophomore's third consecutive top-10 finish at an Invitational.

"I held back a bit at the beginning," said Geyer who used a strong surge between first and second mile. "I just wanted to finish strong."

Prairie Ridge sophomore Alex Ovington (17:45) took ninth place, and Hersey's Megan Gojney (17:47) finished 11th.