Schneider 11th at WA Stampede

It's become a tradition at cross country meets to watch spectators pack together in large numbers and go from one end of the course to the other so they can catch a glimpse of their athletes running.

It hasn't quite become part of that tradition to watch hoards of spectators and athletes swarm to a central point when a race isn't being run.

However, that was the case in Sugar Grove on Saturday afternoon for the West Aurora Stampede cross country meet when a fire engine from North Aurora Unit 501 offered to cool off hundreds of athletes by spraying water on them in a fountain created by their fire hose.

The heat and the athletes suffering from heat exhaustion and dehydration quickly became the bigger and more concerning story coming from the meet than the actual races themselves. Ambulances and emergency personnel from over 11 different municipalities were called in to treat many athletes from the heat and humidity.

The boys race, which was the final race of the afternoon, was postponed and eventually canceled due to the heat.

In the girls varsity race, the heat didn't bother Geneva's group of fabulous freshmen, as they continued proving they belong with the elite teams by capturing the title with 53 points and placing five runners in the top 20.

Bartlett freshman Alyssa Schneider finished 11th in a time of 18:56 for the seventh-place Hawks, and indicated her main goal was to get under 19 minutes.

"I really wanted to be under 19 (minutes)," Schneider said. "I wasn't so concerned with setting a PR because I knew it was going to be so hot, but I wanted to get a nice place."

Freshman Kelly Whitley led the Vikings, finishing second in a time of 18:04.

"I was really just trying to run my race because I didn't know what to expect," Whitley said. "I wanted to set a PR (personal record) today, but with the heat, I got the place I wanted."

Freshman Liza Tauscher finished in third right behind Whitely in a time of 18:09.

"We always like to help each other out, and I don't think I could have gotten third without Kelly (Whitley)," Tauscher said. "She was always right there picking me up and we all run really well together as a team."

Vikings coach Bob Thomson has a group of young, inexperienced runners, but he indicated they just continue to go out and prove they belong with the elite teams each week.

"We've been hearing that we needed to get into a meet where we could be tested, so OK, now we're in a meet where we could be tested," Thomson said. "Our team captains have really done a great job with sharing their experiences with them and to their credit, they all listen to them, so we've got a really great group of girls."

Rachel Hammond (13th, 19:08), Tess Ehrhardt (17th, 19:10), and Kat Yelle (18th, 19:18) rounded out the top five Geneva runners.

Neuqua Valley finished second with 87 points, placing four runners in the top 25.

Sophomore Megan Taylor led the Wildcats, finishing fifth in a time of 18:22. Taylor said the heat was a difficult obstacle to overcome, but she and her teammates were still able to focus on the race.

"We all reminded ourselves that everyone is running under the same conditions, so we can't use that as an excuse and had to keep running hard," Taylor said. "We're all really big on encouraging each other and never letting anyone fall behind because that's what this sport is all about."

Wildcats coach Tim McCoskey has emphasized running together all season, and sees his team improving each week.

"We've had a great solid six all year," McCoskey said. "It's just a great pack; we've just got to close that up. We're excited about the rest of the season because we'll start to close that gap."

St. Charles East junior Lizzy Hynes placed fourth in a time of 18:21 for the 10th place Saints, despite admitting to not feeling her best at the start of the race.

"We put in a hard week this week and I really wanted to push myself as hard as I could," Hynes said. "I didn't really feel great at the beginning and when I went out too slow, it was all over from there. I couldn't pass people and the leaders pulled away."