Batavia girls take first state trophy
CHARLESTON -- Natalie Tarter pounced on a fatal mistake.
The Batavia junior superstar was engaged in yet another showdown with Waubonsie Valley stalwart Shakeia Pinnick in the finals of the 300-meter hurdles at the Class AA girls track and field state tournament at Eastern Illinois' O'Brien Stadium Saturday afternoon.
Tarter was licking her chops after settling for runner-up status in the 100 hurdles for the second straight year, and the Bulldogs' leader was poised as ever.
Seizing the early initiative when Pinnick had difficulty with the first hurdle, Tarter never lost command, earning an ever-elusive first state crown with a smoldering 42.14 seconds.
Pinnick was sixth-tenths behind.
It was the second individual state championship in program history, the first since Brittney Bernardoni won the pole vault two years ago.
The breakthrough by Tarter had far-ranging consequences for Batavia; with Tarter duplicating her feat from last year of placing in three individual events, the Bulldogs scored 34 points to finish in a tie for third with Conant.
East St. Louis won the meet behind Ronecia Nash, who won three events and anchored a sprint relay championship.
Defending champion Barrington was second.
It was the first trophy in program history for Batavia.
"Just an unbelievable group of girls -- wow," Batavia coach Chad Hillman said. "We didn't really talk about points. We just kind of talked about competing. Several years back (the team attitude on the state meet was), 'Ah, that's another league.'"
Kathryn Warner scored the first point for Batavia when the sophomore was ninth in the pole vault.
Then Tarter took center stage, but not before a disappointing second-place finish in the 100 hurdles to Nash.
"I didn't feel I was on my game in the 100 hurdles," Tarter said.
Nash was clocked in 14.16 to 14.32 for Tarter, and the Bulldogs' junior was on the outside looking in again when Nash backed up the win at 100 meters, where Tarter was sixth.
But redemption came in the 300 hurdles.
The combination of Pinnick never regaining her form and Tarter never surrendering the lead was too much for the Waubonsie Valley star to overcome.
"I was running too fast (at the first hurdle)," Pinnick said.
"I knew I had a good lane (assignment)," Tarter said.
"(Tarter) got the monkey off her back," Hillman said. "She didn't leave any doubt."
Alexis Sampson also added critical team points with a fifth-place finish in the 800 meters, which Bloomington senior Ashley Verplank won as the first piece in her remarkable 800-1,600 double.
"I really didn't know what to expect," Sampson said. "The competition here is so good I felt honored to have this opportunity."
Sampson set a personal-low of 2:13.83.
Batavia had the finest performance in the Friday preliminaries in the climatic 1,600 relay, but the quartet of Brooke Bernardoni, Tarter, Sampson and Warner had to settle for fourth.
Proviso East was two seconds off the state record in a sizzling 3:47.14.
The historic performance by Batavia aside, there were several other noteworthy local efforts to highlight the last day of the girls track and field season.
Kaneland junior Lindsay Gierke single-handedly propelled the Knights to a top-22 team finish by placing in three events.
In earning her fourth career state medals, Gierke was fifth in the 300 hurdles and seventh in the 100 and 200 dashes.
"I'm very pleased," Gierke said. "I felt pretty good after the 300 hurdles and I would have to say that it's my best event."
It was the second straight year Gierke placed in the event.
In one of the biggest surprises of the day, Rosary freshman Amy Kus of Batavia matched her outdoor-season-opening effort of 5 feet, 5 inches to place third in the high jump.
"In my mind, of course I thought I could," Kus said. "Realistically, probably not. It was probably the most exciting part of my life."
It proved to be an equally compelling day for West Aurora sophomore Shanice Andrews.
The long jumper unleashed an 18-5 effort on Friday, and she became the first West Aurora athlete to place at state in more than a decade with her fifth-place result.
The Lizzy Hynes-Stephanie Strasser rivalry reached another crescendo when the latter edged the former in the 3,200 run.
It was the third career all-state effort from Hynes, who was fifth in 10:54, one spot better than Strasser, who later was fifth in the mile.
"I kind of lost focus in the middle," said Hynes, who made up significant room over the last mile. "I've never really run the two-mile like this before."
"I really wanted to do my best," Strasser said. "I had confidence in myself and my ability. You have to go out there with a good attitude."
Maya Rittmanic placed in the long jump for St. Charles East, and Geneva sophomore Lexie Tomchek did likewise in the high jump.
The Vikings' 3,200 relay had the best preliminary time, but Barrington stole the thunder with a new state record in the event. The Vikings' team finished sixth.
"We're disappointed," Geneva freshman Kelly Whitley said. "We just didn't go out fast enough."
Rick West/rwest@dailyherald.com
Rosary's Amy Kus smiles as she hears the cheers after clearing the bar in the high jump during Saturday's girls Class AA state track and field meet in Charleston. Kus took third in the state by clearing 5-5.
Rick West/rwest@dailyherald.com
St. Charles North's Stephanie Strasser finished sixth in the 3200-meter run and also fifth in the 1,600.
Rick West/rwest@dailyherald.com
St. Charles East's Lizzy Hynes receives a hug after finishing fifth in the 3,200.