Graham sparkles in senior all-star meet
Toni Graham of Conant recorded two wins and a second in the Senior All-Star Girls Track and Field Meet at the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls.
Competing against entries from Iowa, South Dakota and Wisconsin, Graham won the 100-meter dash in a record 11.85 and the 200-meter dash, and she also ran on the second-place 400-meter relay with Conant teammates Briana Millar, Emily Quinones and Destiny Arps.
Arps of Conant and Jackie Laesch of Wheaton North ran on the first-place 1,600-meter relay.
Bailey Wagner of Grant also gave the Daily Herald area another victory with a record toss of 47-2ΒΌ in the shot put. She was second in the discus.
Madeline Aufmann of Cary-Grove and Bridget Sanchez of Leyden were on the second-place 1,600-meter relay, and Brittney Mule of Prospect ran on the second-place 800-meter relay
Basketball officiating class: Registrations will be accepted now for a fall class on becoming a basketball official.
The class will begin Sept. 9 and run for seven weeks, ending Oct. 22 at the Palatine Public Library.
Ed Curtin, a veteran of over 40 years of basketball officiating at all levels and the current Mid-Suburban League assignment chair, will teach the class.
Topics covered will be learning two-person mechanics, gaining confidence, how to move up the ladder, improving your skills in officiating, and pre-season scrimmage officiating.
There will be a new DVD presentation in the class.
For registration information and details, contact Curtin at (847) 991-3144 or fax to (847) 934-5861.
Midwest Distance Gala: Illinois is a prime locale for the long-distance runner.
Tonight at Benedictine University in Lisle, the Midwest Distance Gala will host some of the best not just from Illinois, but from across the country.
The fourth annual meet, co-directed by Patrick Tomasiewicz and Scott Bush, will offer an 800-meter battle between U.S. No. 4 Andrew Perkins of Wisconsin, and No. 8 Mat Smoody, the two-time state champion out of Palatine.
The 800 field also includes Willowbrook's Jeff Stapleton, Wheaton North's Graham Farnsworth, Waubonsie Valley's Sean Wiggan and Wheaton Warrenville South's Randall Babb. Along with Smoody, all placed top-9 in the 800 finals of the recent Illinois boys state track meet.
In the boys 1,600, St. Charles North's Chris DeSilva and Burlington Central's Ryan Phebus will join two Minnesota boys, No. 2 ranked Robert Finnerty and No. 4 Jordan Carlson, who each have run sub-4:08 times this season.
West Chicago's Annette Eichenberger is among girls 800-meter runners while Lake Park's Lindsay Flanagan will vie with Bloomington star Ashley Verplank in the 1,600.
Tomasiewicz also takes special pride in the MDG's elite event, the 3,000-kilometer professional men's steeplechase.
The event coincides with the final day to qualify for the Olympic Trials, and the Distance Gala will showcase four runners who already have met at least "B" qualifying standards: Andy Smith, Tom Chorny, Brett Holts and Michael Spence.
Representing ASICS, Spence has already met the Trials' "A" standard time of 8:32.
"We're excited," Tomasiewicz said.
"It's a high school meet, but they get the benefit of seeing this elite race going on, and seeing where their career could go."