Busy day for Tarter, other area standouts
Natalie Tarter was being too hard on herself.
"My dad kept telling me that finishing eighth in the state in the 100 hurdles as a freshman was quite an accomplishment," Tarter said. "I didn't think it was."
There was no holding the Batavia track and field stalwart back in her next two campaigns.
After winning state medals as a sophomore in the 100-meter dash, the 100 hurdles and 300 intermediate hurdles, Tarter was even more unstoppable as a junior.
Tarter was the Class AA state runner-up in the 100 hurdles, sixth in the 100 dash, ran the fastest leg on the Bulldogs' fourth-place mile relay and capped her weekend at Eastern Illinois' O'Brien Stadium in Charleston by turning back fellow superstar Shakeia Pinnick of Waubonsie Valley to claim the 300-hurdle title.
The ultimate reward for Tarter came on Wednesday morning at Batavia - the hurdler and sprinter extraordinaire signed a national letter of intent to pursue her collegiate career at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
"It seems like a childhood dream come true," Tarter said. "Wisconsin came early (in the recruiting process), and I knew they were (genuinely) interested in me if they came that early. I really wanted to go to a Big Ten school."
Tarter will be reunited with one of her toughest high school foes - former Downers Grove South two-time hurdle state champion Egle Staisiunaite. The Lithuanian native was the only athlete to defeat Tarter in a regular-season race at any distance the past two seasons.
Conversely, Tarter was the only person to deny Staisiunaite victory on the outdoor circuit two years ago at an invitational at Wheaton Warrenville South.
"(Tarter) really likes competing against the girl from Downers South," Batavia girls track coach Chad Hillman said. "She has absolutely earned every bit of (her collegiate scholarship). She is such a great teammate. She is willing to do anything that is asked of her. That's what makes her such a special kid."
Dennis Piron is the Bulldogs' resident track and field guru whose familial ties to the community and high school extend for multiple generations.
"Natalie will go down as one of the finest athletes to ever come out of Batavia, male or female," Piron said. "She is already the most state-decorated (performer) in school history."
Batavia captured its first-ever trophy in girls track and field in the final year of the two-class state meet last spring by finishing in a third-place tie with Conant.
"I run my best times with Natalie," said Batavia junior Kathryn Warner, who anchored the Bulldogs' school-record-shattering mile relay at state last year. "I run my best times because she's always a step ahead of me, if not more."
Two other local female mavens in track and field also inked scholarship offers on National Signing Day.
St. Charles East senior Lizzy Hynes, a seven-time all-state performer in cross country and track, is headed to Boston College.
"It offered everything that I wanted - the athletic, social and academic," said Hynes, who choose the Big East school over Duke, Georgetown and Virginia. "I really like the Boston area."
Kaneland hurdler and sprinter Lindsay Gierke, who has four career state medals to her credit, signed with the University of Northern Iowa over similar offers from Iowa State and Illinois State.
"It seemed like a nice fit," Gierke said. "I visited in December and made it official a little bit later."
Geneva runner Andrew Nelson, who helped guide the Vikings' boys cross country team to a Class 3A third-place result last fall, also signed with the Cedar Falls school.
Three boys soccer players made official commitments as well on Wednesday: Geneva teammates Shawn Sloan and Kendal Spurgin will continue their careers at Highpoint University (in southern Illinois) and Eastern Illinois, respectively.
UCLA landed the services of St. Charles East senior Oscar Morales.