Geneva Vikings repeat WSC indoor track and field title

Geneva defended its Western Sun Conference indoor girls track and field title Friday night, but now the Vikings plan to make a run at the outdoor crown this spring.

Last year Geneva won indoors but then was edged out by Batavia for the outdoor conference crown. The Bulldogs, who were second Friday night at Glenbard South, will be strong again outdoors, but this year's Vikings squad is loaded.

Geneva opened the finals portion of the meet with Sarah Heuer easily winning the 3,200 in 11:56.2 and teammate Sarah Cable placing second. The Vikings quartet of Rachel Hammond, Megan Brady, Devin Clemmans and Kelly Shogren then took first in the 2-mile relay (10:20) as Geneva jumped ahead in the meet and ran away with the title, outscoring runner-up Batavia 121 to 78.

"We have a solid team that's pretty much strong throughout," Vikings coach Peter Raak said. "We've been pretty blessed the last couple years and the kids are real excited about this year."

Heuer breezed to first even though she had not run the 2-mile previously this indoor campaign. After moving in from Minnesota this year, she says the competition and her teammates are helping her fit right in.

"The distance girls here are pretty strong and I think it's time to move outdoors," said Heuer, whose sister Megan chipped in with a second-place finish in the 800. "With such a competitive team it pushes you to do better."

The Vikings also picked up wins from Shogren in the mile, Erica Miller in the 400 and from the mile relay unit of Claire Anderson, Taylor Wickware, Hilary Zander and Alissa Dappas.

"I ran the 4x800 earlier and was a little tired," Shogren explained after winning the mile race. "I really thought the girls from Sycamore and Yorkville pulled me along for awhile and then I got the lead and had enough left to hold on."

Batavia star Natalie Tarter won the 55 hurdles in 8.3 - with teammate Melisa Norville second - then won a thrilling 55 dash race with Glenbard South's Libby O'Brien and Sycamore's Lake Kwaza.

"The hurdles went well," said Tarter. "I was confident and I wanted me and Melisa to go 1-2 which was good. That was our goal for tonight."

But the 55 sprint was a little trickier. Tarter admitted she wasn't quite sure about the finish line, but still managed to nose out O'Brien and Kwaza. The results listed Tarter and O'Brien each at 7.0 and Kwaza at 7.1.

"I got tricked by the two finish lines,"she said. "But it's good that we have such great competition in our conference to push each other."

O'Brien may have come up short in the 55 dash, but the Raiders speedster did win the 200 in 26.3. Other highlights from the meet saw Glenbard South win the 4-lap relay and Batavia pole vaulter Kathryn Warner take first with a height of 10-9, which is good for an invite to the Prep Top Times indoor meet.

Kaneland's Alyssa Galvan won the shot put at 33-2 1/2.