FVC title battle should be a fairly even one
Whether or not Crystal Lake South has the depth to repeat as Fox Valley Conference girls track and field champion remains to be seen but the Gators do boast one of the top returning athletes in the conference.
Kristina Aubert, who won the state 3,200-meter title in 2007 and finished seventh in Charleston last year, returns to anchor the South squad that will have to make up the points it got last year from Kellie and Aimee Schuh, now competing at UIC.
"Kellie and Aimee gave us a lot that we'll have to replace," said Gators coach Kristy Tenopir.
Here's a look at the area's FVC teams.
Crystal Lake South: While Aubert is expected to do her part again, Tenopir also feels her team can get points from sophomore Marianne Collard and senior Stephanie Woods in distance races and relays. Tenopir is also looking for big things from senior Alexis Wells (sprints), senior Chanelle Moore (throws) and sophomore Kamille Udrenaite (throws).
"We have a lot of girls returning but I've never had so many new kids come out," Tenopir said. "It's not just freshmen, it's kids from every class looking to try something new. We're hoping to have some kids step up, especially in the jumps to replace what Kellie and Aimee gave us."
Dundee-Crown: Senior Kelsey Seiler, a state qualifier in the 3,200 meters a year ago, returns to lead the Chargers into the season. And after a strong indoor season that included a second-place finish at the Wheeling Invite, third-year coach Matt Michalski is optimistic.
"We had a really good indoor season and our goals are to finish in the top half of the conference and come together as a team," said Michalski, who has 40 girls out this season.
Other than Seiler, Michalski is hoping for contributions from sophomore distance runners Clara Himmel and Katie Gross, as well as senior team captain and sprinter Christina Holec, junior sprinter Lindsay Mosher, junior Katie Cutinello (hurdles, jumps), freshman Amanda Borowski (pole vault) and junior Sam Moore (sprints).
Cary-Grove: Trojans coach Mark Anderson is also optimistic about the upcoming season, saying "We've got a lot of girls out and a lot of depth at every position. We should be very solid."
Leading the way for Cary-Grove will be sophomore Carly Loeffel, who tied for second in the high jump and took sixth in the 400 at last weekend's Prep Top Times indoor meet.
Anderson is also looking for good things from junior hurdler Kelly McCoy, junior sprinter Lindsay Young and junior Lizzy Dyrek in the throws.
"We also have an outstanding freshman group that is very talented," Anderson said. "We think several of them can be contributors for us."
Jacobs: The Golden Eagles will miss the numerous points scored by Sarah Ross, who now competes at Western Michigan University. Ross finished third in the Class AA high jump last year and was one of the top sprinters in the area.
Third-year coach Beth Wintersteen is looking to seniors Ali Durkin (hurdles), Kat Makridakis (throws) and Stacie Weinert (sprints, relays) to lead the team this season.
Huntley: Coach Shawn Nordeen, now in his 12th season, is another coach looking to replace points from a graduated superstar. Coryn Marzejon, one of the area's best runners ever, is now running at Michigan State University.
Nordeen will look to junior Amy Fanella (sprints, hurdles, jumps), senior Denita Brown (mid-distances), senior Cortney Wilkerson (shot), sophomore Haley Loprieno (distances), sophomore Sarah Sheehan (sprints), sophomore Marilyn McDougall (sprints) and sophomore Mercedez Kennedy (mid-distances) to lead the way.
Also expected to contribute for the Red Raiders are newcomers, sophomore Elizabeth Garrett (sprints), sophomore Ashley Alicea (sprints), freshman Abbey Shaw (sprints) and freshman Sara Scarbro (distances).
"We are looking for big things from our returners," Nordeen said. "They have great leadership on the track and off and that will help our younger athletes this year. We have a large number of underclassmen that are eager to show these returners that they can help this team do well this year."