Talent at an all-time high in Tri-Cities

There was little doubt either Natalie Tarter or Shakeia Pinnick would be at the top of the podium following the Class AA 300-meter hurdle finals last May in Charleston.

Pinnick, the Waubonsie Valley superstar, was a nationally-known commodity and two-time reigning state runner-up in the event.

But when Pinnick erred on her steps reaching the first hurdle, Tarter never looked back.

The Batavia track and field maven had finally earned that elusive first state championship.

"It's a lot harder now that I have won (a state championship)," said Tarter, the Wisconsin-bound leader of the Bulldogs with eight career state medals, including consecutive second-place results in the 100 hurdles. "I still get nervous before every big meet. There's more pressure. I don't like to talk about it."

As the girls track and field outdoor season commences, the local scene has never had a higher profile of superior individuals and top-notch teams.

For the second consecutive year last spring at Eastern Illinois' O'Brien Stadium, Lindsay Gierke earned all-state status in the 300 hurdles with her fifth-place effort.

The Northern Iowa-bound sprinter and hurdler is an 11-time state qualifier in her first three campaigns at Kaneland, and the Knights' four-time all-state performer is primed to take advantage of the new three-class state arrangement.

Like Tarter and Gierke, St. Charles East distance queen Lizzy Hynes' evolution from freshman sensation to season veteran reaches its apex this spring as the Boston College-bound two-sport standout completes her prep career.

If the Prep Top Times indoor championships last weekend in Bloomington offer a blueprint for the outdoor season, then Tarter and Batavia are primed for another history-making season.

Tarter was named outstanding female individual of the unofficial indoor state championships after sweeping the 55-meter dashes and hurdles and anchoring the Bulldogs' 1,600-meter relay team to a third title.

"There's still a lot of work to be done," Tarter said. "I think I have my track legs back coming out of basketball (season)."

The Bulldogs captured their first team trophy in program history last fall behind the exploits of Tarter and the equally gifted triumvirate of Melissa Norville, Kathryn Warner and Alexis Sampson.

The Tarter and Gierke showdowns in recent years have brought newfound attention to the fledgling Western Sun Conference, and the three-year-old league has rapidly gained attention throughout the state in girls track.

In a nutshell, the league is loaded from top to bottom with outstanding athletes across the 18-event spectrum.

"We have a very deep conference," said Geneva coach Peter Raak, whose squad captured the indoor title. "I think there are going to be a lot of girls from our conference at the state meet, and they're going to score a lot of points, too."

"It will be interesting to see what our conference can do in the state meet," Batavia coach Chad Hillman said. "Our conference is better than it's ever been, and it could be the best conference in the state."

"I think the Western Sun, whether Double-A or Triple-A, is going to be well represented at state," said Glenbard South coach Mark Tacchi.

The conference meet will also mark the final competition between Tarter and Gierke.

Batavia will test its reigning third-place-tying result in Class 3A, and the Knights move down to the middle class.

Gierke has her misgivings about the new state series structure.

"I kind of don't like it," said Gierke, who is expected back at full strength after missing the end of the indoor season with an ankle injury. "I want to run against the girls I have run against the last four years. It's going to be different."

Tarter and Gierke trained together last summer, and their legendary duels in the two hurdles events have added attraction as the Kane County meet and conference championship assume added stature this season.

"(Gierke) is a really good athlete," Tarter said. "We got to know each other more than just from the sport. I think we'll always have the competition between us (regardless of class expansion). It's not like we make a big deal out (running against other), like some people do. It will be fun to run against her this year."

It is the feeling of many that the two are destined for an even greater state haul this spring.

"Gierke, she could win both hurdles events (at the state meet)," said Tacchi, who has a four-year stalwart of his own in sprinter Libby O'Brien. "Not only is (Tarter) one of the best athletes in the state, but my girls will tell you she is one of the nicest kids around. She is all about the team."

There is no telling what the Batavia team could do this year.

"Batavia has a chance to win it all," said Wheaton Warrenville South coach Rob Harvey. "They have as good a chance as anyone."

Hillman noted that Tarter and her teammates' collective abilities translate to greater avenues of team success than scintillating times on the track.

"Those girls (Tarter, Norville, Warner and Sampson) have been at a high level for a long time," Hillman said. "It's really good for the rest of our team to see that our top athletes are the hardest workers."

Geneva has arguably even more depth than its archrivals to the south, but Raak readily concedes the inevitable when discussing the Bulldogs' attributes and an inescapable element to the sport.

"It is very difficult to overcome one girl (Tarter) who scores 40 points (in the conference meet) and another (Norville) who scores 30," the Geneva coach said.

The Western Sun Conference has its stable of stars, but the Upstate Eight Conference has elitist claims of its own.

Pinnick won a national indoor championship the week before sweeping four events the conference meet, and Lake Park senior Lindsay Flanagan is ranked in the top-five in the nation at 3,200 meters.

But Hynes has plans of her own in the event this year.

"I feel as though I haven't shown what I can truly do in the two-mile," Hynes said.

Hynes was state runner-up in the mile as a freshman, third as a sophomore and added a fifth at the longer distance last spring.

"I don't think I have tapped my full potential."

But local aficionados' anticipation for a third year of unrivaled distance competition between Hynes and St. Charles North three-time all-state runner Steph Strasser has been lessened.

The Strasser family moved out of state last summer.

"(Strasser) was good competition to have," Hynes said. "I still have Lindsay Flanagan in the conference, one of the best runners in the nation."