Trojans garner crown at McHenry Co. meet
Finishing second is rarley the preferred result, but a second-place finish in Friday's final event lifted the host Cary-Grove girls track team to the McHenry County Meet title on a warm, windy Friday night.
The Trojans trailed Woodstock by a quarter of a point heading into the final event, the 1,600-meter relay. Cary-Grove entered that relay with the lowest seed time but without it's usual lineup intact. Junior Lindsay Young needed to be replaced after she was sent home sick after competing in the 800-meter run.
Instead, the Trojans turned to freshman Kathie Wollney, who held her own in the race, and sophomore anchor Carly Loeffel passed one runner on the gun lap to give Cary-Grove a second-place finish behind Huntley (4:08.82) and the team title. Woodstock finished fifth in the 1,600-meter relay.
"It was just such a rush of adrenaline," Loeffel said. "The wind was so bad. I knew you could use the wind to your advantage for the first 200. Then at the end of the third, which is the worst 100, the whole team was there and you just get enough adrenaline to go to the end.
"It's so cool, especially because it's at our track."
Cary-Grove won only one event - junior Kelly McCoy prevailed in the 100-meter hurdles (15.20) - but finished with 80 points to nip second-place Huntley (79.25). Woodstock finished third with 74.25, followed by Crystal Lake South (73). Jacobs finished tenth with 22 points.
The McHenry County meet title is Cary-Grove's third overall and first since 2005. The relay team was told a second-place finish would do the trick.
"You never want to tell kids second's good enough but sometimes, and this was one of those times, it is good enough," Trojans coach Mark Anderson said. "They ran great. That was our second fastest time of the season with an alternate tossed in, so I'm real proud of them."
Huntley's Amy Fanella, a day after winning the triple jump, set the meet record in the 300-meter low hurdles in 45.40, thanks to a great start.
"I don't ever start off that good," said Fanella, a junior. "On one of the hurdles I went over with my (non) lead leg, so I felt a little off. But I picked it right back up and was like, 'OK, I'm not letting anyone pass me. It's not gonna happen.'"
Huntley senior Denita Brown contributed a win in the open 400 (1:00.04).
Crystal Lake South senior Alexis Brown won the 100-meter dash (12.50) and 200-meter dash (26.00). Her time in the 200 was a new meet record.
"We've only had two meets because of all the weather and everything, and last year I did the high jump," Wells said. "This is the first time I really got to go."