Mid-Suburban League girls track meet preview
When: Today - field events start at 4:30 p.m., running preliminaries at 5 p.m., track finals at 6:30 p.m.
Where: Hoffman Estates
Team outlook: Palatine is the team to beat at the 38th annual MSL meet. The Pirates have not lost an invitational this season and have the potential to score points in every event. The shot put and discus have set the tone for the Pirates, and the MSL West Division champions hold the top seed in four events. Barrington has won three consecutive MSL titles, and the Fillies can also spread their talent around as they hold the top seed in three events. Looking for a surprise? Consider host Hoffman Estates. The Hawks hold the top seed in three events, and their sprinting crew has done the job all season. MSL East division champion Prospect and Conant are also contenders.
Don't-miss event I: The 1,600 field could be a mini-preview of the state meet. Ten of the runners check in under the state qualifying mark (5:18). Barrington's Rebecca Tracy is the top seed with time of 4:59, but she will have plenty of competition, including Schaumburg's Britten Petrey (5:03.4) and Karen Lesiewicz (508.3), Buffalo Grove's Olivia Jones (5:04.7), Conant's Kalli Dalton (5:08), Hoffman's Hannah Worman (5:09), Palatine's Sarah McIntosh (5:12.9), and Rolling Meadows' Amanda Whowell (5:13.7). The question is, who will want to set the pace in this race? At the MSL indoor meet, the race went out slow and Petrey used a devastating kick to win the title. Look for a faster pace today, but it will still come down to who has the finishing kick. Tracy is the three-time defending championr on F riday. The race is slated to kick off at 8:30 p.m.
Don't-miss event II: The shot put and discus also have compelling fields. Palatine's Martha Shepard has the top mark in the shot put (44-4.5), and Hoffman's Precious Ogunleye (41-09) and Prospect's Emily Gruendel (41-07) have also cleared the 40-0 mark. In the discus, Palatine's Lauren Orris (136-02) and Katie MacFabe (131-06) are seeded 1-2, and Hoffman's Ogunleye (125-11) and Barrington's Robin Bingham (124-02) and Lela DiMonte (121-02) have cleared 120-0 mark.
Sprints: A group of young runners dominate the wide-open 100 field, including Hoffman's Sharron Jones (12.2) and Emily D'Amico (12.3), Palatine's Laura Schweikert (12.2), and Hersey's Tia Roberson. In the 200, Fremd's Bizzy Mellado (25.2) and Palatine's Schweikert (25.4) hold the top two seeds, but Barrington's duo of Jenny Schnack (25.6) and Jorie Frey (25.7) will be in hot pursuit. Frey (57.5) and Schnack (59.6) hold the top seeds in the 400, with Schaumburg's Jordan Wagner (59.7) in the hunt.
Other individuals to watch: Palatine's Ruth Allen (2:13) and Schaumburg's Lesiewicz (2:16.4) will battle it out in the 800; Fremd's Mellado (15.3) and Conant's Josie Hutch (15.4) are seeded 1-2 in the 100 high hurdles. Conant's Sarah Gorden (45.4) has dominated the 300 low hurdles and is the top seed. Elk Grove's Gina Erbacci (11:01.6) tops the 3,200 field, which includes BG's Jones (11:06.4) and Palatine's McIntosh (11:10.3). Fremd's Mellado (11-7) and Barrington's Anna Etherington (11-3) will be looking to clear new heights in the pole vault. Fremd's Jamie Notaro is top seed in both the long jump (16-10) and triple jump (36-02). Hoffman's Kristie Hisey, Barrington's Maureen Doyle, and Fremd's Ashley Fullerton have all cleared 5-2 in the high jump.
Relays: Hoffman (49.8) and Wheeling (49.9) check in with the top 2 seeds in the 400 relay. Palatine (1:46.5) and Conant (1:46.7) are 1-2 in the 800 relay. Barrington (4:03.8) and Schaumburg (4:04) offer an intriguing matchup in the 1,600 relay. Schaumburg (9:30.1) won the Illinois Top Times Indoor title in the 3,200 and is the favorite Friday.