Prospect impresses at Fenton
There is good reason for Prospect's girls cross country team to be excited this season.
The Knights finished fifth in Class 3A last season and return their top five runners. Add a talented freshman to that experience core and there is every reason for the high expectations.
Prospect offered a glimpse of their potential on a sunny Saturday morning by taking first place with 50 points at the 29th annual Fenton Invitational in Bensenville.
Fenwick senior Margaret Connelly took first individually, running the 3-mile course in 17:46, followed by Buffalo Grove sophomore Olivia Jones (17:49).
Buffalo Grove (108 points) took second and was followed by Downers Grove South (113), St. Ignatius (128) and Hersey (144).
Prospect freshman Brooke Wolfe (18:10) paced the Knights by taking third with Hersey's junior Salena Clohisy (18:22) and Prospect senior Annette White (18:28) rounding out the top five.
Wolfe and White propelled Prospect's attack, but senior Kasey Krum took 11th place (19:14), junior Savannah Snead added 14th place (19:18), and senior Emily Salzman notched 17th place (19:28).
"We ended last season on a great note," said Prospect coach Dave Wurster of his team's state finish. "It helps the motivation to train. The first few meets things play themselves out, but things are going well for us."
The addition of Wolfe has changed the team dynamics. The freshman, along with White, gives the Knights two front-runners.
"The first mile went really fast," said Wolfe, who hung with the lead pack for the first 2 miles before settling for third. "I stayed with the pack for the second mile - the third mile I couldn't hold on."
White, who finished 13th in Class 3A last season, backed up the freshman by nabbing fifth place.
"After state last year we were all so excited," added White of the Knights' finish. "We know what we can do this year, we know the pressure and we're ready for it."
Krum, Snead, and Salzman were part of that squad and the three showed their experience on Saturday.
The addition of Wolfe strengthens an already talented team.
"We took a really solid team and put a front runner in it," added Wurster, "That's huge."
And the Knights came up big on Saturday.
Buffalo Grove had a breakout season last year, taking first at the Schaumburg sectional. But the Bison lost two of their top five runners, and BG coach Sara Cleveland was a bit concerned how they would respond.
But Jones and the Bison calmed her nerves on Saturday by taking second.
Jones challenged Connelly for the lead throughout the race but the Fenwick senior pulled away in the home stretch to nail down the victory.
Still, Jones displayed the same talent lifted the Bison to their success last season.
"There were times I tried to take the lead, but Connelly would go with me," said Jones of the battle. "This year I feel more comfortable and confident going into all my races - I know what to expect."
Freshman Caitlin Kelly took 16th (19:27) and senior Erin Kelly notched 22nd place (19:40) to complement Jones for BG.
"We're still building," said Cleveland, "but the girls performed great today. They are stepping up."
Senior Grace Magliola took seventh (18:43) and sophomore Rebecca Stearns (19:32) and senior Casey Harms (19:36) finished 18th and 19th to lead Downers Grove South to third place.
Junior Salena Clohisy started slowly but came on strong in taking fourth place (18:22) and leading Hersey to fifth-place team finish.
"I got caught up in a crowd," said Clohisy of her start. "But I kept working my way up. I'm happy with the race."
Senior Sarah Reynolds (19:41) and junior Riley Wade (19:43) finished 24th and 26th to aid the Huskies' charge.
Junior Samantha Fry (18:38) and junior Gabriella Effrein (19:09) finished sixth and ninth in leading Downers Grove North to sixth place.
Senior Jessica Balagtas (19:39) took 21st for the Trojans.
Fry finished 31st in Class 3A last season but sat out the track season due to illness. The junior showed no rust on Saturday using a strong start.
"Usually I don't start up in the front," said Fry, "but it seemed to work pretty well today."
It would be hard for anybody to fill the shoes of Lake Park's defending Class 3A state champion Lindsay Flanagan. But with Flanagan now running at the University of Washington, senior Ashley Prochazka did a nice job in securing 12th place (19:14) leading the Lancers to seventh place.
"There was a lot of competition," said Prochazka, "but it was a good start and we just have to keep it up."
Junior Kelly McShea took eighth place (19:02) in leading St. Francis to 10th place.
"I was trying to maintain the pace during the second mile," said McShea, "I thought the whole team did a good job with that."
Timothy Christians junior Kate Ardinger took 23rd place (19:41).
Marmion Invite: Freshman Hannah Winter (20:11) and senior Ronnie Mack (20:13) went 1-2 in leading St. Viator to first place at the Marmion Invite with 31 points in the 12 team field.
Junior Keegan Griebel (20:52) added a fifth-place finish for the Lions.