Firsts for Buffalo Grove's Jones, Prospect
Buffalo Grove's Olivia Jones knows how to pick her spots.
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Jones was in the lead pack for the better part of the 3-mile race, but with finish quickly approaching the sophomore could wait no longer.
With 300 meters remaining, Jones made separation from a pack of four to nail down the MSL title in 17:49 at a muddy Busse Woods in Schaumburg.
"We were battling until the last straightaway," said Jones, who held off Schaumburg's duo of Britten Petrey (17:50) and Colette Falsey (17:50), and Prospect's Brooke Wolfe (17:56). "Then I made a break for it and pushed it to the finish."
Prospect also played the waiting game. The Knights had never won an MSL title, but that changed on Saturday.
The meet featured the top four teams in Illinois Cross Country Coaches Poll, with Knights entering the day ranked No. 3
But Prospect placed five runners in the top 19, holding off top-ranked Palatine 58-61 to claim its first MSL title.
No. 2-ranked Schaumburg (75 points) took third, followed by No. 4 Hoffman Estates (109 points) and No. 10 Barrington (147 points).
"We were just hoping our best was going to be good enough to be the best," said Prospect coach Dave Wurster of the Knights title run. "And today it was."
The race started out conservatively for Jones and the all-star field, with a pack of 10 cruising through the first mile. Jones hung tight to defending MSL champion Sarah McIntosh of Palatine at the 2-mile mark.
Then Wolfe, the Prospect freshman sensation, took over the lead with a half mile remaining.
But Jones knew she could count on her kick at the end, and it didn't fail her. The sophomore became the first girl to win an individual title for Buffalo Grove.
"She stayed with that top group and had a really good kick," said Buffalo Grove coach Sara Cleveland of her sophomore standout. "She's such a smart runner, she just knows when to go."
Prospect also knew when to go in its epic battle with Palatine. The Knights matched the Pirates runner for runner.
Annette White (18:10) took sixth place to complement Wolfe's fourth-place finish.
"We've been talking about proving everyone wrong and showing what we're capable of doing," added White of the Knights' performance. "But it's one thing to, like, talk about it, and it's another thing to go out and accomplish your goals."
Prospect received a huge lift from freshman Lauren Poplawski (18:28), who took 12th place.
But the race wasn't decided until the very end, when Prospect's Savannah Snead (18:56) passed Palatine's Tess Wasowicz (18:57) at the finish for 17th place and Prospect's Kasey Krum (18:57) held off Palatine's Becca Sund (18:59) for 19th to seal the Knights' victory.
"I understood the importance of each point," added Snead of the final burst. "If I was going to help my team win, I might as well do it."
Prospect's sixth runner Emily Salzman (19:02) added to the Knights' effort by placing 21st.
"Every place counted," added Wurster, "And everyone came through."
And Prospect needed every last point, with Palatine nipping at its heels.
McIntosh (18:00) and Courtney Brown (18:14) took fifth and seventh, with Ruth Allen (18:27) adding 11th place for the Pirates.
Palatine started out hard over the first 500 meters, but the blazing start caught up to the Pirates.
"That's the tough thing about our conference," said Palatine coach Joe Parks. "If you don't come in and have a good performance from everybody, somebody else probably will and you're going to get beat. That's what happened today."
Palatine suffered a bit of a setback, but the Pirates know they can redeem themselves in the state series.
"We're disappointed," added Brown, "the good thing is it happened now instead of later. Prospect is a good team, so you can't be too shocked."
Schaumburg also had quite a run on Saturday. Petrey and Falsey set the tone for the Saxon with their second- and third-place finishes. Karen Lesiewicz (18:37) added 13th place for the Saxons.
Petrey and Falsey hung in the lead pack for the entire race and came through the chute as a pair.
"The second mile it start picking up," added Petrey of the battle for first. "The third mile it picked up even more and some of us took off and some fell behind."
"All the hard work is paying off," added Falsey of the Saxon duo's impressive run. "It has made us mentally tough."
Hoffman Estates was missing senior Melissa Schmidt, the Hawks' No. 1 runner, and senior Hannah Worman. But sophomore Haley Goers (18:18) picked up the slack with an eighth-place finish.
Schmidt was having a sensational season before suffering a high ankle injury two weeks ago and would have been in contention for the title.
Sophomore Haley Worman (18:39) and sophomore Takshaka Patel (18:45) aided Goers by taking 14th and 16th place.
"We knew we had to step up," added Goers of her injured teammates. "I usually base my race on Melissa (Schmidt), so it has been a little hard without her."
Freshman Rebecca Batliner (18:44), despite dealing with a cold, secured 15th place to Barrington to fifth.
Junior Christina Gastfield (18:23) continued a strong season by capturing ninth place, putting Rolling Meadows in sixth.
Salena Clohisy (18:27) took charge for host Hersey by finishing in 10th place, with Sarah Reynolds (19:05) and Nora Gawlik (19:06) taking 23rd and 25th place as the Huskies finished seventh.
"It felt really good," added Clohisy of her solid finish. "I wanted to run with the top runners today, and I did that."
Junior Emi Sudo (19:03) took 22nd place in helping Fremd place eighth.
Freshman Caitlin Kelley (19:06) had a 24th-place finish as Buffalo Grove finished ninth.