Palatine girls cross country powers to state title
PEORIA - Palatine came into the Class 3A girls cross country state meet as a slight favorite in a very tight field.
But the Pirates left no doubt about who's No. 1 after securing their seventh overall state title on a pleasant Saturday at Detweiller Park.
Palatine placed three runners in the top 19 in taking the title with 99 points.
Kim Christensen and Lexie Goldsmith went 3-4 in leading Sandburg to second place with 142 points.
Lauren Mordini and McKenna Kiple went 14th and 22nd, leading Wheaton Warrenville South to third place with 160 points. Naperville North (174 points) and two time defending state champion Geneva (176) rounded out the top five.
Whitney Young senior Lavinia Jurkiewicz won the individual title in 17:11, with Rolling Meadows junior Christina Gastfield (17:17) taking second.
After taking second at the Mid-Suburban League meet, Palatine has been on a mission.
The Pirates completed the job on Saturday with senior Ruth Allen (17:47), junior Sarah McIntosh (17:48), and junior Courtney Brown (17:52) taking 13th, 15th, and 19th place.
Freshman Tess Wasowicz (18:12) added a 34th-place finish and sophomore Laura Schweikert (18:32) finished 61st to complete the Pirates' scoring.
The Pirates started conservatively but came on strong in the final 2 miles.
"We've kind of raced like that all year," said Palatine first-year coach Joe Parks. "We learned not to panic early, and we did some damage in the middle of the race."
Allen was the glue for the Pirates' attack, pulling McIntosh and Brown as all three finished with all-state honors.
"The key to the race today was confidence," added Allen. "I think we were a little nervous at the conference race, but today we came out with a lot more enthusiasm."
"We kept focus with what we had to do," said McIntosh of the Pirates' drive. "We didn't want to feel like we did after conference, and we stepped it up."
Rolling Meadows' Christina Gastfield also stepped it up. The junior finished eighth in Class 3A as a sophomore and continued to be a big-day runner on Saturday with her second-place finish.
Gastfield gained momentum right before the 2-mile mark and didn't let up in passing Sandburg's Christensen at the finish line.
"I wanted to stay with the lead pack and I kept my eye on the them the whole time," added Gastfield. "I knew I had to work twice as hard as last year. I used my adrenaline at the end."
It was no surprise for Meadows coach Kevin Young.
"She's just a fighter," Young said of Gastfield's run. "She runs the best in big races."
Hersey's Ashley Martin did not run a race until last week's sectional, and the senior came up big at state, taking ninth place in 17:34.
"This was my last race so I wanted to do whatever I could," said Martin of her finish. "I wanted to push the last mile because I didn't want to be stuck at the end trying to pass people."
Stevenson freshman Levy Mackenzie came up huge in her first state race, taking 10th place in 17:39.
"I wanted to start out slow and really kick at the end," added Mackenzie of final flourish. "It was really exciting and to get all-state feels great."
Buffalo Grove junior Olivia Jones (17:42) took 12th place, Schaumburg's Britten Petrey (17:53) captured 20th place, and Hoffman Estates sophomore Haley Goers (17:54) came in 23rd place. All three runners earned all-state honors.
Prospect took sixth place in the team race with 204 points. Hersey (261 points) finished ninth, with Hoffman Estates (283 points) and Schaumburg (291 points) taking 12th and 13th place, respectively.
Class 2A: Springfield won the Class 2A race with 124 points, followed by Yorkville (130 points) and East Peoria (162 points).
Woodstock's Kayla Beattie won the individual title in 17:14.
Antioch's Erin Poss picked up her third all-state honors by taking sixth place in 17:58.
"Even though my time wasn't where I wanted it to be, I pushed myself the whole way," said Poss, who finished 18th as a sophomore and seventh as a junior. "I just wanted to finish strong."