Schaumburg's Lesiewicz, Petrey ready to strut their stuff in lead role

It's a simple pre-race tradition: Schaumburg's Karen Lesiewicz and Britten Petrey do their best Ricky Bobby impersonation with a shake 'n bake.

And, as in in the movie Talladega Nights (where Ricky Bobby gained his notoriety), Lesiewicz and Petrey usually leave their competition in the dust.

The junior duo has been heating up the track for Schaumburg, and last year at the Class 3A state meet Lesiewicz and Petrey became the first Saxons to capture a medal since 2002.

Lesiewicz set a school record in taking second in the 800-meter run with sizzling 2:13.75.

Petrey secured a sixth-place medal in the 1,600 in 5:01.66. The junior just missed the school record set by Janeth Salazar (4:59.3) in 1985.

Schaumburg has had its share of success on the track, but the last Saxons to medal were Laura Pearson, who finished fourth in the 1,600 and Venetia Pristavec, who took eighth in the 300 low hurdles in 2002.

But Lesiewicz and Petrey ended the drought in style.

"I knew it immediately," said coach Jon Macnider of the talent both girls showed upon entering Schaumburg. "After a week of just watching them, I go, 'I got what I need.'"

Both qualified for the state meet their freshman year, with Lesiewicz just missing a medal with a 10th-place finish in the 800.

Petrey just missed medaling in cross country her sophomore season, taking 26th place - just one place out of medal contention.

But the two made good in Charleston last May.

"When I was warming up Mac (Macnider) was like 'Do you want a medal?'" said Petrey, "There was like no question I was going to get a medal, I didn't care what place I got as long as I got one."

Lesiewicz was also ready, especially after being in the same preliminary heat as favorite Mckinzie Schulz of Benet on Friday. That gave her a bit of a mental edge on her competition in Saturday's finals.

"I was able to get a taste of the competition and I knew I could stick with them," said Lesiewicz of the state final race. "It gave me a lot of confidence."

But before Lesiewicz and Petrey were able to savor their success at state, they had to overcome a bitter disappointment.

Schaumburg's 3,200 relay was one of the tops in state. Lesiewicz and Petrey had combined with Jordan Wagner and Nora Ferguson to set a school record in winning the 2-mile relay at the Mid-Suburban League meet in an impressive 9:21.41.

Schaumburg had also won the 3,200 relay at the Top Times Indoor meet.

Needless to say, Schaumburg came into state meet with high expectations. But those hopes were dashed when the Saxons failed to report to the holding area on time, therefore disqualifying the team.

"I think me and Brit really had to pull ourselves together after being DQ," saod Lesiewicz.

"We were prepared and we knew what we had to do," said Petrey of the race. "We just didn't get a chance."

Lesiewicz and Petrey have a lot in common. There is a slight resemblance between the two, and the pair can almost finish each other's sentence. And in competition, they always seem to rise to the occasion.

This year the two are hoping to meet the challenge together again, and both will have targets for the competition all year.

"Last year I would go to the line and think, 'Who do I have to worry about?' " said Lesiewicz, "Now I may have a few more eyes on me, and I'll have to hit my times."

"I think we've shown people what we can do," added Petrey. "We know how to pace ourselves and we'll be ready for anything they throw at us."

The early results are promising. Lesiewicz (800) and Petrey (1,600) both won MSL indoor titles. They then combined with Colette Falsey and Nora Ferguson in winning and shattering the Prep Top Times Indoor record for the 3,200 relay (9:23.87).

Lesiewicz and Petrey believe a big part of their success has been the Saxons' team approach.

"At our school there is not just one top runner," said Lesiewicz. "Our workouts prepare us for the race. Once you step up to the line, you're used to it."

"There is pressure," said Petrey, "but we have our team to back us up. They are unbelievable."

The expectations are high this year, but Lesiewicz and Petrey have shown they can master the shake 'n bake. Now they're ready to show they can handle the heat, too.

"I feel we still have so much more to come," said Petrey. "The team is young and we're all so tight - we have so much more coming."