Prospect's Wolfe runs to Fenton title

Prospect sophomore Brooke Wolfe and a talented Downers Grove North team set the tone early at 30th annual Fenton Early Bird Invitational.

Wolfe took control of the race at the at the 2-mile mark and widened her lead in the final mile in capturing first place in 17:58.

Lake Park sophomore Kaylee Flanagan (18:11) and Downers Grove North senior Samantha Fry (18:15) were in hot pursuit, taking second and third.

Hersey senior Salena Clohisy (18:43) and Prospect junior Laura Maibuecher (18:49) rounded out the top five finishers.

Downers Grove North had five runners finish in the top 16 to take the team title with 49 points, followed by defending champion Prospect (71 points).

Downers Grove South (88 points), Lake Park (90 points), and Wheaton St. Francis (121 points) rounded out the top five teams.

Wolfe had a strong freshman season, but an illness put a drag on her state race, where she finished 67th. She came back to finish sixth in Class 3A in the 3,200 at the track state meet.

The sophomore was back in form on Saturday. She was able to hang with the lead pack for the first mile, then surged to the lead in the second mile and finished with a comfortable 13-second advantage.

"This year I just want to prove myself," said Wolfe of her early season performance. "Hopefully it works out and I can be one of the top elite runners at the end of the year."

Downers Grove North is looking to be one of the top teams at the end of the year, and the Trojans made quite the initial impression on Saturday.

Senior Gaby Effrein (19:03), sophomore Gabbie Hesslau (19:12), and sophomore Jillian Kothanek (19:15) finished ninth, 10th, and 11th to support Fry's third place.

Junior Allison Proffitt (19:35) took 16th place to complete the scoring for the Trojans.

"We've been working really hard this past summer, on our tempos to stay in that pack," added Fry, whose team finished eighth in Class 3A last season. "We were kind of the surprise team last fall, we kind of came out of nowhere. This year there are some high expectations, the whole team's attitude is really great and we've been supporting each other."

Prospect had four runners graduate from last year's team that won the Mid-Suburban League title and finished sixth at state. The Knights showed on Saturday that they still have plenty of talent.

Wolfe and Maibuecher set the tone, with senior Mary Styzek (19:39) and junior Kate Welch (19:42) aiding the Knights' attack by finishing 17th and 19th.

"I didn't know quite what to expect," said Prospect coach Dave Wurster of his team's performance. "But they all went out strong, moved in the middle of the race and had good finishes, and that is what we were shooting for."

Downers Grove South missed qualifying for state last season, but the Mustangs are hoping to change that this year and took the first step on Saturday with four runners in the top 18 in taking third place.

Sophomore Amy Rotunno (18:54) set the tone by taking seventh place, with sophomore Katie Strelau (19:23) and junior Jacquelyn Thate (19:25) taking 13th and 14th place. Junior Rebecca Stearns (19:42) added 18th place for the Mustangs.

"First meet of the year we didn't know what to expect, but it was definitely a good start to the season," added Downers South coach Doug Plunkett.

Lake Park had four runners among the top 22 to secure fourth place. Junior Meghan Duggan (19:31), sophomore Brianne Murphy (19:50), and sophomore Ruth Garippo (19:52) finished 15th, 21st, and 22nd to aid the strong performance by Flanagan.

"It felt good out there today," said Kaylee Flanagan the younger sister of 2008 Class 3A state champion Lindsay. "I felt we worked well as a team and that is all you can ask for."

Last season St. Francis finished eighth in Class 2A, and with Spartans returning six of their top seven runners, expectations are high.

Kelly McShea (18:51) took sixth to lead the Spartans on Saturday, with sophomore Kate Roback (19:45) taking 20th place.

"I think overall we're pretty strong," added McShea who finished 12th in Class 2A last season. "It's early but we're just trying to get better."

Junior Nora Gawlik (20:04) finished 25th , teaming with Clohisy to lead Hersey to sixth place. Clohisy is looking to lead the Huskies this season and the senior was impressive on Saturday.

"I was trying to stick with the lead pack," said Clohisy, "they got away from me a little, but I kept them in my sights."

Senior Kate Ardinger (19:18) took 12th place to lead Timothy Christian.