Fremd joins MSL girls elite

It is hard to see the light of day when the top four teams in state are in your conference.

That is the case for the Fremd girls cross country team, who are looking up at Schaumburg, Palatine, Barrington, and Prospect, who are ranked 1-through-4 in the dyestat.com state poll.

But the Vikings, currently ranked No. 14, have quietly put together a very solid start to their 2010 season.

Fremd opened a few eyes when they finished third at the Peoria Woodruff meet with 105 points Sept. 11.

The Vikings only finished 12 points behind first-place Barrington and 9 points behind second-place Wheaton Warrenville South.

Fremd then came back to take first at the Warren Invitational on Saturday, edging Rolling Meadows 62-65.

"We have a core of six or seven girls that are a pretty good pack," said Fremd coach Mark Anderson of the Vikings attack. "And our sophomore class is just very impressive."

Seniors Emi Sudo and Victoria Moroney have provided the leadership, while sophomores Kelly Breen, Katie Filosa, and Samantha Bartolai have made huge strides.

Breen has carried the Vikings finishing 15th at Peoria and 3rd at Warren. The sophomore has emerged as one of the top runners in the Mid-Suburban League.

"I just try to tell myself to do my best in every race and try not to worry about where I am," said Breen of her improvement.

Fremd returned six of their top seven runners from last year's team that finished eighth in the MSL, and the Vikings have seemed to have taken a step forward with their progress this season.

Peoria Woodruff meet was a launching pad for the Vikings.

"We definitely didn't expect to do that well, we were just hoping for a top-five finish," said Sudo, "I think we showed a lot of teams that we can compete.

Fremd has not qualified for a state meet since 2006, and the Vikings know it will be a challenge this year, especially being in the rugged MSL, but they are not backing down.

"I think it has only made us better," added Moroney of the stiff competition in the MSL. "I think the competitiveness of our conference is why our team has gotten so much better. We know we have to push ourselves if we want to get to state."

Fremd has been running out of the spotlight, but the Vikings have still managed to shine brightly so far this season.

• Top-ranked Palatine was edged 83-91 by No. 2 Schaumburg on Saturday at the rugged Peoria Notre Dame Invitational.

But the Pirates were back in high gear on Wednesday defeating a solid Fremd squad 17-43 in a Mid-Suburban League West duel meet at Deer Grove East.

Senior Courtney Brown continued a splendid season by taking first in 17:59, followed by junior Emily Schulte (18:09) and sophomore Tess Wasowicz (18:12) to power the Pirates attack.

Senior Sarah McIntosh (18:34) and junior Ellen Smith (18:46) finished fifth and sixth to aid the Pirates' victory.

Brown led for most of the race in Peoria before Schaumburg senior Colette Falsey passed her for the title in Peoria.

"I got outkicked on Saturday," said Brown, "So I know I need to push it a bit more, so they can't just rest behind me."

Sophomore Kelly Breen (18:12) took fourth to lead Fremd.