Palatine picks up sectional crown

Palatine didn't panic after finishing second to Schaumburg at the Mid-Suburban League girls cross country meet.

The Pirates came back on Saturday to take first at the Class 3A Schaumburg sectional with 77 points on a clear, cool morning at Busse Woods.

Schaumburg (87 points) took second followed by hard-charging Prospect (91 points). Glenbrook North (107 points) and Barrington (110 points) took fourth and fifth, with all five teams advancing to next week's Class 3A state race at Detweiller Park in Peoria.

Prospect sophomore Brooke Wolfe continued her sizzling season by taking the individual title in 17:20, followed by Palatine senior Courtney Brown (17:31) and Barrington sophomore Becca Batliner (17:38).

Individual qualifiers include Rolling Meadow senior Christina Gastfield (fifth place), Hoffman Estates juniors Haley Goers (sixth place) and Haley Worman (16th place), St. Viator freshman Megan Carroll (9th place) and sophomore Hannah Winters (15th place), Fremd sophomore Kelly Breen (seventh place), and Hersey senior Selena Clohisy (22nd place).

Brown led the charge for Palatine, and the senior had plenty of help with sophomore Tess Wasowicz (18:01) taking eighth place followed by junior Emily Schulte (18:22), Sarah McIntosh (18:22) and freshman Jessica Lincoln (18:49) taking 18th, 19th, and 32nd place.

“We've been talking the last couple of weeks about confidence and going out there with some fire,” said Brown about the Pirates attack. “We just wanted to focus on ourselves today.”

And the Pirates did that by setting the pace early and finishing strong.

“We had a plan coming in and our goal was to stick to our plan,” said Palatine coach Joe Parks, whose saw the program win its 15th sectional title. “The girls executed what we wanted them to do.”

Now the Pirates have a bit of momentum heading into the state race.

Wolfe also has plenty of momentum. The sophomore surged to the lead early in the second mile and powered to the sectional title.

“It felt right and I was feeling good at that moment,” said Wolfe of her decisive surge. “It's exciting and I'm really looking forward to the challenge at state.”

Senior Karen Lesiewicz (17:31) and senior Britten Petrey (18:09) finished fourth and 10th in leading Schaumburg to second place.

“It's a learning experience,” said Lesiewicz of the Saxons' second-place finish. “We just have to stay focused, and it may be a blessing in disguise. It will give us more motivation for next week.”

Senior Colette Falsey (18:26), sophomore Hannah Combs (18:33), and junior Kelsey Steenstrup (18:47) finished 21st, 24th, and 30th to complete the Saxons' scoring.

“We got a spot on the starting line down at Detweiller,” said Schaumburg coach Jon Macnider, “You always like to win them, but it's about getting another race.”

Last season, Prospect was hit at the wrong time with outbreak of the flu and limped into the state meet. This season the Knights are healthy and it showed on Saturday.

Wolfe fueled Prospect charge, with sophomore Lauren Poplawski (18:14) and junior Laura Maibuecher adding fire by finishing 12th and 14th. Freshman Rachel Henk (18:52) and senior Savannah Snead (18:55) took 33rd and 35th to aid the Knights.

“Last year the wheels were starting to come off the cart,” said Prospect coach Dave Wurster. “This year we started with the wheels off and we've been putting them on and things have been getting a little bit better every week.”

Senior Kristen Bonsor (18:10) and freshman Ellery Marrinan (18:17) finished 11th and 13th to lead Glenbrook North to fourth place.

Batliner (17:38) paced Barrington to fifth place. The sophomore stuck to the lead pack in finishing third behind Wolfe and Brown.

“It was fun and the energy was great in the pack,” said Batliner of her impressive performance. “We all ran off each other.”

Junior Elle Tracy (18:21) and junior Alexa Argianas (18:25) took 17th and 20th for the Fillies, with sophomore Rachel Simon (18:39) and senior Colleen Shandley ( 19:12) adding 27th and 46th place.

“They all got out well and they battled,” said Barrington coach Deb Revolta, “They got their position and they held them well.”