Rough going at Schaumburg sectional
It was a very tough road to the finish for Lake County's girls cross country runners Saturday morning at the Class 3A Schaumburg sectional.
Teams and individuals gave it their best effort on the 3-mile Busse Woods course, but when all was said and done none of them were able to qualify for the state meet next Saturday at Peoria's Detweiller Park.
With many of the top girls teams and individuals lined up for the meet, local runners knew the odds were stacked against them. And it was the Mid-Suburban League that dominated the 20-team competition with four of the top five teams from that conference advancing downstate.
Palatine held off the host Saxons and retiring coach Jon Macnider 77-87 for the championship, while Prospect (91 points), Glenbrook North (107) and Barrington (110) all earned trips to the 2010 state meet.
Libertyville was 10th with 287 points, followed by Lake Zurich (358) in 13th, Warren (394) in 15th and Stevenson (444) in 16th.
Warren sophomore Meg Tully was 38th, while Erika Danckers led Libertyville in 40th.
“They gave it all they had and it's definitely, by far, the toughest sectional in the state,” said Libertyville coach Joe Roth. “Erika Danckers came back and had a strong race today so that was great, and Nicole (Jaffke) (49th) looked strong for only being a sophomore.”
Mundelein sophomore Marisa Perreault took 42nd.
“It was just a tough run for Marisa today and she just didn't get in the right position in the beginning of the race,” said Mundelein coach John Osmanski. “It's just a brutal sectional and we tried to prepare, but in this meet you just cannot get behind early.”
Senior Amy Polhemus led Lake Zurich's squad in 45th place, while Grant freshman Lindsey Lewis placed 51st under 50-degrees running conditions. Sophomore Angela Ufheil was the Bears' No. 2 runner in 74th.
“They looked good and they came to race, which is what we wanted,” said Lake Zurich coach Ian Silverman. “They were aggressive and competitive, and that was the plan. It's nice to race against the best.”
Erin Jaffke placed 69th for Libertyville, while sophomore Jenna Weiner led Stevenson in 73rd. Sophomore McKenzie Levy (84th) was the Patriots' No. 2 runner, but she was unable to return to her 2009 form when she placed 10th in the state as a freshman.
“I'm happy with our effort, and we had a good start and a solid ending,” said Stevenson coach Don Proft. “Jenna Weiner ran a tough race and she really rises to the occasion in these big meets.”
At Belvidere: While none of the Class 3A area runners advanced to state, it was a different story Saturday morning in the Class 2A Belvidere sectional at Belvidere High School.
Vernon Hills senior Kelley Gallagher placed seventh in 18:52 to earn one of seven at-large berths to the state meet next Saturday in Peoria.
In the process, Gallagher became the first Vernon Hills athlete to qualify for state in three different sports as she reached the state meet in swimming as a sophomore before running in the state track meet last spring.
The team competition was won by Crystal Lake Central with 82 points as the Tigers toppled runner-up Woodstock with 94 points.
Lakes made a push for state behind junior Hannah Wittman in 21st and Kathryn Dean in 31st, but the Eagles' team had to settle for seventh place with 219 points.
“I was really happy how the girls mentally prepared for the race, but they just had trouble holding onto the pace,” said Lakes coach Keith West, whose team will have its top five runners back next year. “They just needed to run a little faster to make it downstate, but I'm really happy with how we competed.”