Waubonsie Valley back on top

As if the Upstate Eight Conference needed additional firepower in girls track and field, new members Batavia and Geneva have produced multiple state champions in recent years.

But Waubonsie Valley reclaimed its position as the dominant indoor program with its 74-61 victory over Lake Park on Thursday night in Batavia.

Neuqua Valley was third with 60 points, followed by defending champion St. Charles East, Geneva, St. Charles North, Bartlett, Batavia, Metea Valley, Streamwood, South Elgin, East Aurora, Elgin and Larkin.

“This is one of the best (indoor) meets of the year,” said Waubonsie Valley coach Dave Gowing. “I would think there are going to be 10-15 (outdoor) state finalists come out of this meet.”

The Warriors’ Morolake Akinosun and Ayo Adewole certainly have designs for a trip to Charleston in May.

The duo authored definitive performances to put Waubonsie Valley over the top.

Akinosun captured both the 55- and 200-meter dashes with ease, breaking seven seconds in the former and 26 seconds in the latter.

“The 55 — I can‘t express how happy I am with (my time),” said Akinosun, who has captured 13 combined conference championships during her three-year career. “I’m really excited to see what I can do with it outside.”

Adewole, who had her promising junior campaign end with a hamstring injury last spring, turned back a valiant effort by Batavia junior Hailey Claybough to win the 55 hurdles in 8.62 seconds, 24 one-hundredths faster than Claybough.

The two also ran legs on the Warriors’ second-place 800 relay team.

“I feel good this year,” Adewole said. “I worked all summer on getting (my hamstring) healed. Everything feels so much better this year.”

Lake Park sophomore Tyshai Freeman was the only other double winner.

Freeman edged the Warriors’ Nia Williams by a quarter inch in the long jump to augment an earlier winning height of 5-feet-2 in the high jump.

“It can get better,” Freeman said of falling two inches shy of her seed height in the high jump. “If I’m able to arch better, (my height) will be better.”

The Lancers’ Kaylee Flanagan was in a league of her own in romping to the 3,200 run in 11:02.79, 37 seconds faster than Geneva senior Liza Tauscher.

“I just went out there and wanted to run my own race,” Flanagan said.

Metea Valley claimed the last local prize with a surprise win in the inaugural 800 relay.

With none of the teams seeded due to its novelty length, the Mustangs’ quartet of Rachel Harris, Andre’z Williams, Emily Cowan and Crystal Butler edged Waubonsie Valley, which ran in a different heat.

“We were trying to go to Prep Top Times (the unofficial indoor state championship),” Butler said. “We did the best we could tonight.”

Neuqua Valley did not crown any champions, but the Wildcats’ third-place finish was crafted by consistency.

Sprinter Savannah Carson was second to Akinosun in both the 55 and 200 dashes.

St. Charles East appeared to have secured third place when Rachel Rawson crossed the finish line in the meet-closing 1,600 relay first.

But the Saints’ efforts went for naught due to a disqualification on the final handoff.

In the open 400 meters, St. Charles East sophomore Brittney Williams led her senior teammate Rawson by 3 meters at the gun lap.

Rawson was unable to close the gap as the two had the only 1-2 sweep of an event.

“We talked about (its possibility) during a team meeting (on Wednesday),” said Williams, who better Rawson 60.37-61.01. “Me and Rachel just fed off each other. That’s what helped us get (first and second).”

Mallory Abel ran an impressive 5:11.90 1,600 race to place second behind two-time champion Alyssa Schneider of Bartlett.

Geneva senior Taylor Wickware had a memorable night in her conference debut.

A quarter-mile specialist in recent years, the Miami of Ohio-bound four-year standout captured the 800 in her newfound specialty event.

“I’m, like, still learning,” Wickware said of the transition from 400 to 800 meters. “I went out a little slow, thinking one of the other girls was going to push me. I had to go all out over the last 400 meters.”

In a much-anticipated pole vault showdown, St. Charles North senior Meridith Beird and Geneva senior Erin Kluck each cleared 11 feet. With an equal number of misses, however, Beird was ruled the champion in what Kluck described as “a jump-off.”

In the opening race of the night, the St. Charles North quartet of Erica Bauerbach, Jessica Scheets, Christina Luptak and Sydney Stuenkel achieved its primary aim.

“We really wanted to qualify for Prep Top Times (the unofficial indoor state championship),” said anchor leg Stuenkel.

With its two-plus second triumph over Bartlett, the North Stars’ 9:54.77 time made the cut for the event next week in Bloomington.

“That’s all we were trying to do,” said Scheets.

For the host Bulldogs, whose sparkling facility drew raves, Haleigh Theuerkauf continues to emerge as a leading contender for shot put supremacy.

The junior won easily, though far short of her season-best effort of 42-6.

Alyssa Schneider was once again the anchor for Bartlett, which had the finest showing among the Elgin U-46 programs.

The Hawks’ distance maven was never headed in the open mile, and the senior ran compelling legs on the surprising 1,600 relay championship and runner-up 3,200 quartet.

“Five (minutes), five (seconds) is what I wanted to hit if everything went right,” said Schneider, who won the open 1,600 in 5:05.55. “I couldn’t be happier.”

K Lauesen was runner-up in the shot put for Bartlett, which also received steadying performances from Taylor Crawford, Courtney Kingsmill, Megan Zmich, Emily Wilson, Bre Balaskovits and Te’Andria Buliox.

“I don’t want to use the word ‘disappointing,’” said Bartlett coach Anthony Moorman, the former Lake Park sprinting state record-holder. “We competed as a team much better in the latter part of the meet. I thought we came out a little flat in the beginning of the meet.”

Megan McGlone was the other local champion.

The Streamwood junior defended her outdoor crown in the triple jump with a championship leap of 35.9.25.

Neissa Diabate scored the lone points for Elgin with a fourth-place finish in the triple jump.

Jordan Tuin placed third at 800 meters and sixth in the open 1,600 to lead South Elgin.

Larkin failed to score.