Warren runs to 4th at Carthage
Meg Tully and her Warren girls track and field teammates capped their indoor season in strong fashion Friday night.
Tully won the 3,200-meter run (11:42.96) and placed second in the 1,600 (5:26.66), leading the Blue Devils to a fourth-place finish in the 25-team Lake Michigan invitational at Carthage College in Kenosha, Wis.
Lake Central from Wisconsin won the meet with 92 points. Bradley Tech (53) edged Waukegan (51) for second. Warren’s 40 points were three more than fifth-place Burlington Central, while Libertyville (32.5) was sixth.
Other Lake County teams participating included Carmel Catholic (ninth, 31), Vernon Hills (10th, 30), Zion-Benton (11th, 26), Grant (14th, 15.5), and Antioch and Grayslake Central, which tied for 16th.
Vernon Hills won the 4 x 400 400 relay with Taylor Krue, Ali Peacock, Taylor Pearson and Alli Tran (4:15.14).
The same girls ran on the 4 x 200 relay and took third (1:52.22).
Shannon Nugent placed third in the high jump (5-4) for Vernon Hills, while Tran placed fourth in the 55 high hurdles (9.20)
Vernon Hills’ other finishes included Pearson’s seventh in 400 and the 4 x 800 relay’s eighth. That foursome was comprised of Tara Rooney, Kristen Whitney, Zoe Eldridge and Abbie Letts. Ninth-place efforts for Vernon Hills were turned in by Ali Marks (3,200) and Shannon Healey (high jump). Danielle Fiarito was 11th in the 1,600.
“This was the culminating meet of our 6 week indoor preseason,” Vernon Hills coach Jason Rush said. “We are way ahead of pace from last year’s record-breaking season. Those relays are all way faster than this time last year. These girls got a taste of success last year season and are very focused, and it showed at this meet. I expect great things in the upcoming outdoor season.”
Warren also got a first-place performance from Amber Cook, who went 35-5 in winning the triple jump. Gabby Nystrom of the Blue Devils was second in the 800 run.
Grant’s Melissa Dunham (37-5.5) and Becca McMullin (36-8) went 2-3 in the shot put. The Bulldogs’ Kim Heersche tied for seventh in the high jump and took 10th in the triple jump. Kaylie Kanzler tied for ninth in the high jump.
Carmel’s highlights included Megan Paul’s runner-up finish in the 400 dash (58.12), Shannon Baucus’ third in the 55 hurdles (9.10) and fifth in the high jump (5-2), Sarah Myss’ fourth in the 800 (2:30.39) and seventh in the pole vault (8-6), and MaryBeth Berg’s sixth in the 400 dash (1:02.15) and 11th in the 200.
Libertyville’s Carly Stewart took third in the 800 run (2:30.18), while teammate Maggie Fiorito was seventh (2:31.97). Nicole Jaffke of the Wildcats was second in the pole vault (9-6), fifth in the 3,200 run (12:01.36) and seventh in the 1,600 run (5:36.55). Libertyville’s Julia Smagacz earned a third in the triple jump (33-4.25), tied for ninth in the high jump and took 10th in the long jump.
Libertyville also got good efforts from Taylor Primrise (tie seventh) in the high jump, Jenna Dunsing in the pole vault (tie ninth), Paige Webb in the long jump (tie 11th) and triple jump (tie 14th), Marissa Yukus (ninth) and Nicoletta Frangos (11th) in the shot put, Rachel Metcalf (12th) in the 200 dash, and Erika Danckers (13th) in the 3,200 run.
Grayslake Central’s Jacqui Kirk was ninth in the 200 dash and 15th in the 55 dash. Her teammates Hannah Isosaki and Alexa Cabaltera tied for 11th in the pole vault, while the Rams’ Roxy Acoff leapt to eighth in the long jump and a tie for 11th in the triple jump. Korina Gomez was 11th in the 800.
Antioch’s Leslie Beake and Katie Brito were seventh and 11th, respectively, in the triple jump. Catherine Long of the Sequoits cleared 9 feet in the pole vault (sixth).
Warren also received a 14th-place run from Victoria Knauf in the 800.