Lake Zurich successfully defends crown
Claire Haggerty, wide-eyed and smiling hard, jumped and pounded her legs after landing on a track Thursday night.
The Grayslake Central sophomore then violently cross-stretched her arms, slapping the left side of her upper back with her right hand and vice versa. (Picture swimmer Michael Phelps’ arm warm-up motion, right before climbing a block at the Olympics).
After that, Haggerty jumped again.
She did all of the above while waiting to serve as the Rams’ 3200-meter relay anchor at the Lake County girls track and field invite at Grayslake North.
“If I don’t get pumped up before I run, I don’t run fast,” she said.
As she grabbed the baton from No. 3 leg Korina Gomez, a freshman, it started to rain. It drizzled, steadily, for the next three hours in November-like temps.
“I thought, ‘Great, thanks, just what I need … more rain,’” Haggerty recalled after the Central quartet easily won in 10:00.1. (Senior Hannah Hobson and sophomore Elsie Rehberg ran the first two 800s).
But deep down, Haggerty was probably thrilled with the soggy conditions.
The Ram, after all, did compete at last fall’s state swim meet, as a sprinter.
A bunch of swift Bears from Lake Zurich also weathered the conditions quite swimmingly. Coach Lance Pacernick’s crew scored 74.5 points to successfully defend its Lake County title. Waukegan (67), which led LZ by half a point before the final event (1600 relay), took second. Warren (46) edged Vernon Hills (45) for third place, and Deerfield (42.5) nipped Libertyville (42) for fifth.
Lake Zurich won only one of the 18 events: senior Marissa Wagner finished first in the 400 (1:00.46), ahead of sophomore teammate Lindsey Moritz (2nd, 1:01.42).
“That 1-2 … there’s the hammer,” a proud Pacernick said as he marched, from the infield, toward the finish line to congratulate the pair.
Shortly after that race, LZ’s Amy Polhemus sped to second in the 300 hurdles (46.58).
“To win this, with only one first place, showed that we needed a real team effort tonight, and we got that,” Pacernick added.
Libertyville sophomore high jumper Haley Becker needed an umbrella and a big black blanket. So, right after her last class Thursday, she texted her mom, Cindy, who delivered the items to her daughter at Grayslake North.
“Such a good mom,” Becker, bundled up in the blanket, said after winning the high jump (5-feet-4) for the second year in a row.
Mundelein sophomore Marisa Perreault ran such a good, smart race in the 1600, clocking a first-place 5:30.87. The Mustang motored past leader Caroline Watts of Woodlands Academy with about 250 meters to go.
Teammate Megan Geldernick took first in the 100 hurdles (15.39).
Warren received championship efforts from Meg Tully (3200, 11:46.83), Gabby Nystrom (800, 2:23.91) and Amber Cook (triple jump, 35-2.5).
Tully admitted she felt a bit panicky midway through the 3200.
“I thought to myself, ‘I should not be in front,’ ” the Blue Devil admitted. “Then I worried somebody was just waiting to catch up and pass me. Also, dealing with the rain …
“This weather,” she added, “it’s getting kind of old, isn’t it?”
Stevenson’s Rachel Redmond topped the shot-put field (37-9.25), Grant’s Melissa Dunham reigned in the discus (114-4), and Vernon Hills’ 1600 relay capped the night with a first-place 4:05.52.