WW South puts on a show
In the theater that is postseason track, Wheaton Warrenville South's Tiger Girls Track and Field Invitational is a pretty good dress rehearsal.
Eighteen teams descended upon Red Grange Field on Friday night for the 34th edition. There was top-flight competition and multiple heats in most racing finals, allowing squads to get a good portion of their rosters a final tuneup before conference meets.
The host Tigers rose above the large and talented field.
WW South won the meet with 100 points. Glenbard West was second (92.5) and Hinsdale Central third (72) with York (63.25), Bolingbrook (61.33), Downers Grove South (52), Schaumburg (52), Moline (44.75), Oswego (44.5) and Hononegah (44) rounding out the top 10.
“Our kids are young. They stepped up on the big stage tonight. I was pleasantly surprised,” Tigers coach Rob Harvey said. “Hinsdale Central and Glenbard West are great teams.”
Next up for WW South is the DuPage Valley Conference meet next Friday.
“We just want to go out and do the best we can and believe in ourselves,” said WW South sophomore Hope Schmelzle of the league meet.
Schmelzle ran a strong anchor leg in the evening's final event, the 1,600-meter relay, and with excellent running also from teammates Jessica Spera, McKenna Kiple and Amy Yong the quartet finished a strong second to winner Hononegah with a time of 4 minutes, 1.91 seconds, faster than Class 3A state-qualifying time.
Earlier in the evening, Kiple won the 800 in 2:14.58, which was also faster than state-qualifying time.
This is Kiple's first season in track. She played soccer last spring.
“I'm just going out and trying to race my best. There were a ton of good racers tonight. It was an awesome race to be a part of,” she said.
There were other race victors from DuPage County, including Glenbard West junior Kinn Badger, who won the 100 in 12.39 which was, below state-qualifying time, and the 200 in 25.84, also below the state mark.
“My goal is to chase people and get them. But a lot depends on your start,” she said. “I'm happy where I'm at, but I want to get better. My goal is the state finals,” she said.
Badger along with Kathryn Pickett, Caroline Maloney and Bridget Flanagan won the 400 relay, hitting the state-qualifying mark in 49.07.
In the 800 relay Hinsdale Central's Marisa Bronowski, Paris Bates, Kayla Schwarz and Lauren Paul crossed the finish line in 1:44.59, yet another entry at the meet to be quicker than the mark to make state.
In the field events WW South's Desirae Randberg won the discus with a toss of 111 feet. Teammate Kasey Gassensmith won the high jump, with Hinsdale Central's Kelsey Truedson prevailing in the pole vault at 11-0, higher than state-qualifying standards.
In the triple jump Uzo Okoro's leap of 35-2½ gave Hinsdale South an individual victory.
A 30-year record ended its reign when Schaumburg's Karen Lesiewicz won the 1,600 in 4:57.68. The previous mark was 5:04.74.