A good day’s work

CHARLESTON — Kathryn Pickett is guaranteed to have a weekend even more bountiful than last year’s at the Class 3A girls track and field state finals.

The Glenbard West senior qualified for the finals of the same three events — the long jump and both hurdles races — for a second consecutive year and added the lead leg on the Hilltoppers’ 400 relay.

Glenbard West also notched finals representation in the other three relays behind the interchangeable quartet of Emma Reifel, Bridget Flanagan, Caroline Maloney and Kinn Badger.

With Pickett, who is leading the long jump with an effort of 18 feet, 9¼ inches and is the fourth and fifth seed in the 100- and 300-meter hurdles, respectively, the Hilltoppers qualified in seven events on Friday afternoon at O’Brien Stadium on the campus of Eastern Illinois University.

“I am dead (tired),” Pickett said after her 300 hurdle semifinal. “My start wasn’t that good (in the 400 relay). We have to improve our handoffs.”

Glenbard West coach Kelly Hass was quick to second the motion.

“The times (in the two sprint) relays were great, but our handoffs were shoddy,” Hass said. “There’s room for improvement.”

Flanagan, Badger and Maloney all participated in the Hilltoppers’ 400, 800 and 1,600 relays; Reifel, the Hilltoppers’ unsung hero this spring, was on the latter two as well as the 3,200 relay group that augmented an already elite local presence.

“Before the (the Glenbard North) sectional it was a dream (to qualify for finals in all three),” Flanagan said. “After the sectional we knew we could do it.”

Downers Grove South, behind Michigan State-bound superstar Tori Franklin, equaled the Hilltoppers’ seven finalists to place one behind East St. Louis for most Saturday qualifiers.

Wheaton Warrenville South and Downers Grove North headline the field in the dynamic 3,200 relay.

The squads posted the two lowest times of the regular season and were pitted against each other in the third heat.

Jillian Kothanek parlayed a dazzling third leg by open 800 qualifier Gaby Hesslau and held off WW South sophomore standout Hope Schmelzle to post the fastest time among the 24 qualifying teams.

“We don’t really have a time set (in mind),” Hesslau said after the Trojans’ quartet was clocked in 9 minutes, 11.27 seconds to the Tigers’ 9:11.68. “We’re just going to put it all out there.”

“We are concerned about one team — and that’s us,” WW South coach Rob Harvey said of the relay final.

The West Suburban Silver is once again a fixture at the state track meet; in addition to regular-season champion Glenbard West leading the charge, Downers North has six combined finals berths and defending state champion Hinsdale Central has five.

York, also a potential wildcard in the 3,200 relay, has three events on the final day.

Willowbrook junior Cherise Porter and Waubonsie Valley junior Morolake Akinosun have been the sprinting stalwarts the last two seasons, and the returning all-state performers are ready to contend again.

Porter, the defending runner-up at 200 meters, advanced in the two short sprints while also anchoring the 400 relay to a third berth.

Akinosun gave defending 100 champion Aaliyah Brown of Lincoln-Way East all she could handle in recording the second-fastest time in the event at 11.61 seconds.

Porter is ranked fifth after her 11.89-second showing.

First-year Neuqua Valley sprinter Savannah Carson also made the field to join Porter in the 200 final.

Glenbard East junior Lindsey Rakosnik is the top seed at 800 meters after winning her heat in 2:13.55.

“We went our really fast in the beginning,” Rakosnik said. “I think (today the other finalists) will really push each other.”