WW South outlasts West Aurora for DVC title
On an evening with weather more conducive for a girls track and field sectional than an indoor conference championship, Wheaton Warrenville South answered every challenge Thursday in Naperville.
The Tigers, behind balance and their superlative crew of middle-distance runners, denied fellow state power West Aurora to defend their DuPage Valley Conference indoor championship with 108 points. West Aurora, the reigning outdoor league victor, was second with 95 points; Naperville North, which crowned a new sprinter in Alexis Hyshaw, was a distant third.
Naperville Central was fourth, followed by Glenbard North. Glenbard East, behind its incomparable returning state champion Lindsay Rakosnik, was sixth. West Chicago and Wheaton North rounded out the eight-team field in the 15-event meet.
WW South won all three relays behind its solid sprinters and its interchangeable collection of 800-meter runners — Amy Yong, Kayla Kightlinger, McKenna Kiple and Hope Schmelzle.
“It’s such a team-building thing,” said Schmelzle, who anchored the Tigers’ record-setting 3,200 quartet to victory and ran the third leg of the meet-ending 1,600 variety. “(Relay success) means a lot to the team, not only points-wise but also team-dynamic-wise.”
The Tigers’ Yong, the only senior in the otherwise all-junior retuning state runner-up crew in the 3,200 relay, also was on the victorious 1,600 squad. Emily Phillip, who earlier helped the Tigers capture the 800 relay, also ran on the WW South championship 1,600 squad.
Jessica Spera and Maggie Dansdill anchored the Tigers’ sprinting attack both individually and in relays. In order to deny West Aurora, WW South needed to counteract the Blackhawks’ skill athletes in the five field events.
The Tigers did just that — and then some. Senior Kasey Gassensmith outdueled West Aurora sophomore standout Emma Spagnola by an inch — 5-foot-5 to 5-4 — to capture the high jump.
“I was trailing (Spagnola) going into (5-5 on more misses),” Gassensmith said. “(Spagnola) choose 5-5, which was fine with me.”
Gassensmith claimed top honors with her second jump, and WW South had a brilliant twin effort in the pole vault to sweep that event. Christen Saccucci turned back teammate Emily Schwartz on criteria after each cleared 10-6.
The Tigers’ team showing overshadowed some otherwise brilliant individual performances by their league brethren. Rakosnik, the defending Class 3A champion in the 800 run, adopted a take-no-prisoners attitude with defining victories in the classic 800-1,600 double.
“It’s beneficial for me to do that in my races,” Rakosnik said of taking an early lead and only extending the spread on the remainder of the field. “I’m a competitor. I knew I had a lot of good competition. I like setting the pace. I really want to do the (800-1,600) double (at the state meet).”
On an evening when seven conference records were broken — in some cases shattered — Rakosnik is the new benchmark at 1,600 meters with her four minute and 58.44 performance. The Rams’ senior star barely missed the record of former two-time state champion Casey Short (Naperville Central) at 800 meters.
“There’s a reason (Rakosnik) got a scholarship to Illinois,” WW South coach Rob Harvey said.
Reigning state cross country champion Amanda Fox was in a league of her own in breaking her own record in the 3,200 run.
The Redhawks also received a championship effort from Christina Norris in the shot put. Hyshaw, meanwhile, who missed virtually her entire freshman year with a hamstring injury, turned back West Aurora junior Anita Saffa to set records in both the 55 and 200 dashes.
“I pay attention to my competition,” Hyshaw said after recording times of 6.93 and 25.78. “What I get from that is I have to work harder.”
Glenbard North sophomore Simone Carr was clocked in 57.88 to set a new standard at 400 meters.
The Blackhawks’ bid for a third league title in the last four years fell tantalizingly close behind multiple champion Spagnola. The gifted sophomore, who won four individual events to power the Blackhawks’ outdoor championship last spring, scored 32 points with her twin victories in the long jump and 55 hurdles, plus her runner-up status in the high jump and a fourth-place result in the 400 dash.
Spagnola soared 18 feet, 3.5 inches to break the three-year old mark of former West Aurora star Markesha Davis in the long jump.
“It’s the first time I’ve jumped 18 feet this season,” Spagnola said of her new personal record, regardless of venue. “I think my start was really good in the (hurdles, winning time of 8.65 seconds). (I) thought my last jump at 5-5 (in the high jump) was one of my best jumps of the year. I thought I did better with my arms (in the high).”
The Blackhawks’ sophomore class is undeniably talented; Spagnola was not the only West Aurora underclassman to shine. Kyla Walton, a sophomore, won the triple jump with a 34-6 effort after finishing fourth to fellow returning state qualifier Spagnola in the long jump.
“It’s my first season doing triple,” Walton said. “I kept telling myself that I could (win it).”
“She is our new Jasmine (Ranson, a former state medal-winner for West Aurora) in the triple,” West Aurora coach Teresa Towles said of Walton.
Maya Marion was runner-up in the shot put for West Aurora, duplicating twin Saffa results in the two shortest sprints.
“I was happy Anita was able to finish her races,” Towles said. “She has really been struggling (with nagging leg injuries). We need to get her healthy. We’ll be ready for outdoors.”
“West Aurora is a great team,” WW South coach Rob Harvey said. “Outdoors is a completely different story. You add three more events (the 300 hurdles, the 400 relay and discus).”