Neuqua Valley dominates UEC indoor meet
With a blend of seasoned veterans and one terrific newcomer, the Upstate Eight Conference girls track and field indoor championship belonged to Neuqua Valley Saturday morning and afternoon at Batavia.
Senior stalwart Stephanie Jackson brought home the Wildcats' 1,600-meter relay in style to cap a one-sided victory at the single-division, 14-team invitational.
The Wildcats' first indoor league championship in four years had already long been sealed, but their second relay victory of the day gave Neuqua Valley a 107-71 triumph over Metea Valley.
Lake Park, which matched the Wildcats' five combined wins in the field and on the track, was third.
St. Charles North, featuring a triple-jump championship from Kaylee Raucci, edged St. Charles East, which had the open 400 champion in Britney Williams, for fourth.
Host Batavia denied Waubonsie Valley for sixth, with Geneva, Bartlett and South Elgin rounding out the team scores.
East Aurora, Larkin, Streamwood and Elgin all failed to score.
Making her conference debut, Neuqua Valley freshman Maya Neal is a name to remember.
Displaying versatility well beyond her years, Neal trumped the field in the 55 hurdles and came back with a blistering kick over the final 80 meters to capture the open 800.
Neal single-handedly outscored eight of the conference schools with her 36 points after runner-up finishes in the 200 dash and long jump.
“I was trying to run (the 800) strategically,” Neal said of her frenetic late push that overtook Metea Valley junior Lauren Lindholm down the stretch. “I thought (Lindholm) was probably a better runner than me. I wanted to stay within striking distance.”
Neal won the 800 in two minutes, 20.68 seconds after earlier vanquishing the field in the 55 hurdles with a time of 8.58.
“She is one in a million,” Neuqua Valley coach Gretchen Parejko said of her prized newcomer. “You're going to be hearing a lot about her.”
Savannah Carson was equally indispensable to the Wildcats' big day.
The junior needed only one jump, soaring 18 feet, 5.5 inches to deny Neal for supremacy in the long jump.
The junior then turned in a remarkable third leg on the 800 relay to slingshot the Wildcats to their first relay victory.
The Wildcats' junior standout was runner-up at 55 meters and third behind Neal in the 200 finals.
“I only jumped once,” Carson said. “(Neal and I) got our team points (with the sweep).”
In addition to Carson and Jackson, the Wildcats' sprint relays triumphed behind the likes of Caitlin Blalock (a member of both the 800 and 1,600 quartets), Alex Rozgony, Sydney Lazar, Eryn Alexander and Kate Parrish.
The Wildcats' duo of Neal and Carson would have enjoyed even greater pastures had it not been for the unmistakable presence of Waubonsie Valley senior superstar Morolake Akinosun.
The Illinois-bound sprinter, who turned in the fifth-fastest indoor time in the nation last year at 55 meters, was a blur in capturing not only her specialty but also the 200 meters.
“It's hard not to be happy when you go to a track meet, go all out and end up winning your events,” said Akinosun, who ran a blistering 6.91 in the 55 and an equally swift 24.6 at 200 meters. “I was aiming for some times today that I didn't quite hit. I can't say I'm disappointed.”
In a track league that has produced countless state champions in the past decade, Kaylee Flanagan may be the next to join the hallowed ranks.
The Lake Park junior was in a league of her own with mind-boggling triumphs at 3,200 and 1,600 meters in respective times of 10:36.4 and 5:02.96.
“You should always go out and run your race,” Flanagan said of her dearth of close pursuers.
Tyshai Freeman defended her high jump crown for Lake Park, which also received a championship showing from Maya Golliday in the pole vault.
Meghan Dugan anchored the Lancers' 3,200 relay to a narrow win over Neuqua Valley.
Metea Valley, with sprinter Crystal Butler as its spiritual leader, used depth to place second overall.
“I tell you what: this is one (darn) tough conference,” Metea Valley coach Jim Braun said. “We just don't have that one big stud.”
St. Charles North authored its finest showing at the conference tournament in several years.
The North Stars' fourth-place team finish was anchored by senior long- and middle-distance runners Sydney Stuenkel and Jessica Scheets on the track.
Stuenkel was runner-up to Flanagan at both 1,600 and 3,200 meters, while Scheets' day ended with a fourth-place showing at 800 meters after anchoring the North Stars' 3,200 relay to third place.
“This is the first time I've run this (1,600-3,200) double,” Stuenkel said. “I was trying to get points for the team. I'm really happy with (the times — 11:15.45-5:15.3) of both of them.”
“The whole team did very well,” Scheets said of the North Stars' collective performance. “It's the best we have placed (at either indoor or outdoor) conference in a long time.”
With Stuenkel and Scheets as the centerpiece of the North Stars' track performances, it was Raucci, though, who admittedly was the surprise winner in the triple jump.
“I don't know what happened,” Raucci said. “(The winning jump of 36-2) came out of nowhere. I (set a new personal record) by almost two feet.”
Loriel Hutchinson cleared 5 feet in the high jump to place fourth for St. Charles North.
The St. Charles East fifth-place team showing was inconceivable without the all-around day Britney Williams fashioned.
The Saints' junior was the class of the field at 400 meters, becoming the only athlete to break the minute barrier with her 59.0 effort.
St. Charles East received over one-third of its 47 team points in the event after senior Kelsey Gentry placed third.
Williams was also fourth in the cutthroat fields at 55 and 200 meters.
“I was really happy with (the day overall),” Williams said. “My goal was to work on my finish. I still have some work to do (before outdoor season starts).”
St. Charles East also received top-notch efforts with third-place finishes from Laney Decrow, Sarah Hill and Mallory Abel in the high jump, 3,200 and 1,600 runs.
The host Bulldogs had four athletes finish in runner-up positions to highlight their day.
Haleigh Theuerkauf was second in the shot put, Morgan Hess duplicated the result in the high jump and Hailey Clabough did likewise in the 55 hurdles.
Skylar Schoen tied for second in the pole vault.
“We had improvements left and right,” first-year Batavia coach Justin Allison said. “I thought we did a good job of coming together as a team.”
Geneva sophomore Meghan Weinstein anchored the Vikings' 1,600 relay to third place, the best result on the day for the squad on the track.
Freshman Hannah Davison was the Vikings' primary point-earner in the field with a runner-up showing in the triple jump.
Mady Temple, the Vikings' top sprinter, was encouraged with her result her fifth-place result at 55 meters.
“This is the first time that I'm injury free,” Temple said. “We have a lot of good competition out there.”
Katherine Lauesen provided the one shining light for the five Elgin U-46 programs.
The Bartlett senior, a returning state qualifier in the shot put, bested a deep and powerful field in her specialty event to win with a throw of 40 feet even.
“I was a little skeptical at first (the throw eclipsed 40 feet),” Lauesen said. “I felt like my form was spot on today. I was pretty happy with it.”
By turning back fellow state qualifier Theuerkauf of Batavia, the Hawks' senior reversed the results of the indoor league meet from a year ago.
Lauesen proved to be the only Bartlett individual to score; the Hawks' other points came from fifth- and sixth-place efforts by the 3,200 and 800 relay squads.
Jordan Tuin had a similar experience for South Elgin.
The Storm senior was clocked in 2:22.68 in the 800 to finish third.
Tuin finished in the middle of the pack at 1,600 meters, and her effort to anchor the Storm 1,600 relay to a place fell short.
“A tough day for me,” Tuin said. “Some days are off for me and some days are on for me.”