St. Charles E. 3rd at Naperville N.
St. Charles East girls track coach Denise Hefferin looked at her stop watch and exuberantly threw up her arms as Mallory Abel crossed the finish line.
The senior’s time of 10 minutes, 59.32 seconds in the 3,200-meter run was a new personal best, breaking a mark she set a long time ago at the same place — the Gus Scott Invitational at Naperville North.
As a sophomore the Northwestern-bound Abel ran the distance — just like Friday, winning it without any push from the field — in 11:15.18. Then came a junior year she termed “like a train wreck.”
“In cross country I got injured and then track I got sick so it kind of just ruined the whole year, I mean, threw in two seasons,” Abel said. “It was really heart breaking, so I kind of want to make up for it this year.”
Abel appeared to be on the fast track, placing 21st in Class 3A in 2010 as a sophomore. After last year’s nightmare, she appears to be back.
“I feel like I’m finally healthy and just ready to run,” said Abel, who helped the Saints to third place with 163 points, in the coed, three-level meet won by Cary-Grove (188).
“Last year I was sick all year,” she said. “I got mono and everything, it was just really rough. This year I think like everything’s coming together, the workouts are feeling good and everything. I’m pretty excited about the season.”
Breaking the 11-minute mark was a definite goal for Abel as well as for Hefferin.
“I didn’t know if we could because it’s windy and everything,” Abel said. “But my coach said just try and stay consistent. I tried to hit 82-second 400s and it seemed to be working like six laps into it. So I was like, yea, it actually worked.”
Other Saints runners were much faster in their 400s, but it’s their event. Saints Krista Fitzmaurice, Kelsey Gentry and Jordan Shead each won their level of the 400, Shead notching the A-level win in 1:01.13.
Just a sophomore, Shead switched from being a quality hurdler as a freshman to a quality long sprinter. She also ran on a second-place 1,600 relay with Kimberly Abels, Toree Scull and Corrin Adams.
“I think I like it because I have a good stride for it,” Shead said of the 400. “I really like to sprint but I start kind of slow, so I think this is the perfect race for my legs and my stride.”
St. Charles East’s Britney Williams took third in the 200 and fourth in the 100, in very fast fields; Annie Martines placed second in both the 100 and 300 hurdles.