Team-first WW South wins DVC
Emma Spagnola was as indomitable as Lindsey Rakosnik was spellbinding Wednesday night at the DuPage Valley Conference girls track and field championship at Naperville Central.
But Wheaton Warrenville South fashioned an intoxicating blend of depth, balance and brilliant relays to win its second title in the last three years with 151 points. West Aurora was runner-up with 128 points.
Naperville North (71 points) was a distant third in edging Glenbard North (67); Naperville Central (59), Glenbard East (45), Wheaton North (24) and West Chicago (13) rounded out the field on a night when nine new records were established.
“This is the most complete team I have ever coached,” WW South coach Rob Harvey said. “They have a team-first, selfless attitude.”
McKenna Kiple and Hope Schmelzle not only personify those values, but the Tigers’ junior standouts anchored the squad on the track. The duo alternated roles in the Tigers’ record-breaking 1,600- and 3,200-meter relays as Kiple anchored the latter while Schmelzle did the same honors in winning the former in 3 minutes, 58.79 seconds. Making their season debut at 3,200 meters, the Tigers’ foursome of Kiple, Schmelzle, Amy Yong and Mikayla Kightlinger — the reigning state runners-up — obliterated the conference record in a smoking 9:16.91.
In virtually any other conference, Kiple and Schmelzle would have had individual titles at 800 and 1,600 meters had it not been for Rakosnik, the Glenbard East reigning state champion who set new benchmarks in the events with eye-popping times of 2:11.45 and 4:59.5.
“The whole time I was thinking about the team,” said Kiple, who also was fourth in a blazing 400 dash won by Glenbard North sophomore Simone Carr in record time. “We didn’t win the DVC last year, so it was something we were all thinking about. We wanted to give everything we could for the team.”
“We definitely want to have fun with (the 3,200 relay) and see what we can do with it (in the state series),” Schmelzle said.
Spagnola — the sophomore extraordinaire for West Aurora who is now an astonishing 8-for-8 in individual championships after sweeping the high and long jumps as well as both hurdles events for the second straight year — and Anita Saffa scored 68 out of 70 possible points for the Blackhawks in their seven combined events.
But WW South not only scored in all 18 events but also double-placed in seven events to deny the Blackhawks a third title in four years. WW South senior Emily Schwartz set a new conference mark in the pole vault by clearing 12 feet, while Desirae Ranberg won the discus with a heave of 124-9.
The Tigers’ quartet of Jessie Spera, Emily Phillip, Jenny Fiola and Maggie Dansdill captured the last of the five team titles with a new record in the 800 relay.
After watching future Illinois teammate Amanda Fox of Naperville Central dominate the 3,200 run, Rakosnik sprung into action. The Rams’ superstar, showcasing what Harvey termed a “unique blend of speed and endurance,” appears virtually unbeatable in her quest for the 800-1,600 double at state.
“Outdoors my 800 time hasn’t been as strong as I wanted it to be,” Rakosnik said. “I wanted to get my name back on the board (for regular-season leaders).”
Tina Norris doubled the host Redhawks’ titlist number to two with her 39-foot effort in the shot put. All six placers at 400 meters broke the minute-barrier as Carr, second in the long jump, is the new conference kingpin with her 56.66 clocking.
“(The competition) really pushed me,” Carr said. Naperville North sophomore Alexis Hyshaw was runner-up to Saffa at both 100 and 200 meters.
Spagnola entered rarified air with her remarkable duplication from last year. The Blackhawks’ wunderkind, nursing what she called “sore shins,” needed only one attempt to win the long jump at 17-3½. Moving over to high jump, Spagnola soared 5-5 to win the competition over WW South junior Erin Zappia.
“I felt like it was going to be a good day (following the high jump),” Spagnola said.
Spagnola extended her personal run of titles to three with another seamless effort in the 100 hurdles, denying the Tigers’ Spera by almost eight meters to win in 15.07. The Blackhawks’ reigning all-state long jumper appeared to avert near-disaster on the first obstacle in the 300 hurdles.
“That’s what (all of my teammates and coaches) were saying,” Spagnola said of an evident near-trip. “I didn’t feel like I was going to fall.”
Spagnola was never tested the rest of the way, putting an exclamation mark on her night with a new conference record in the event at 44.11. The perfect record in conference left her rival coaches probing their vocabularies.
“I am just glad she chose track as her (spring) sport,” Harvey said.
Spagnola is also a gifted softball player.
“She is obviously an amazing athlete,” West Chicago coach Bob Maxson said. “(What she has accomplished these last two years) is already impressive. But if she follows it up with success downstate it will really be impressive.”
Saffa raced past Hyshaw in the waning meters to earn her first twin-event conference championship.
“This burst of energy comes over me,” said Saffa, who also teamed with Monique Dunum, Tykia Neal and Cynthia Smith to set a new record in the 400 relay. “(Hyshaw) has such a fast start that she throws me off (mentally).”
Kyla Walton claimed the last of the Blackhawks’ seven individual titles with a winning performance in the triple jump. Maya Marion was runner-up in both the shot put and discus for West Aurora.