O'Brien leads Palatine's Hornet-Red Devil effort
Palatine senior Kelly O'Brien is not quite satisfied.
Despite winning a total of six state medals in cross country and track and field over the past two seasons, the Pirates senior still has a bit too prove.
O'Brien got off to a solid start on Saturday morning, taking third place in 17:27.1 at the Hornet-Red Devil Invitational co-hosted by Hinsdale Central and Hinsdale South at Katherine Legge Memorial Park.
"I want to see how good I can get," said O'Brien, who finished third in Class 3A last season for her second consecutive top-10 state finish. "I only have one year left and I want to be confident running with the top girls."
O'Brien also had a strong spring, taking third in the 1,600 meters in Class 3A and also aiding the Pirates' second-place finish in the 3,200 relay.
"She definitely has high goals for the year," said Palatine coach Joe Parks. "It's not about winning every meet, it's about progressing as the season goes on - and she has done a good job of it every year."
Glenbard West sophomore Lindsey Payne, who finished fifth in Class 3A as a freshman, took the lead just before the first mile and didn't look back, cruising to an impressive win in 16:40 -a cushion of some 39 seconds.
"It was awesome," said Payne of her big victory. "We just wanted to focus on the team today."
Minooka made an impressive early statement as it placed three runners in the top five to edge Glenbard West 72-75 for the team title in a field that included eight of the top 15 teams ranked in the Illinois Cross Country Coaches poll, including five of the top six teams.
Sophomore Emily Shelton (17:19.9), junior Ashley Tutt (17:34.8) and junior Mackenzie Callahan (17:59.4) went 2-4-5 in leading No. 4-ranked Minooka to the team title.
Second-ranked Glenbard West is missing defending Class 3A state champion junior Lindsay Graham. She was diagnosed with a growth plate injury on her foot in the spring. Despite that absence, the Hilltoppers still impressed by placing five girls in the top 24.
Fifth-ranked New Trier took third place with 110 points, followed by No. 3 Palatine (125 points), No. 10 Naperville Central (152 points) and No. 6 Wheaton Warrenville South (153 points).
Palatine finished second in Class 3A last season, but graduated three seniors. The Pirates were also missing injured sophomore Lauryn Simons and junior Izzeh Stankiewicz on Saturday; both are top-seven runners.
But the Pirates flashed enough talent on a comfortable late summer morning to show they will be in the mix at the end of the season.
O'Brien led the charge, with senior Sam Lechowicz (18:23.5) next in 12th place. Senior Sabina Yosif (18:35.9) also made a big contribution by taking 20th.
"Last year's finish helped to get everyone excited," said Lechowicz, who was part of Palatine's effort in the Nike Cross Nationals last December. "It's still early, and right now we're looking to get everyone healthy."
Palatine Junior Anna Buckstaff (18:59.4) placed 31st, and senior Rebecca Dunn (19:56.7) completing the scoring by taking 65th place.
"We wanted to learn something from this race," added O'Brien. "It wasn't the perfect race, but we don't want it to be the perfect race. It's about doing what we can with what we have and keep working hard."