Girls track and field: Girls track and field: Brown leads Neuqua Valley to 4th in state

CHARLESTON - Standing several feet away from the finish line late Saturday afternoon, Zawadi Brown attempted to find a spot to catch her breath.

It was a fitting moment for the star track/lacrosse athlete who had a breathtaking performance at the IHSA Class 3A state track and meet at Eastern Illinois University's O'Brien Stadium.

Brown, a junior at Neuqua Valley, concluded a stellar two-day state meet with a personal-record time of 23.85 seconds to win the 200-meter dash. She crushed the competition, with Kenwood senior Asia Thomas clocking a second-place time of 24.56.

Brown admitted she was shocked by her sub.24-second time in the 200 -- her final event in a busy weekend.

"I got out and knew Thomas was right in front of me and I had to go get here," Brown said of her 200. "I'm really a straight away runner, so I knew in the last 45 meters I had to catch her. I did that. I'm so happy because this competition was amazing and pushed me.

"In the last 50 meters, I didn't how close everybody was to me. I just tried to speed up and try. I felt I slowed down in the last two or three meters because I put my arms up and celebrated."

Huntley claimed the 3A state team championship with 62.5 points, while Prospect (52), Kenwood (45) and Neuqua Valley (42) rounding out the top four. Brown also posted a personal-record clocking of 11.79 to earn a second-place medal in the 100 meters.

One of the highlights of the 3A meet included another blazing showing by Brown on the track. The Wildcats' foursome of Tolu Aremu, Ava Belle, Chioma Anyaegbunam and Brown posted a sizzing first-place time of 1 minute, 39.77 seconds in the 800-meter relay.

Brown also ran the anchor leg of Neuqua Valley's fourth-place 400-meter relay (48.28).

Aremu, one of two seniors, came out of the starting gate with a solid 200 meters to open the 800 relay.

"I didn't want to get a false start, so when I went, I accelerated really fast and tried to get that beautiful push with my arms and legs," Aremu said. "I'm really happy to win this in my last race."

Belle, a freshman, showed why she was put in the relay. Her strong split in the second leg sparked the Wildcats.

"My goal was to just come out hard and finish hard and get the baton to our third leg to my best capabilities," Belle said.

Anyaegbunam, a senior, had a simple goal of running fast in her final race of her track career.

"When I got the baton, I knew I had to get it to our final leg, Zawadi, because she would finish it," she said. "Throughout the race, even when I felt tired, I just pushed through and did my best."

Huntley's first-place team trophy included a wide variety of points. The 400 relay -- Dominique Johnson, Victoria Evtimov, K'Leigh Saenz and Alexandria Johnson -- posted a second-place time of 47.97.

"We got out and were smooth and strong and we all stayed calm and had trust in each other," Saenz said.

Evtimov, a junior, said she overcame a rough handoff on the transition from the opening to second leg.

"We had a rough handoff and I just tried to get us back to where we needed to be," she said.

Dominique Johnson, a sophomore, said she was simply thrilled to beat her well-known older sister in the triple jump. The younger Johnson won the title with a top jump of 12.35 meters, compared to Alexandria taking second (12.27). Lake Park senior Imani Ogunribido finished in fifth, Downers Grove South freshman Karen Boakye ended in sixth.

"It was very fun to compete against my sister this year and last year we got to do, so it was fun to beat my sister in her last year," Dominique Johnson said. "I just wanted to beat my sister. That was really my goal going into state."

Alexandria Johnson, an Arizona State recruit, set the bar high for her younger sister by capturing her third straight long jump state title (5.96). Overall, the elder Johnson capped her historic career with nine state medals.

"I feel so happy because our team did really good today and I got most of my goals," Alexandria said. "My main goal was to help my team. I felt really happy with my high school career. I feel very blessed and thankful. I loved competing against the best in the state. It's been a really good last meet."

Huntley senior Ally Panzloff, who plans to play volleyball at Brown, also scored 10 points for her team by winning the discus with a top heave of 48.73.

"I definitely felt super prepared for the first day and just tried to get my best throw and get into the finals," Panzloff said. "I'm kind of in shock right now. Last year I got a personal record at state, so It was great to get another big PR.

Glenbard North senior Grace Schager earned two medals in her final state meet, capturing first-place in a memorable 3,200 run in a time of 10:15.81. She added a sixth-place medal in the 1,600 (4:54.90).

Schager, a Notre Dame recruit, defended her 3,200 state title with a strong final four laps, nearly beating the state record held by Katelynne Hart of Glenbard West.

"I love to run in the heat," Schager said. "Both 3,200 (state) runs the last two years were really competitive. I was really nervous going into both races. I think this year there was a bit more pressure to defend my title. Last year I was just running and seeing where I would place. I was definitely nervous. I found the extra gear in my dying legs at the end to finish it out."

York senior Bria Bennis just missed a top-two placing, running a personal-record time of 10:24.08 for third place in the 3,200. Huntley senior Breanna Burak finished fifth, Naperville Central's Liv Phillips took sixth, Neuqua Valley senior Carissa Hamilton clocked a PR time of 10:47.70 to place seventh, while York junior Katherine Klimek took eighth.

Glenbard West freshman Mackenzie Gilbert snared an eighth-place medal in the 800 in a time of 2:17.65.

Hinsdale Central senior Catie McCabe added to her family's athletic history by clocking a second-place time of 4:53.22 in the 3A 1,600. McCabe also ran the final leg in Hinsdale Central's 1,600 second-place relay (3:56.75).

"It was a tough race," McCabe said. "I did a lot of events yesterday, so I was happy with the way the race played out."

In the 3A 300 hurdles, Hinsdale Central senior Elyssa Chandler netted a sixth-place medal in a time of 45.53. Downers Grove North claimed third place in the 3,200 relay, with Naperville Central earning fifth and St. Charles East ended in sixth place. Downers Grove North took fifth in the 400 relay in a time of 48.55.

In 2A, Benet junior Louisa Diamond earned her highest career placing with a third-place medal in the 3,200 (10:38.37) and notched a sixth-place finish in the 1,600 (5:08.48).

"I'm excited because I had a good high school," Diamond said. "I just tried to run my hardest and it was a lot of good competition. My coaches really helped me a lot and were very supportive."

Glenbard South senior Gianna Huerta had a memorable race in the 300 hurdles, earning a third-place medal in a PR time of 43.76 for her top career medal.

"I tried to push hard but I'm very happy with my time because I broke our school record," Huerta said. "I had to be more confident in my steps, but happy with the way it turned out and ended in a high note."

Burlington Central senior Paige Greenhagel had a productive showing with a third-place medal in the 2A long jump (5.50).

Burlington Central senior Tia Brennan tallied a personal record in the pole vault (3.52) for a sixth-place medal. Rosary senior Libby Saloga and Kaneland senior Jessica Phillip tied for ninth.

"I was really happy because I missed 63 days of this season due to a right wrist injury and to come back and get a PR," Brennan said. "The key for me was to stay focused and be calm."

Naperville Central senior Kait McHale ended her career on a high note. McHale won the Class 3A pole vault with a top mark of 3.88 meters.