Girls track and field: Depth helps Metea Valley take 2nd at own invite
It's early in the outdoor high school track season and the Metea Valley girls track team faced its first invitational of the spring, its own on Saturday.
The Mustangs stayed on the heels of New Trier, but the Trevians would prevail for the team trophy of the nine-team competition, 129-118.
Metea coach Alyssa McAsey was pleased with her squad's second-place finish as it showed the depth of the Mustangs.
"It (the depth) is across multiple events. Today was a great team effort," she said.
McAsey was happy with the total team effort shown by Metea, but spoke of three seniors and a junior that particularly stood out.
"There was Sydni Ellison-Muse in the throws. Annastasia Murphy set a school record in the high jump and Kyla Harris had a great day in the sprints. Arainna Hammons was fantastic in the hurdles," McAsey said.
Ellison-Muse won both the shot put (35 feet, 6 and 3/4 inches) and discus (111-11). Murphy's new school record in winning the high jump was 5-7 1/4. Harris won the 200-meter dash (25.76) and Hammons was a double winner in the 100 (15.91) and 300 hurdles (48.12).
Other top three individual finishes for the Mustangs came from Cortnece Pope in the 100 (2nd, 12.58), Maya Hall in the 800 (2nd, 2:23.25).
In the relay competition Metea won the 4x100 in 49.96 thanks to Makayla Murrell, Jeniyah Hood, Hammons and Harris.
The 4x200 quartet of Murrell, Hammons, Pope and Hood were second in 1:48.70. The Mustangs had two third-place relay finishes with Raya Townsend, Julia Hannon, Nell and Hall clocking in at 4:25.31 in the 4x400 and Keira Nelson, Hall, Julia Hannon and Kamea Baker finishing in 10:18.65 in the 4x800.
The Mustangs dive into the majority of their DuPage Valley Conference schedule with a Tuesday triangular at Naperville North with DeKalb also competing.
"We were third indoors (in the DVC) and we're aiming for third outdoors, but we're going against some of the best teams in the state," McAsey said.
Waubonsie Valley was sixth as a team on Saturday. Lily Baibak was third in the 1,600 in 5:21.10. The 400 relay of Asia Mitchell, Tamia Davidson, Olivia Rowan and Camile Crayton were also third in 51.96.
St. Charles East finished eighth in the competition. The 4x800 relay won the event in 10:08.25. Ellis Mueller, Nicole Mayer, Rose Bellemare Farland and Marley Andelman made up that group. Andelman was second in the 1,600 in 5:20.55.
The Saints’ 800 relay of Naomi Moody, Luca Ketter, Madeline Piekarz and Nia Coeroft's time of 1:49.36 also put a third on the team's scoresheet.