Girls track and field: Freshman Karstens proves she belongs at WW South invite

Naperville North coach Dan Iverson had some good advice for freshman runner Georgia Karstens prior to her 3,200 meter race at Friday’s 47th annual Wheaton Warrenville South girls track and field invitational.

“I told her that I didn’t think there was anyone in the field substantially better than she was,” said Iverson, “so she shouldn’t take a back seat to anybody. She took that to heart.”

Karstens, seeded sixth among 25 racers in the 3,200 finals, took the lead for good halfway through the final lap and won going away in the time of 11:15.61 at Red Grange Field, a personal record.

“She did great,” added the coach. “She’s been improving a lot over the last several weeks. Winning wasn’t really the target today but PR’ing was and she certainly did that.

“And she won, so we’ll take that. She ran with confidence.”

Karstens said that it was her teammates who boosted her to the victory.

“I always have a bunch of people supporting me,” said the frosh, “cheering me on, helping me know that I can do better. I’m so happy to have them with me to push me to do my best, and that’s what’s gotten me through this season.”

With almost all events in the books, Prospect held a commanding lead in the team competition, 120 points to second-place Huntley's 73 points.

Arina Hadziahmetovic of the Knights, a senior, won the 100 (12.29) and the 300 hurdles (44.82), while Amy Carhee from Schaumburg was fastest of all in the 100 hurdles in the time of 14.74.

Carhee won by a whisker, outfinishing rival Kyra Hayden of Lincoln-Way East by just .02 seconds.

She overtook Hayden in the final few yards to win.

“I gotta get there, I gotta get there,” said Carhee of what was going through her mind in the final few strides.

It was a very satisfying triumph for the senior, who couldn’t race in the meet last year due to injury.

In field events, Sienna Robertson of Huntley won the discus with a throw of 41.05m, while teammate Dominique Johnson (5.56m) took the long jump. Karen Boakye of Downers Grove South (11.47m) was victorious in the triple jump, while Kaylee Meyer from Schaumburg (1.67m) finished first in the high jump.

Prospect’s Meg Peterson won the 800 at 2:12.61, and the Knights relay team took the 4x200 crown.

Emma Berres of Naperville North grabbed the first place medal in the 1,600 with a time of 5:04.20; while Anna Niebrugge from Prospect (24.90) won the 200.

Host WW South got a great performance from its 4x800 relay team of Nicole Poglitsch, Frida Martinez, Addy Lindsay, and Mackenzie Armstrong. They came into the race with just the sixth best qualifying mark, but finished second in the time of 9:31.28, just behind winner Lincoln-Way Central.

“I’m really happy,” said Armstrong, a senior who along with her classmates was honored during the Tigers senior night festivities. “It’s so cool and such an honor to be out here, and to be able to do this in front of all of my friends.”

Teammate Melanie Siewert was another senior who was recognized for her accomplishments. She’ll be headed to the University of Pittsburgh after graduation, to study biology on a pre-dental track.

Siewert has been in the WW South program all four years.

“This is like a second family to me,” she said of her team. “If I have a good race or a bad race, a good meet or a bad meet, my teammates are always there for me no matter what.

“When I come to practice I’m always in a good mood. It’s just nice to have that team feeling.”