Girls track and field: Conant’s Brunson, Barrington’s Sirois repeat as state champions; Prospect takes 2nd as a team

Conant junior Daisha Brunson is on the collision course with history.

Entering Saturday’s Class 3A state track and field meet, Brunson put her name among the best in the state by winning back-to-back titles in the 100-meter hurdles. Brunson added to her growing state legacy with another sterling performance on the blue track at Eastern Illinois University’s O’Brien Stadium.

Brunson blew away the field in Saturday’s 100 hurdles finals, hitting the tape in a time of 13.75 seconds to record her third straight title in the event. Brunson added a fourth-place medal in the 200 dash (24.38) and a fifth-place medal in the 100 (11.89).

“I’m just glad I got through that because it was a lot and I was happy we had a longer break than prelims,” Brunson said. “I definitely think I could’ve done better in the hurdles, but it was a win. Three times a state champion, which I’m happy about. I feel I had little more confidence than in the past. I’ve been here before, and now been on each starting side because they flipped them today. I knew I could do it.”

Brunson, who won the 100 hurdles in a time of 13.81 last season, said she’s motivated to make history next season.

“I wasn’t that happy with the 100 (dash) but I got through it,” Brunson said. “I definitely want to leave my mark, especially in my senior year. My main goal is to win (state) a fourth time.”

Barrington sophomore Mia Sirois continued her upward climb to matching or surpassing some of the best in program history. Sirois won the 3,200-meter for the second consecutive season, posting a Class 3A state record time of 10.01.12 to lead the Fillies to 10 points. Homewood-Flossmoor won the 3A team title with 56 points, Prospect finished second with 52 points. Lake Zurich placed sixth (34) and Barrington ended in seventh (26.5).

Sirois also snared a third-place medal in the 1,600 in a time of 4:53.37. Barrington also added a fourth-place finish in the 4x800-meter relay (9:12). Hersey senior Madeline Bialko took seventh in the 3,200.

“It was little bit bittersweet because I was close to breaking 10 in the 3,200 which was sort of my goal, but I was super happy to be a state champion again in that event,” Sirois said. “I was happy to get fourth in the relay. I just wanted to go out there and run hard. I’m happy with today how I did in the 3,200. My teammates helped me and gave me confidence that I needed. I love my team.”

Once again, Prospect showed its dominance in the 4x800 relay, winning the challenging race for the fifth season in a row, hitting the tape in a time of 9:04.00. The foursome of Veronica Znajda, Ireland Wildhart, Mary Laba and Meg Peterson all had strong splits to beat Plainfield North (9:07).

Peterson showed very little expression after crossing the finish line, barely raising her right arm above her head.

“I heard all the cheering over in the corner and was super excited and motivated to keep going and was thinking of my team the whole time and the big hug with everyone,” Peterson said. “I was kind in disbelief at the end. It didn’t sink in yet. I was just pushing really hard with 100 left. I knew they were right there, so I had to finish strong.”

Wildhart said the key in her second leg was staying confident.

“I had to be positive throughout the race and believe in myself and my teammates,” Wildhart said. “We were all consistent and I just tried my best.”

Znajda, who placed seventh in the 1,600 run, said she was focused on a strong start to set the tone for her three teammates.

“This is incredible,” Znajda said. “I feel so blessed to have these amazing teammates to push me and to push each other. I knew we could do this. I was super nervous, but I had that trust.”

Laba was instrumental in setting up Peterson for a strong showing in her anchor leg.

“I think I was just hoping to kind of relax in the first lap because I tend to sprint really fast in the first lap, so I was waiting to kick and my teammates had such a good start that I didn’t have a hard job,” Laba said.

Prospect’s 4x100 relay team of Amina Hadziahmetovic, Anna Niebrugge, Samantha Skowronski and Nikki Niebrugge clocked a second-place time of 46.28 seconds. It was a personal record and a program record time for the Knights. Anna Niebrugge also added a sixth-place showing in the 200 (24.64).

“My mindset was to focus on our own team because it’s really hard to focus on so many amazing teams around us,” Nikki Niebrugge said. “I just tried to get out and my team put us in a good spot.”

Running the first leg, Hadziahmetovic, who also had a sixth-place in the 300 hurdles, put the Knights in a good position with a strong showing.

“We were very excited to run this race,” she said. “We wanted to run with a bunch of teams similar to us and the tough competition pushed us to get this time. I was happy with my start and our handoffs. It was such a fun race. We had an insane bump from seventh place to second this year.”

Prospect’s 4x200 relay finished in fourth place in a time of 1:38.92 to add to a strong day for the program in the relays. The Knights’ 4x400 added a fourth-place medal (3:48).

Also, in the Mid-Suburban League, Palatine senior Aisha Kazeem secured a first-place medal in the 300 hurdles with a stellar time of 42.58. Kazeem also won the 300 hurdles state title last season.

Kazeem fell short of a pair of top-three medals, earning fifth in the 100 hurdles (14.32). Schaumburg’s Amy Carhee placed third (14.16). Kazeem capped her memorable day with a seventh place in the long jump (5.55).

“I was little nervous in the 300 because there was some really good (runners), but I tried to stay confident and just win my race,” Kazeem said. “Coming in this year, I wanted to do better in the 100 and I did. The 300 hurdles is very hard, so I was happy with that.”

Lake Zurich had a number of big-time performances, including a personal record by Arisa Bisofa. The freshman shocked herself – and the field – by snaring a first-place medal in the discus with a heave of 45.06 meters. Junior teammate Alice Kotelnikova tossed a personal record of 41.57 meters to place fourth. Bisofa, who also plays volleyball and basketball, gained a second medal with a seventh-place showing in the shot put (11.75).

“I practiced a lot, like every day to get here,” Bisofa said. “I kind of hoped I would get this. My form was good and my coaches helped me. At the beginning of the season, I was good but not what I thought I could be. During preliminaries, I did really good and that gave me a lot of confidence.”

Lake Zurich junior Polina Krupsky was exhausted following her 800 race, but she couldn’t stop smiling over her third-place showing (2:11.51), which was a personal record. Krupsky edged out Peterson, who finished in fourth in a time of 2:11.55. Prospect’s Laba managed eighth (2:14).

“I knew (Peterson) was by me at the start of the race and I listened to the announcements, and I knew she was going to come back because she’s an amazing runner,” Krupsky said. “In the back of my mind, I was ready for her. I knew I could go strong and just went for it at the end. I was injured all of last season, so this is special and I’m so happy. My goal this season was to be one of the top finishers in the 800, but I kind of lost some hope. I gained some confidence in our relay earlier today and that helped me a lot.”

Lake Zurich senior Kendall Flournoy scored some points for her team with a seventh place in the 200. Schaumburg’s Kaylee Meyer notched fourth in the high jump (1.69). Rolling Meadows senior Nora DeMaria was one of the top competitors in the 58th state meet, ending in second place in the pole vault (3.75). Barrington junior Yane Jansen Van Rensb finished in sixth (3.55).