No panic, just victory for Olson
The Class 3A Schaumburg girls cross country sectional proved to be quite a challenge for Warren senior Heather Olson on Saturday morning at Busse Woods.
Olson had to battle it out the whole way on the 3-mile course on a cloudy, 50-degree morning.
But in the end, Olson pulled away from runner-up Melissa Schmidt (17:25.10) of Hoffman Estates and third-place finisher Sarah McIntosh (17:25.85) of Palatine to win the race in 17:22.65.
The 20-team competition was dominated by Mid-Suburban League teams.
Buffalo Grove (95) edged Palatine 95-102 for the team championship. Third-place Prospect (123), fourth-place Hoffman Estates (156), and fifth-place Schaumburg (160) all earned berths to the 2008 state meet Saturday in Peoria.
After winning its own regional last weekend, Libertyville fell a bit short of making a return trip downstate as the Wildcats placed seventh with 206 points. Warren was 14th, Grant 18th and Carmel 20th.
Olson will be making her third straight trip to Detweiller Park after capturing the sectional crown for the second year in a row.
"I made my move with about 400 meters to go, and in the last 400 I felt good," said Olson, who placed seventh in Class 3A last fall. "I just wanted to stay with the lead pack and make my move at the end."
Warren coach Cheryl Anderson couldn't have been happier with Olson's performance as her elite runner prepares for one final trip to the pressure-packed state meet.
"She didn't panic, she stuck to her race and she was always right there with the leaders today," Anderson said. "This is definitely a huge boost looking ahead to next week and it was a very good time against some of the top runners in the state."
There was little room for error for individuals hoping to earn an individual at-large state berth, as 17th-place finisher Gina Erbacci of Elk Grove won the seventh and final spot.
Grant junior Alexis Capps put forth a strong effort with a 23rd-place run, but she will have to wait until next year.
"Alexis got off to a good start, she put in a good last mile, and she moved her way up throughout the race," said Grant coach Jeff Durlak. "She (Capps) ran a pretty good time, and we had a lot of personal bests today which was their goal."
Senior Megan Janezic led Libertyville in 24th, followed closely by senior teammate Hannah Reilly in 26th. Senior Anne Strychalski placed 35th for the Wildcats in a meet that was the last one for retiring coach Harry Carlson.
"We kind of got separated in the beginning and it was a struggle for our fourth and fifth runners to get back into it after losing contact with their teammates," said Carlson, who coached for 29 years. "Our times were good, and I'm still proud of the girls. It was the first time this season that Megan (Janezic) was our top runner and the sectional meet is different with a lot of pressure on these kids."
Sophomore Erin Jaffke placed 55th as Libertyville's fourth runner. Stevenson senior Kim Tarnoff placed 57th as one of three individual runners for the Patriots.
Carmel was led by junior Hilary Halford in 62nd, while Sarahbeth Jones was Warren's No. 2-runner in 70th.
"The times were a little off, but the effort was fantastic," said Stevenson coach Don Proft. "A lot of people are vying for very few spots and later on I think they will all realize they did run well."
Carmel finished the race with only six of its seven runners.
"Our No. 2 runner Alexis Mientus got hurt and had to drop out after one-and-a-half miles," said Carmel coach Jim Halford. "We knew we were the major underdog and I thought Hilary ran a good race. But there is just so much depth in this sectional."