Knights enjoy Peoria trip
Prospect placed four runners in the top 25 to score 108 points and win the Peoria girls cross country invitational at Detweiller Park on Saturday.
Annette White came in with a 17:53 to finish sixth to lead the Knights. Lucy Tayler (18:32), Emily Salzman (18:43) and Kasey Krum (18:43) also kept pace for Prospect.
Hoffman Estates finished just behind in second with 128. Hannah Worman (18:27) finished 16th and Andrea Contreras (18:47) was 24th for the Hawks.
Rolling Meadows (242) finished a respectable seventh in the 43-team field led by Amanda Whowell's 15th-place 18:26.
St. Charles North Invite: St. Charles North sophomore standout Stephanie Strasser won the meet at Leroy Oakes Forest Preserve in 17:59. The next runner, Addison Trail's Mayra Sanchez, clocked in 18 seconds later.
St. Charles North won the meet with a score of 26, followed by Prospect (74), Elk Grove (84), Cary-Grove (144), Rockford Auburn (151), Belvidere North (156), South Elgin (168), Streamwood (196) and Addison Trail (218).
The pack of Sarah Winnas, Savannah Snead and Mary Styzek in the 12th-through-14th spots led Prospect to its second-place finish. This was pretty good, considering the main runners on varsity were running at a different meet in Peoria.
"They really stepped up and did the job that they needed to get done," Prospect assistant coach Cristen Conrad said. "A lot of them ran personal bests and their fastest times of the season. They made some noise and I know they are happy. They deserve it."
Prospect also had Michelle Sciortino, Alex Moxley, Carolyn Krash and Brittany Cabrera finish in the top 21.
Gina Erbacci (third place, 18:34) led Elk Grove to its third-place finish, followed by Lauren Infusino (sixth place), Amanda Mertes (16th place) and Sabrina Salem (19th place).
"We were looking to compete against (St. Charles North), so we were happy to have four in the top 20," Elk Grove coach Caryn Blanke said. "Lauren had a great race. She's been struggling with fatigue and an ongoing tough year for her, but I think today, she was happy with herself and Amanda Mertes ran very well."
-- Christine Bolin
Niles West invite: One of the largest girls cross country meets in America brought out some tough competition Saturday morning at the 37th Annual Patrick Savage Invitational.
The huge two-division race featured a total of 34 teams competing on the 3-mile course on the grounds of Niles West High School including one entry from Wisconsin.
DuPage County power Lake Park was the class of the field as the state-ranked Lancers rolled to the championship of the Red Division with 27 points.
In the White Division, Woodstock was a dominant force as the Blue Streaks captured the first-place trophy by a 25-75 margin over runner-up St. Viator.
St. Viator's strong effort was led by junior Amanda Kompanowski's fourth-place finish in the White Division while Leyden junior Jaime Johnson added a fourth-place run in the Red Division.
"I think they did very well today and I think they are going to improve a lot still," said St. Viator coach Tony Peso. "Amanda (Kompanowski) will do even better and I think she can break 17 minutes."
In the White Division, Warren freshman Gabby Nystrom held off St. Viator freshman Taylor Skala for 12th place. Annie Brandes added a 14th-place finish for the Blue Devils to outdistance St. Viator's Maggie O'Malley in 16th.
St. Viator teammates Keegan Griebel and Jessica Tanyko placed 20th and 22nd respectively for the Lions.
-- John Bumbales
Wheaton North Invite: Hersey finished 12th out of 29 teams at the Wheaton North Falcon Girls Cross Country Classic as freshman Salena Clohisy finished fourth in the fifth flight.
"We had some kids really do well," said Hersey coach Jim Miks. "This is the toughest meet in the state right now. We did well today, especially coming off a tough race on Wednesday (against Prospect)."
Fremd finished 23rd overall. Junior Ryoh Shinohara was Fremd's highest finisher, placing 14th in the sixth flight.
Wheeling was 24th overall behind senior Jenny Giron's 12th-place finish in the second flight. Amber Stack and Rachel Stinebring both finished 14th in the first and third flights, respectively.
-- Dennis Van Milligen