Furio, Schulz lead C-G at BG

Senior Faith Furio and junior Morgan Schulz gave Cary-Grove a powerful one-two punch in the girls track invitational at Buffalo Grove on Saturday.

Furio took first in the long jump (17-0) and 100 dash (12.8) and also was part of the first-place 400 relay (51.0).

Schulz won both the 100 high hurdles (15.0) and 300 low hurdles (45.9)

The two then combined with sophomore Nicole Robins and junior Eva Burke in winning the 800 relay (1:47.3), leading Cary-Grove to a commanding first-place finish in the eight-team field with 209.75 points.

"Solid day," said Furio of the Trojans' effort. "We have good balance, and we're feeling good about our start."

Fremd took second with 140.50 points, followed by Neuqua Valley (107 points), Lake Park (79.25 points), and Lake Zurich (62.5 points).

Stevenson, Carmel, and host Buffalo Grove rounded out the field on a gusty Saturday afternoon.

Five-time defending Fox Valley champion Cary-Grove won nine events, sweeping the top three places in the 100 high hurdles and 400 dash.

"They hit the ground running," said Cary-Grove coach Mark Anderson of the Trojans' dominant performance. "We came in with hopes of winning; how we did it exceeds our expectations."

Sophomore Nikke Freeman (114-0) and junior Olivia Roehri (111-10), both state qualifiers last season, went 1-2 in the discus, with Freeman adding a third-place finish in the shot put (32-0).

Junior Delaney Perrone added a first-place finish in the triple jump (35-7).

Schulz, Burke (15.1), and Robins (16.2) went 1-2-3 in the 100 high hurdles, with senior Lauren Schoepke (1:03.1), junior Bridget Lauritsen (1:04) and Allie Renner (1:04.5) going 1-2-3 in the 400.

Schulz battled a biting southwest wind in the home stretch to post an impressive victory in the 300 low hurdles.

"I knew I had to get out hard in the first 100 meters," said Schulz, "and then I put everything I had into the finish."

Furio hit her winning mark on her third attempt in the long jump, led off the impressive 400 relay and came from behind in the final 20 meters to nip Lake Zurich freshman Rebecca Kubin (12.9) in the 100 dash.

Furio then led off the 800 relay, with Schulz anchoring the victory. Last year the Trojans finished 10th place in the 800 relay in Class 3A - and this year, they are looking for more.

"Our goal is to make it to the state finals," said Furio, "we're pushing each other."

Fremd ended the meet with a flourish. Junior Lauren Ciardiello came from behind in the final lap to post a victory in the 800 (2:31.1).

Junior Ayako Higuchi (5:12.30) and junior Katie Escobar (5:14.8) battled the wind in going 1-2 in the 1,600.

Higuchi and Escobar worked off each other the entire race with sophomore Nora Finegan (5:32.6) who finished in fourth place.

Escobar then came back, combining with Ciardiello, Finegan, and sophomore Ariel Niederding to post the victory in the 1,600 (4:16.5).

Finegan held off a hard-charging Cary-Grove team to secure the meet-ending victory.

"We've been working really hard and everything is coming together," said Escobar.

Freshman Cara Ogilvy keyed off of senior Anne Mahoney (fourth place) to take first in the 200 in 26.4.

"I think the team is stepping up and showing a lot of maturity," said Fremd coach Hali Yoshimura. "And it was nice that some of the younger girls got a taste of some success."

Julia Pena gave Neuqua Valley a huge lift by taking first in the 3,200 (12:05.2).

Katie Sheehan, Caitlin Horn, Megna Vijayen, and Claire Costello combined to lead the Wildcats to a first-place finish in the 3,200 relay (10:25).

Costello came back with a third-place finish in the 1,600 (5:23.1).

Sami Miller also hit a personal best in finishing third in the 200 (26.7) for Neuqua Valley.

"It's a starting point," said Neuqua Valley coach Gretchen Parejko, "It wasn't just one person, but it was an all-around effort today."

Lake Park's Danielle Wojciehowski took first in the pole vault (9-0); the competition was ended early due to the gusting winds. Hanna Toepper added a first-place finish for the Lancers in the shot put (35-10), and Stevenson's Jackie Setina won the high jump (5-4).