Scouting Fox Valley girls track and field

Top teams: West Aurora, Huntley, Batavia, Geneva, St. Charles East, Cary-Grove, Rosary, Burlington Central, South Elgin, Kaneland.

Top athletes: Aurora Central Catholic: Katrina Deleon, so., sprints, hurdles; Maggie Dervis, so., sprints; Ella Englehardt, jr., sprints, jumps; Shaley Gonzalez, jr., middle distance, Leslie Viveros, jr., middle distance. Aurora Christian: Alyssa Busker, jr., sprints; Paige Clippert, jr., sprints; Chelsea Hasulube, jr., sprints, jumps; Maria Lambert, fr., sprints; Julia Richardson, jr., sprints, jumps. Bartlett: Camille Buchanan, fr., distance; Jenna Buchanan, so., sprints, middle distance; Gia Daubenmire, sr., sprints; Rowan Daubenmire, sr., sprints; Jessica Dudek, jr., sprints, jumps; Jenna Hauenstein, jr., jumps. Batavia: Mackenzie Benkers, so., pole vault; Mia Gianfrancesco, jr., middle distance, distance; Anna Knutson, sr., sprints; Jenna Schifferer, so., middle distance, distance; Katrina Schlenker, jr., sprints, middle distance, distance; Sabrina Schlenker, jr., sprints, hurdles; Davinia Wilson, so, sprints; Amy Zabka, sr., throws. Burlington Central: Avery Andersen, so., middle distance; Brooke Barkocy, so., sprints, hurdles; Lauren Dowd, so., sprints, middle distance; Megan Gasparaitis, jr., pole vault; Erin Jossert, sr., distance; Fiona Pedone, so., sprints; Natalia Rodriquez, sr., middle distance. Cary-Grove: Lori Begun, jr., sprints, jumps; Delaney Blohm, so., middle distance; Morgan Deischbourg, so., distance; Allison Drag, jr., distance; Sarah Howdeshell, sr., throws; Jenna Walker, sprints, hurdles. Crystal Lake South: Ashley Ciezadlo, fr., sprints, jumps; Maggie Halls, jr. throws; Savannah Morgan, fr., sprints; Gianna Patenaude, jr., sprints. Dundee-Crown: Courtney Abraham, sr., hurdles, pole vault; Nikiya Coleman, jr., sprints, jumps; Pundit Tetteh, fr., middle distance; Nyah Tolentino, sr., sprints, hurdles. Elgin: Sarah Caldwell, fr., sprints, jumps; Genevieve Heydt, jr., hurdles, jumps; Adrianna Jackson, jr., sprints; Te'Kenna Lindsay, sr., sprints; Kasey Moreno, sr., middle distance, distance. Elgin Academy: Ari Marchan, jr., sprints; Kailianne Riggott, sr., throws; Wen Tran, so., throws. Geneva: Geneva: Heidi Baranauskas, fr., sprints, jumps; Hannah Borodin, sr., throws; Kaitlyn Brucci, jr., throws; Andrine Larsen, jr., distance; Kelly McCloughan, so., sprints, hurdles; Sophia McDonnell, sr., distance; Katie McNamara, jr., sprints; Michelle Siciliano, sr., sprints; Julia Zuzinski, jr., sprints, jumps. Hampshire: Hannah Evinger, jr., sprints, jumps; Hannah Garcia, so., sprints; May Kimura, so.,sprints; Karolina Rizka, fr., sprints, jumps; Lauren Zemba, jr., sprints, middle distance. Harvest Christian: Grace Callahan, sr., jumps; Lydia Camp, jr., sprints, middle distance; Abby Devol, fr., sprints; Becca Gafrick, sr., middle distance; Hope Mylin, sr. sprints, hurdles; Kailey Weidman, sr., sprints, middle distance. Huntley: Daryn Davis, jr., hurdles, jumps; Sabrina Krog, sr., sprints; Rachel Morrison, sr., distance; Ola Oladipo, sr., sprints; Kendall Only, jr., sprints, jumps; Mary Raclawski, sr., sprints, middle distance; Taryn Sargent, jr., sprints, jumps. Jacobs: Nadia Baraglia, jr., sprints; Aly Doherty, jr., distance; Elisabeth Kania, fr., distance; Schuyler Mayuigad, jr., sprints, jumps; Danielle Pouska, fr., middle distance, jumps; Haley Schafer, so., middle distance, jumps. Kaneland: Kelsey Modaff, sr., middle distance, distance; Abby Peeler, so., throws; Grace Purcell, so., middle distance, distance; Rachel Richtman, jr., middle distance, distance; Emma Stoker, jr., sprints; Linsey Turner, sr., sprints, pole vault. Larkin: Emily Clements, fr., sprints; Janelle Clements, jr., sprints, jumps; Claudio Desko, jr., sprints; Madalyn Napier, jr., throws. Rosary: Julie Bottarini, sr., sprints; Kyla Dalton-Colley, jr., sprints; Maia Italia, so., sprints, middle distance; Annie Molenhouse, so., sprints, jumps; Melanie Meyer, sr., sprints; Lauren Roskuszka, so., sprints, jumps; Lianna Surtz, fr., distance; Mary Tork, so., sprints, jumps. South Elgin: Hannah Anderson, sr., middle distance, distance; Mindy Duensing, sr., sprints, jumps; Brianna Lozano, sr., sprints, middle distance; Alyssa Miulli, so., sprints; Naomi Ruff, fr., middle distance, distance; Loreal Wilson, fr., sprints. St. Charles East: Alice Abbott,

so., middle distance, distance; Makenna Brown, so., sprints, jumps; Katherine Frederick, sr., sprints; Torrie Kortan, fr., sprints; Venezia Munoz, so., sprints, middle distance; Emily Nichols, sr., sprints, hurdles; Nina Scoliere, so., sprints; Lauren Swartz, so., sprints, hurdles. St. Charles North: Natalie Buratczuk, fr., sprints, jumps; Nikole Custer, jr., sprints, jumps; Grace Dorrance, so., middle distance, distance; Kayla Mikottis, jr., throws; Rachel Price, fr., middle distance, distance; Ella Townsend, fr., distance. St. Edward: Arianna Gorniak, jr., sprints; Jase Leonard, so., middle distance, distance; Rachel Robolledo, so., sprints; Julia Heffelfinger, so., sprints; Jlana von Rohr, jr., sprints; Emily Wagh, sr., middle distance. West Aurora: Kendra Battle, jr., jumps, throws; Grace Iranloye, so., sprints; Abby Kuhn, jr., jumps, pole vault; Alyssa Mayhew, jr., middle distance, distance; Dajour Miles, sr., sprints; Savannah Ming, so., sprints; Rashida Naylor, sr., sprints; Autumn Richmond, sr., sprints, hurdles; Tori Spagnola, so., sprints, hurdles, jumps; Devon Tomas, fr., distance; Nia Wood, jr., sprints. Westminster Christian: Megan Baker, fr., sprints, middle distance, distance; Emily Sterkel, jr., sprints.

Scouting report: Dajour Miles' last two Class 3A girls track and field state finals could not have produced more ambivalent emotions. An AAU age-group national champion in the sport before she even entered high school, the West Aurora senior has qualified for six individual events and a relay during her two-year career with the Blackhawks. But Miles was literally hamstrung at the state meet her sophomore and junior year as chronic hamstring injuries prevented her from competing in all but two of the seven potential events on championship Saturday. Miles has secured a scholarship to the University of Kentucky for a reason, however. Displaying tremendous determination in overcoming adversity, Miles mustered up enough strength to run in the 400-meter Friday preliminaries and Saturday finals at Eastern Illinois University in Charleston. Miles' respective times of 54.75 and 54.72 seconds earned the first back-to-back state championships by a West Aurora girl in program history. "I am happy with the state titles," Miles said. "I want people to know I am more diverse than a 400 runner. My goal is to compete in all the events I quality in at state." Miles has cherished the 200-400 state-championship double since she entered high school - at Waubonsie Valley - three-plus years ago. "It would mean a lot to win a 200 (state championship)," said Miles, who clocked the second-fastest time among 3A athletes at the distance during indoor season to augment her No. 1 standing among indoor 400 runners. With Miles in a leading position to duplicate the achievements of program icon Emma Spagnola - directly involved in 34 of their 39 state points to secure runner-up status in 2014 - West Aurora is the top-ranked team in the Fox Valley entering the season. The Blackhawks did not lose a single one of their more than double-digit participants at the state meet to graduation. "We have a lot of weapons," Miles said. "We have a lot of girls who know how to run because they have been to the state meet." "We're definitely going for a state trophy (top three) this year," said Mayhew, who anchors the Blackhawks' rapidly improving distance crew. "We are going to start putting the work in." Tori Spagnola can make claims as a freshman her 10-time all-state older sister by seven years cannot. The younger Spagnola was all-state in both the 100 and 300 hurdles as a freshman. "I want to keep my own (personal) records and then see if I can break her records," Tori said. "That would be a bonus for me. If we get down to state and work extra hard to win (a trophy) - that would be our main goal." "Tori had a remarkable year last season," West Aurora coach Teresa Towles said. "Just like her sister, Emma, she is a go-getter." Kuhn, who has already eclipsed her personal-best in the pole vault by a foot to 11 feet, 3 inches, and Battle (discus) return as field-event state veterans for West Aurora. Like West Aurora, second-ranked Huntley also returns talent across the board. "They won our indoor (Fox Valley) Conference meet by more than 100 points," Hampshire coach Scott Fortunato said of the Raiders. Davis and Only are a fearsome one-two punch for Huntley as the former trails only Neuqua Valley defending state champion Riley Ammenhauser in the triple jump with an indoor mark approaching 39 feet. Davis is also a threat in the 100 hurdles; the Raiders, with Oladipo a member of each, had all three sprint relays qualify to Charleston last spring. Raclawski is the Raiders' linchpin at the longer distances as a returning 800 runner who had a bountiful indoor season. "I want to make it to Day 2 in the 800," Raclawski said. "We're really excited about what is coming up outside. We're trying really hard to work for May." Krog cannot be discounted in the sprints for Huntley this outdoor season. "(Track) is a numbers game," Cary-Grove coach Mark Anderson said. "They have the numbers right now." Batavia will have a new identity this spring. The No. 3 Bulldogs begin their outdoor campaign as the inaugural DuKane Conference indoor champion. "It's definitely a different dynamic with the (graduation) of the sprint crew," Batavia coach Justin Allison said. But Wilson and Sabrina Schlenker do return from the Bulldogs' all-state 400 relay quartet. Sabrina Schlenker was also all-state in the 300 hurdles, reversing a sectional loss to Spagnola to place in seventh last spring. But the junior had major knee surgery last fall. The physical demands of the 300 hurdles may be too demanding for Sabrina Schlenker, forcing a concentration at 400 meters instead. "We have a lot of good quarter-milers," Sabrina Schlenker said. "We could have a really good four-by-four (1,600) relay team." But younger sister Katrina is at the forefront of a new revolution among area girls in the sport. The reigning Class 3A cross country state runner-up, Schlenker is one of four notable newcomers who excelled last fall transitioning to track this spring. Katrina Schlenker has made an immediate - not to mention lasting - first impression by running the ninth-fastest 1,600 indoor time in the nation at 4 minutes, 55.23 seconds. "I have a target time in mind," Katrina said of her metric mile mindset. "My goal is to get below 4:50. I think it is a goal I can reach for." Katrina Schlenker also posted one of the top 3,200 times in the state during indoor; however, the Batavia coaching staff will have decisions as her inclusion in the Bulldogs' 3,200 relay - two events apart - make Batavia equally formidable at the state level. "I am going to do what can get the most points for the team," Katrina said. Rosary freshman Surtz was also a state runner-up in cross country last fall. "My PR in the mile is 5:04 - in seventh grade," Surtz said of her limited track background. "I am looking forward to racing fast people in both the mile and 2-mile." Ruff and Price were also all-state in cross country for South Elgin and St. Charles North. The former was brilliant for the Storm at the Upstate Eight indoor meet. "I think (Ruff) is going to do exceptionally well this spring," South Elgin coach Teshebra Crump said. "I am pretty sure (her cross success) is going to translate well this spring. "It's like a different feel," Ruff said of the two sports. "I think cross country really prepared me well for this track season." In addition to the difference-making newcomers on the local scene, Abbott (St. Charles East), McDonnell (Geneva) and Gianfrancesco (Batavia) were also all-state runners last fall. Gianfrancesco played soccer for the Bulldogs as an underclassmen as her father Mark is the head coach. "I couldn't ask for a better dad to support me to make that change," Gianfrancesco said. "It was just that track is more of my future. I wanted to have some track experience going into college." St. Charles East enters the outdoor season as the No. 4 team in the area as Abbott and Nichols are the state mainstays. Nichols won two individual DuKane indoor sprint titles and narrowly missed a third. But the senior will show her team colors by concentrating on sprint relays as Frederick, Swartz, Scoliere and Brown all ran relays last spring in Charleston as well. Nichols' individual specialty event is the 300 hurdles. "I am planning on going back to the longer hurdles outside," Nichols said. "I want to run on the four-by-one because our four-by-one made it to state last year." Abbott is hungry for all-state status in the 3,200 after finishing four spots out of the running as a freshman. "I know what I can do," said Abbott, who also advanced in the 1,600. Geneva coach Peter Raak has discovered a formula for his squad to make significant progress during the two track seasons. With Zuzinski (high jump), McCloughan (300 hurdles) and Siciliano (200 dash) as his state-returning triumvirate, the Vikings seem to be a completely different team in late April and May versus the dog days of indoor. "We always try to move up," Raak said. "We use indoor as a springboard. Hopefully, we have laid a good foundation." St. Charles North struggled mightily to stay competitive with its new conference members at the indoor DuKane. But the North Stars are not completely bereft of talent as Custer and Mikottis are the defending West Aurora sectional champions in the long jump and discus, respectively. "(Custer) is really focusing on the long jump," St. Charles North coach Kate Mehalic said of her top sprinter as well. "Our distance crew is small but powerful. They are looking good." Ruff is not the only talented underclassman for South Elgin. Miulli was the lone athlete to advance to the state meet - runner-up in the 400 to Miles at West Aurora - among the five Elgin-area U-46 high schools. But that should be an aberration this season as Crump also features a talented freshman sprinter in Wilson. Crump expects Miulli and Wilson to be workhorses for the Storm, routinely doing the 100-200-400 triple at major invites. Bartlett should be much improved as Jenna Buchanan is another freshman distance runner to watch. Ruff defeated the younger Buchanan for top honors in the Upstate Eight indoor metric mile. Larkin junior Clements had a breakout performance at the same meet in the 55 and 200 dashes. The Royals' most accomplished athlete went toe-to-toe with West Aurora state veterans Ming and Wood to win the former and place second in the latter. Streamwood sophomore Hairston-el is the Upstate Eight top shot putter after an indoor-championship throw of 36-8.75. As the only returning state qualifier for Kaneland, Richtman is in an unusual position. The last of a famed running family for the Knights, Richtman is two-time all-state in Class 2A cross country. But she competes in 3A in track. "You can't pay attention to your times," said Richtman, who was one better than Abbott in finishing No. 12 in the 3,200 last spring, of the difference in classes. In the Fox Valley Conference, C-G senior Walker advanced out of West Aurora in the 100 hurdles; Hampshire junior Evinger made the high-jump cut at DeKalb. "(Walker) wants to run Division II and she will do well at it," Anderson said. The Rochelle sectional represents the epicenter of area Class 2A powers. Burlington Central will attempt to deny Rosary a sixth consecutive team championship. Aurora Central Catholic has three legitimate all-state candidates. Rosary quarter-milers Bottarini and Molenhouse return for another shot at all-state status in the 1,600 relay. The Royals' interchangeable sprinters powered Rosary to the title at Top Times last month. "It's going to be tougher (to win another title) going west," Rosary coach Vic Meade said. Burlington Central will counter with its quartet of superlative sophomores. Barkocy, after tripping in the state preliminaries in the 100 hurdles, came back to place seventh at 300 meters. "It's a great group of kids who have multiple talents," Central coach Vince Neil said of his prized underclassmen. "You start running around with the lineup and you're like, 'Man, we could cover a lot of events here.'" Englehardt and Viveros were atop the podium for ACC last spring in the high jump and 800 run. Dervis is another gifted sophomore in the area who could make some noise in May, especially the 400. "They are going to be our Big Three," ACC coach Troy Kerber said. For the five Class 1A programs in Fox, all private schools, numbers can be a major detriment to success. "We have only six girls in the program," St. Edward coach Mike Olenek said. But Harvest Christian and Aurora Christian both have returning all-state athletes. Busker is a leading contender in the 100 and 200 dashes for Aurora Christian. "Alyssa has a chance to go to state in four events," Aurora Christian coach Rob Arb said. "We have to strategize it correctly." Harvest Christian was dealt a serious setback when Carsen Foote, the reigning state runner-up at 800 meters, transferred to Prairie Ridge. But the Lions still have aspirations behind state returnees Callahan (high jump) and Mylin (100 hurdles). Devol bears watching as the top area Class 1A newcomer.