Kiple’s switch pays off for WW South
At this point a year ago Mckenna Kiple was preparing for a season on the Wheaton Warrenville South varsity girls soccer team.
On Thursday in Naperville, the sophomore helped the Tigers win the DuPage Valley Conference girls indoor track meet.
WW South scored 106 points to outlast West Aurora 106-88.5. Glenbard East took third with 70 points, followed by Naperville Central (59.5), Naperville North (52.5), Glenbard North (51), Wheaton North (26.5) and West Chicago (11).
“I really did like soccer, but I really just fell in love with running. That’s what I really want to focus on, so I decided to come out for track this year, and it’s so fun,” Kiple said after winning the 1,600 and running on the winning 1,600 relay and 3,200 relay teams.
In the 1,600 run Kiple quickly pulled away from the pack with teammate Mikayla Kightlinger and Glenbard East’s Maggie Angst.
“It was fun,” Kiple said. “Everyone was pushing each other and building off each other. Then at the end it comes down to how much heart you have, and I just really wanted it. I did the best I could.”
At the bell signifying the final lap, Kiple took off and won by more than three seconds over the second-place Angst and third-place Kightlinger.
“That was a great race,” WW South coach Rob Harvey said. “Maggie Angst is a great runner. She’s run some great times. But Mckenna Kiple and Mikayla Kightlinger are special kids.”
“She had a great kick, but I kind of struggled,” Angst said of Kiple.
Harvey said both Tigers sophomores are just learning how to race.
“There’s a difference between running for a time and running in a championship race for points, and she learned a lot by running a championship race. She did what she had to do to get the 10 points,” he said.
Kightlinger also won the 3,200 run, holding off Naperville Central’s Amanda Fox.
West Aurora hoped for better Thursday night.
“It was a little disappointing, but there were some nice surprises,” Blackhawks coach Teresa Towles said.
Jasmine Ranson and Anita Saffa went 1-2 in the 200 dash for West Aurora, and Ranson won the triple jump. Freshman Emma Spagnola won the high jump and long jump, then helped the 800 relay team take first place.
“That’s a nice bright spot for us,” Towles said of Spagnola.