WW South steamrolls field at Batavia

Had the champions from Wheaton Warrenville South been musicians, they would have been hailed as virtuosos after their collective performance Friday in Batavia.

The Tigers’ girls track and field team swept the four relays, won seven individual events and more than doubled up runner-up Minooka with 188 points to win the Carlson-Anderson Classic for the third consecutive year.

Oswego East was third, with host Batavia, which featured champions Haleigh Theuerkauf and Hailey Clabough, trailing right behind.

St. Charles North was fifth, followed by Glenbard North, Bartlett and St. Francis.

“They are interchangeable,” WW South coach Rob Harvey said of his collection of athletes who shine in both relays and individual races as well as in the field. “We are very blessed to be able to coach kids like this.”

Jessie Spera won the 100-meter hurdles in 14.94 hurdles after earlier prevailing in the long jump with a 16-foot-plus effort.

The junior also led off both winning legs of the Tigers’ 400 and 800 relays.

Maggie Dansdill, second to two-event sprint champion Aliyah Everson of Oswego East at 100 meters, anchored the Tigers’ two sprint relays.

Jenny Fiola and Emily Phillip were also members of both relays.

Hope Schmelzle faced a 25-meter deficit when she received the baton in the 3,200 relay.

But by the time the junior standout passed the baton to senior anchor Amy Yong, the WW South quartet was headed to the first of their four relay triumphs in comfort.

St. Francis ran virtually its entire squad in the underclass competition.

Theuerkauf continues to state her case for another shot at the state meet.

The Batavia senior was one of three double winners on the night after sweeping the shot put and discus.

“It was a good feeling,” Theuerkauf said after reversing an Upstate Eight Conference indoor championship result to Bartlett senior Katie Lauesen in the shot put with a throw of 39-3. “(The winning distance) was my first throw in the finals. I wish I would have (thrown farther) in both of them, but I’m pleased with how the meet went.”

After a narrow defeat in the 100 hurdles, Clabough returned with a single-minded mission in the 300 hurdles.

The senior out-leaned Minooka junior Lucia Rossi to win at the wire in 47.68.

“I didn’t know (Rossi) was that close until there 100 meters left,” Clabough said. “The first half (of the 100 hurdles final against Spera) was pretty good, but I slowed down too much.”

Tamar Norville and Jessica Hartmann were second and fourth, respectively, for Batavia in the triple jump.

The Bulldogs were one place higher than Upstate Eight River rival St. Charles North after the North Stars denied Batavia the Geneva Invitational crown last week.

“That’s good,” Batavia coach Justin Allison said. “We’re going to see (St. Charles North) the next couple of weeks (at county and conference). I think everyone came together tonight. It really builds the team up.”

St. Charles North coach John Osmanski had to reconsider his strategy after top field-event ace Kaylee Raucci was relegated to sprint-relay duties due to shin splints.

“(The strategy) was about trying to find out who we have other than Kaylee,” Osmanski said.

Megan Young was more than a second faster than teammate Jessica Scheets as the duo finished in second and third at 800 meters.

“I was just trying to stay with (Scheets),” Young said. “When I realized I was ahead of her, I just pulled even harder. I’m glad I switched over to track from soccer.”

Scheets also anchored the North Stars’ 3,200 relay to runner-up and performed a similar duty for the third-place 1,600 relay.

Sydney Stuenkel had the unenviable task of matching defending Class 3A state champion Ariel Michalek of Oswego East at 3,200 meters stride for stride.

But the Wisconsin-bound Michalek, also a past state cross country champion, had too much in reserve in breaking 11 minutes despite suffering from back spasms.

Stuenkel was a distant second.

“I’m happy with my place,” Stuenkel said. “It was windy and it was cold.”

Kaylee Wessel, who also ran on the North Stars’ 3,200 relay, was third in the 1,600.

“Being the end of a long week, I thought it went pretty well,” Wessel said.

Lauesen was the standard-bearer for Bartlett.

The senior finished second in her state-qualifying event, the shot put, with a throw of 38-10.

“My form was really off today,” said Lauesen, who failed to reach the finals in the discus. “I was stepping a little too much (on my spin).”

Megan Seidel had the Hawks’ best finish in an individual track event with her fourth-place result in the 400 dash.