Geneva wins battle for River supremacy

Consider Geneva's entry into Upstate Eight girls track conference meets a resounding success.

Geneva won the team title with 167 points on Thursday at Millennium Field in Streamwood. Batavia (129) was second, followed by St. Charles East (126) and St. Charles North (80). Larkin (8) was sixth and Elgin (3) was seventh.

“We really didn't know what to expect coming into the Upstate Eight,” Geneva coach Peter Raak said. “We knew St. Charles North and East would be tough. Batavia is always tough. So we were looking for a good battle and I think we got.”

The Vikings won three track events. Junior Diana Ramanauskas won the 100-meter hurdles in 15.83 seconds. Taylor Wickware finished first in the 800 (2:19.18) and Tess Ehrhardt won the 1,600 in 5:18.49.

“I hate being ranked first. It's horrible,” said Ehrhardt, who had the best seed time entering the 1,600 by almost 4 seconds. “You have a target. It's a lot of pressure.”

Geneva went first and second in both the high jump and long jump. Emma Anderson won the high jump with a height of 5 feet. Haley Carroll was second (4-10). Kailie Briza (16-1) and Aimee Dappas (15-10 ½) went 1-2 in the long jump. Megan Malone finished second in both the discus (96-6) and the shot put (35-10). Erin Kluch took second in the pole vault (10-0).

“Our field events did a nice job scoring a lot of points for us,” Raak said. “It was kind of under the radar, kind of unexpected.”

Also finishing second for the Vikings were Katie Costello (100, 13.54 seconds), Liza Tauscher (3,200, 11:25.32), Mady Temple (200, 26.64) and three relay teams — 4x800, 4x200 and 4x400.

St. Charles East won the most events (seven), including all three relays it participated in. Sophomore Brittany Williams won the 200 (26.34) and the 400 (58.31). She also anchored the 4x100 relay, running with Lauren Towne, Annie Martines and Kelsey Gentry, to win that event in 50.44 seconds.

“I'm hitting the times I wanted to hit all year, hopefully that goes into next week as well at sectionals,” Williams said.

Gentry won the 100 (12.90) and Martines finished first in the 300 hurdles (47.73) and second in the 100 hurdles (16.48). East also won the 4x800 and 4x400 relays, but did not compete in the 4x200 relay.

Batavia's Haleigh Theuerkauf won the shot put (38-10) and the discus (110-10), besting her personal best in the discus by 7 feet. Her distance in the shot put was her best outdoors this season.

“All in all, it was a good day,” Theuerkauf said.

The Bulldogs' Rachel Spalding won the 3,200 in 11:22.59.

St. Charles North's Meridith Beird cleared 11 feet to win the pole vault. The North Stars' 4x200 team of Patrice Groomes, Jessica Krantz, Sydney Olson and Kara Smith won the event in 1:50.69.

For Streamwood junior Megan McClone, the pain in her left knee is gone, and it's showing.

She won the triple jump with a distance of 35 feet, 10¼ inches.

“Coming off my knee surgery I feel strong,” McClone said. “There is not that physical ailment holding me back like last year.”

McClone injured her knee during the 2009-10 basketball season and attempted to compete in track last year with the injury. She didn't perform up to her standards and finally had surgery on her meniscus and ACL last summer. McClone ran cross country last fall and wasn't “up to par.” She played basketball again over the winter before returning to the track this season.

“I knew I was coming back. There was no question,” McClone said.

McClone's victory helped the Sabres finish fifth as a team with 36 points.