Lights fail creating bizarre scene at Kaneland
When Yorkville junior standout Ali Hester crossed the finished line to win her third title in the 1,600-meter relay, the inaugural Big Northern XII girls track and field championship that began Friday afternoon in Maple Park had come to a close.
At Sycamore High School on Saturday morning.
Midway through the 12 running events at Kaneland, the lights failed to work, leaving meet officials desperate to finish the competition.
An improvised ploy to use school buses to light the Kaneland track was quickly judged to be unsatisfactory.
Thus, meet officials moved the entire meet to Sycamore.
The eight-hour-plus meet featured a slew of outstanding performances, highlighted by Hester, Rochelle two-event champion Lexi Sondergoth and Sycamore two-event sprint champion Lake Kwaza.
In the end, though, it was Geneseo that dominated the meet behind twin hurdle champion Kaci Storm.
Had it not been for Geneseo scoring 131 points, it would have been a barnburner.
Sterling (82) edged indoor champion Kaneland by two points; the Knights’ total was a point better than Dixon, three higher than Rochelle and four up on Sycamore.
“It’s the same competition,” Sondergoth said of the defunct Western Sun being incorporated into the NCIC-9.
For Kaneland, the contributions to its third-place finish traversed class lines.
Senior standout Brooke Patterson was once again in the spotlight; the three-event returning state qualifier won the pole vault at 10 feet and was third to champion Sondergoth in the long jump.
Patterson anchored the Knights’ 1,600 relay to third place to conclude her night.
“(The transition to Sycamore) was difficult,” Patterson said. “You had to work with it. I’m glad to place high (in the pole vault), but I wanted to go higher. I have already hit 11 (feet) this year.”
At the other end of the class pecking order, the theme of local freshman sensations was revived by Lauren Zick.
One day after close friend and summer softball teammate Emma Spagnola led West Aurora to the DuPage Valley Conference championship, Zick was runner-up in both the 100 meters and long jump.
The ninth-grader also placed at 200 and 400 meters.
“I knew if I kept my head in the game and stayed focused, I could do well,” Zick said of the unusual mid-meet move. “I think I have done pretty well for a freshman. I’m looking forward to see what I can do over the next three years.”
Gabby Aguirre snared the Knights’ other field-event championship with her 5-foot winning effort in the high jump.
“I really didn’t expect to be first,” Aguirre said. “I thought there would be people going 5-4, 5-5.”