Palatine, Schaumburg don't disappoint in top-ranked showdown
The calendar says it's September, but the Mid-Suburban West girls cross country dual meet between Palatine and Schaumburg sure felt like November.
Defending Class 3A champion Palatine entered the meet ranked No. 1 according to Dyestat.com and Schaumburg came in ranked second. Seven of the top 10 runners also had also made all-state in either cross country or track.
The meet lived up to its hype as Palatine edged host Schaumburg 26-29 at Hoover School.
Senior Courtney Brown (18:36) missed breaking the course record by one second in taking first for Palatine. Senior Colette Falsey (18:43) broke the course school record for Schaumburg in taking second.
"Even when you think you're running well, things can change so quickly," said Palatine coach Joe Parks of the slim victory. "The point totals are so close."
"It ebbed and flowed here and there," said Schaumburg coach Jon Macnider, whose team trailed by 2 points entering the final mile. "It's only September 8th, but both teams took away something positive. Now we need to stay healthy and it will keep getting better."
Brown has put her name in the mix for individual state contenders with her early success. The senior took first at the Hinsdale Central meet on Saturday, defeating New Trier sophomore Courtney Ackerman, who took sixth in Class 3A last season and came back to take second in the 3,200 at the Class 3A state track meet.
Brown continued to hit on all cylinders on Wednesday, meeting every challenge the Saxons threw at her.
"I'm just feeling stronger this year, feeling more comfortable," said Brown, who made separation in the final mile in pulling away for the victory. "I'm a senior so I guess I have nothing to lose."
Junior Emily Schulte (18:46) made a surge in the final mile to take third for Palatine, and senior Sarah McIntosh (19:14) and sophomore Tess Wasowicz (19:20) combined to take sixth and seventh place.
Senior Becca Sund (19:52) completed the Pirates' scoring by taking ninth place to preserve the narrow victory.
"It was like a mini-state meet," added Schultz of the high-stakes dual meet. "They are talented and they challenged us. It was tough the whole way through."
Falsey had help in pressuring the top-ranked Pirates, as senior Britten Petrey (18:51) and senior Karen Lesiewicz (18:52) went 4-5, just missing the school course record by one and two seconds respectively.
Hannah Combs (19:46) and junior Kelsey Steenstrup (19:56) added eighth and 10th place for a solid Saxon attack.
"We're not getting caught up in the ranking, we're just trying to concentrate on ourselves," added Falsey, "It definitely feels good with where we are."
And the stakes will keep rising as the Pirates and Saxons are set to face each other four more times, including for the ultimate prize in November.