Benet won't second guess second place

Scott Brooks would have it no other way.

"No second guessing," the Benet girls track and field coach said. "I wasn't going to put (McKinzie Schulz) in the mile and 800 today."

The Redwings were leading the 16-team Glenbard East Ram Invitational on Saturday afternoon in Lombard with three events remaining as Schulz, the defending Class 3A state champion at 800 meters and runner-up at 1,600 meters, returned in earnest for the first time this spring.

But Schaumburg completely altered the complexion of the team championship after juniors Colette Falsey and Britten Petrey swept the open 1,600 run. The teams were tied entering the final event, and Schaumburg captured its first major title in recent memory as its stable of long sprinters, middle-distance and distance runners came through a second relay victory at 1,600 meters.

Schaumburg captured the title with 90 points; Benet was runner-up with 86, while Waubonsie Valley placed a strong third behind its sprinting arsenal. Naperville Central crowned four champions to place fourth; host Glenbard East was fifth behind its do-it-all sophomore standout Lindsey Rakosnik.

Glenbard South, Neuqua Valley, West Chicago, Metea Valley and Elk Grove rounded out the local programs.

"We have some tremendously talented kids," Schaumburg coach Jon Macnider said. "The people (who placed before Falsey and Petrey) were just as important (to the outcome). It's an entire compilation."

Falsey, Petrey, Nora Ferguson and Karen Lesiewicz established the precedent for the Schaumburg breakthrough in the opening event: the 3,200-meter relay. The quartet obliterated its school record, posting a sizzling time of 9 minutes, 16.31 seconds in denying the equally state-ranked foursome from Benet by nearly eight seconds.

But it was the 1,600 that changed it all. Falsey and Petrey passed Glenbard South senior Karen Lipa in the final 250 meters, and the former, in her first year of track after playing soccer the last two springs, was resolute down the stretch in breaking the tape in 5:13.72.

All eyes were on Schulz, Lesiewicz and West Chicago senior Annette Eichenberger when the long-awaited second heat of the 800 commenced. Schulz, the Notre Dame-bound whiz, and Eichenberger, headed to the Air Force Academy, sandwiched Lesiewicz in the state finals last spring. Eichenberger set the early pace, but Schulz, who ran a sub-2:14 split in her 3,200 relay anchor-leg split, was unstoppable over the final 300 meters in winning the coveted title in 2:14.64. "It was kind of a remake (of the state championship)," runner-up Lesiewicz, with Eichenberger placing third once again.

"That was the state finals right there," Macnider said. "I didn't know what I could do," Schulz said. "I let (Eichenberger) do the work for the first 400 and took it from there. I feel like I have a lot more work to do."

"(Schulz) way exceeded my expectations today," Brooks said. "I take no credit for her competitiveness. You can't coach that."

Sisters Liz and Anne and Liz Yahiro swept the triple jump for the Redwings, who also received a runner-up performance from Liz Johnson in the 3,200 run. Waubonsie Valley sophomore Morlake Akinosun was the standout sprinter on the afternoon. Akinosun bested her older sister Morikaye to lead the Warriors' 1-2 sweep at 100 meters, and the younger sibling came back to deny defending state runner-up Kellion Gordon of Niles West with a eye-popping 24.73-second posting at 200 meters.

Morlake Akinosun also salvaged the Warriors' near-disastrous, baton-dropping 400 relay with a late push and ended her day by anchoring the victorious 800 relay.

"I like the 200 better than the 100, but I feel like I'm better at the one than the two," Akinosun said. "I can't wait to tell (Arizona State freshman Shakeia Pinnick that I broke her school record at 200 meters). She has always been a role model."

Ayo Adewole captured the 100 hurdles for Waubonsie Valley, which also crowned Da'sha Patton in the long jump. Rakosnik anchored the Rams' ever-improving 3,200 relay to a third-place showing, and the sophomore obliterated the stagger over the first 200 meters in routing the field in her all-state-returning event: the 400 meters.

The Rams' 1,600 relay is also a state threat after her second leg energized fellow runners Hayley Cardinal, Krystle Eskridge and Bridget Peters.

"My goal is to be all-state again, maybe in the top three," Rakosnik said after winning the 400 in 57.51 seconds. "I wanted to get into the 56s."

Kailey Mikulec (3,200 run), Liz Chrissy (high jump), Christina Norris (shot put) and Caley Faulkner (pole vault) all won individual titles for Naperville Central.

"That's probably as well as we're going to do," Naperville Central coach Mike Stine said. "I think we performed pretty well, everything considered."