Clearly, West Aurora is best at Kaneland

Even with its girls track and field squad at less than full strength, West Aurora was in a league of its own Saturday afternoon at the 33rd Annual Holmes Invitational in Maple Park.

The Blackhawks amassed an insurmountable 40-point-plus lead on the 14-team field at Kaneland High School in the six field events alone, and the spread only became greater on the track.

Shanice Andrews, the star West Aurora hurdler and jumper, outscored six teams single-handedly; the senior all-state returnee in two events captured three events and finished runner-up in the 300-meter hurdles to lead the Blackhawks' 168.5-point bonanza.

Oswego East, behind three sprint-relay championships, was a distant second with 107 points. Burlington Central swept the high jump and its middle-distance contingent carried the Rockets on the track in placing third with 80 points. Host Kaneland was eighth, with Dundee-Crown in 10th and injury-riddled Rosary coming in 12th.

"You can't ask for much better than that," West Aurora assistant coach Ramona Smith said of the Blackhawks' overpowering start in the field.

Andrews and Illinois-bound thrower Mariah Smith anchored the Blackhawks' insurmountable opening thrust with respective victories in the triple jump, long jump, shot put and discus. Andrews began her day with a 36-foot, 5-inch effort in the triple jump, which was a foot and a half better than her teammate Jasmine Ranson. With Shadae Pickett already securely in third place in the long jump, Andrews uncorked another winning effort to give the squad another quick 16 points. Andrews moved to the track and exploded over the third obstacle of the 100-meter hurdles en route to a 14.79-second timing and victory over Hyde Park junior Sharone Greenlaw, the open 400-meter winner.

Seeking a fourth title in the 300 hurdles, Andrews won the fast heat for an apparent unblemished day. But Sycamore freshman Tami Sheifelbein ended up claiming top honors with the fastest time in the opening heat.

"I felt pretty good about (the possibility of winning four events)," said Andrews, fourth in Class 3A 100 hurdles last spring and eighth in the triple jump. "I was trying to get a 14.4ish (time) in the 100 hurdles. I was a little rough my first two jumps (in the long). I need to get a little more comfortable with (the 300 hurdles). I hope to have it down by the time of the state meet."

Less than a year after being introduced to the two throwing events, Mariah Smith, the daughter of the Blackhawks' top assistant, has come out of nowhere to earn a Big Ten scholarship. A sprinter by trade, Smith ran a powerful leg on the Blackhawks' runner-up 800-meter relay - the senior overcame a nagging knee injury to win the shot put and discus easily.

"Shot put was kind of rough," Smith said of her winning throw of 34-10.5. "I am still trying to figure that out. (West Aurora coach Teresa Towles) expects me to break the school record in the discus, which is 142 feet. I think I can."

Smith was more than 20 feet off her personal best in the event but still won going away. The Blackhawks' penchant for double scoring continued on the track, and the progression of the program was further underscored when underclassmen Ytai Flores and Nicole Bartell placed third and fourth in the open mile. Junior transfer Alexis Anthony run a strong second in the 800 meters, while Cynthia Smith was a workhorse in the three runner-up sprint relays. Cynthia Smith was second in the open 400 meters; freshman Anita Saffa was denied by Sycamore speedster Kwaza Lake at 100 meters.

"Not too disappointed (with the three relay runners-up), because we didn't have one of our big dogs -Kehlay Dunah," said coach Smith.

Casualties were a prominent theme on the day. Rosary junior standout Amy Kus - third in Class AA high jump two years ago and a top hurdler in Class 2A - was sidelined earlier this week with a knee injury.

"We'll know the extent of (its severity) on Tuesday," Kus said.

Rosary was further handicapped by several key juniors taking the ACT team, not to mention the school is still on its Easter break.

"We're usually not this short-handed," said Grace Petry, who led the Royals with her twin placements in the long jump and pole vault. "But we do seem to have a lot of injuries right now."

Kaneland two-time returning state qualifier Andie Strang, coming off six weeks of inaction due to a basketball-related stress fracture in her leg, finished a strong third in her specialty event, the open 800 meters. The Knights junior also ran the 3,200 relay with fellow all-state relay returnee Lisa Roberson, who also placed in the open half-mile.

"This is just my second week back," Strang said. "I missed the entire indoor season. I missed the competition so much. The times (today) are definitely not what I'm looking to come back to."

The Knights were paced by Sara Wallace, runner-up in the pole vault, as well as Gabby Aguire and Cara Zegal in the high jump and triple jump, respectively. Abby Dodis' fourth-place finish in the open 3,200 meters was another encouraging sign for first-year Kaneland coach Doug Ecker.

"We don't have a superstar anymore," Ecker said in reference to Lindsay Gierke, the most decorated athlete in school history. "Overall, I thought they did a good job. We have always competed."

Central opened the running portion of the meet with a triumph over Dundee-Crown in the 3,200 relay. Maggie Gannon and Markelle Turk opened the Rockets' victory, with Katie Puccio and Kayla Wolf closing the door on the Chargers. But it ended up being a bittersweet day for the Rockets' top distance runners.

Gannon, the Iowa State-bound reigning state runner-up in the open mile, was forced to leave the open 1,600 meters due to illness. Turk was second in the event after forgoing the open 3,200 meters.

"I'm not sure what I'm going to be doing this season," the Rockets' school-record holder at two miles said. "Not a very good time (in the open 1,600), not where I wanted to be, but it's still early in the season."

"(Gannon) was pretty upset about it, obviously," Central coach Aaron Wichman said.

Alexa Tovson continued her impressive maturation to lead the Rockets' sprinters. The sophomore was third in the open 400 meters and fourth at 100 meters; she also anchored the Rockets' two longer sprint relays for more points.

"It felt pretty good," Tovson said. "I was thinking about the times as much as the competition, being competitive. The schools here are really good."

"Obviously (Tovson) is very reliable if you have a girl who can score in four events," Wichman said. "That's what you want."

Cailie Thommes and Katie Trupp continued their onslaught in the high jump for the Rockets. One week after matching the school record at a Huntley triangular meet, the two swept the event with efforts of 5-2. Thommes was pronounced the winner on fewer misses at lower heights.

"I think competing and doing well makes me do better the next week," said Thommes, who also participated in the Rockets' fifth-place 400 relay. "I was over (5-4) but clipped (the bar) with the bottom of my leg."

"We are a team of two," said Trupp, a freshman. "We went to a camp (in Huntley during the preseason), and that helped out a lot."

Sophomore Autumn Conn snared the final Central victory with a 9-6 effort in the pole vault.

Dundee-Crown freshman Jade Franz broke free from a congested pack at the gun lap of the open 800 meters and eased to victory over the final 300 meters to pace the Chargers.

"(My coaches told me) to just stay with the pack and keep up with them," Franz said. "I was practicing 200s in practice (to better my kick)."