Devils race to NSC title

Olivia Allen won a too-close-to-call finish for a conference championship and then experienced déjà vu all over again.

It wasn't such a great experience, however. And the Lake Zurich senior wasn't feeling like a winner, especially since her night ended early after aggravating an upper-thigh injury.

Mind you, Allen edged Warren's JonTaye Bonds at the finish of the 400-meter relay, then clipped Zion-Benton's Carnesha Johnson in the 100 dash, clocking 12.66 to win by .07 seconds.

"They were slow, though," Allen said of the races. "I didn't like it. And I ran slow, period. Today's not my day."

Thursday was Warren's day - and night. The North Suburban Conference Lake Division champions won what Blue Devils coach Ryan Dunn believes is their first NSC title in girls track and field by totaling 121 points at Libertyville. Antioch (82) was a distant second, with Libertyville (61), Lake Zurich (57) and Lake Forest (50) rounding out the top five.

Warren took nothing for granted, despite winning last week's county meet by 62 points over runner-up Lake Zurich.

"Tonight was a whole new meet," Dunn said. "We were talking to the girls and we made sure that they knew that. There were teams there (at county) last week that are not here this week, and there are teams here this week that were not there last week."

As it did in the county meet at Grayslake North, Warren started by capturing the 3,200 relay. Gabby Nystrom, Julie Wiemerslage, Natalia Jovanovic and Sarabeth Jones clocked a 9:39.52 to win easily.

Then in a thrilling 400 relay, Allen gave Lake Zurich (49.68) a narrow win over Warren (49.70). Marissa Wagner, Kelly Doheny and Nicole Trittschuh ran the first three legs for the Bears.

After seniors Heather Olson of Warren and Erin Schoenfelder of Antioch each won the first of their two individual championships, Allen, running in an outside lane, leaned ahead of Z-B's Johnson at the finish of the 100 final.

Allen came up slightly limping, and her night was done. She was scratched from the 200 final and 800 relay.

"She'll be fine," Lake Zurich coach Lance Pacernick said.

Allen said she suffered a bruise on her thigh after receiving two massages in the same day earlier in the week. One of the massages was by a physical therapist and the other by a physical trainer, who used a machine.

"It's been hurting," Allen said. "I think the prelims messed it up a little bit."

The question is whether the perennial state qualifier will be at full speed in time for next Friday's Palatine sectional.

"I hope so," Allen said. "I should be. Pretty sure."

Bonds benefitted from Allen's absence in the 200, winning in 26.20. Bonds had a great night, as she also took the long jump (18 feet) and anchored the winning 800 relay (1:45.31). DeNitra Brown, Lisa Burns and Jada Keys also ran on the 800 relay for Warren.

All four of the Blue Devils' relays ran state-qualifying times.

"If that's not motivation going into next week's sectional meet (at Palatine), I don't know what is," Dunn said. "For us to get all four of those (downstate) would be really exciting."

Bonds, Olson and Schoenfelder were the meet's double individual-event winners. Olson won the 1,600 (5:17.29) and 3,200 (11:15.80), while Schoenfelder claimed the 100 hurdles (15.66) and 300 hurdles (45.24).

Schoenfelder flirted with the meet record in the 300s, and while she didn't get it, she won by more than two seconds over runner-up Alyssa Corrigan of Libertyville.

"I knew it was going to be hard because I've never beaten the Libertyville girl before and the Grant girl (Erin Horvath) almost got me on Monday (in a dual meet)," Schoenfelder said. "In the 100 I completely knocked over a hurdle, so it wasn't as clean. I hit it and then I heard everyone else behind me hit it."

While NSC Prairie champ Lakes was seventh in the team standings, the Eagles finished the meet on a high note, running a school-record 4:03.70 to win the 1,600 relay by a second over Warren. Peyton Kirkland, Kecia Morway, Shanna Hertz and anchor Ariel Butzine sprinted for Lakes.

The other conference champs were Lake Zurich's Wagner in the 400 (1:00.72), Warren's Nystrom in the 800 (2:18.93), Stevenson's Brittney Gescheidle in the high jump (4-11), Libertyville's Kate Tunnicliff in the pole vault (10-6), Mundelein's Crimea Baker in the triple jump (35-00.75), Vernon Hills' Jamie Rucks in the shot put (38-7) and Antioch's Brittany Deem in the discus (118-07.5)