Girls track and field: Geneva completes triple crown
McKenzie Altmayer and Ndidi Ukaobasi erased all doubts to the eventual team champion of the Class 3A girls track and field sectional Friday in Hoffman Estates.
Altmayer, the Geneva senior headed to Syracuse, had already created a gratifying win in the 3,200-meter run against a deep field when the event half its distance came around.
Ukaobasi had also punched a ticket to the state finals at Eastern Illinois University next week in Charleston by denying Batavia junior Hannah Schlaman - the two-time defending champion - at 100 meters.
In the 1,600 run, Altmayer applied the same formula for a second title.
After winning the 3,200 run in 10 minutes, 40.95 seconds, Altmayer took command early once again and never looked back in winning the event in 5:00.59.
Ukaobasi unleashed a devastating kick over the closing meters of the 200 dash to edge Schlaman by one-hundredth of a second in 26.05.
The girls' consecutive wins followed Georgia Reed triumphing in the 300 hurdles.
As a result, the first sectional title in program history was secured.
The Vikings' victory came after team titles at Kane County and the Upstate Eight Conference in recent weeks.
"It's the Triple Crown of track," Geneva coach Peter Raak said. "Their heart really showed out there."
Geneva scored 94 points to finish 20 points in front of Batavia and Cary-Grove, who tied for runners-up.
Metea Valley (61 points), West Aurora (55), St. Charles East (48), Hoffman Estates (48) and Schaumburg (32) were in the upper echelon as well. Bartlett, Dundee-Crown, Streamwood and Elgin rounded out the field.
"I was telling a friend, 'I've never won a sectional,'" Altmayer said. "This is a great feeling."
Ukaobaski will make her first appearance to the state finals next week.
"I have been working my whole career in track for this moment," the Geneva sprinter said.
Kristin Higgins is still unblemished in the high jump for state preliminaries with her third straight victory in the high jump (5 feet, 5 inches).
"I always want to come back to defend my title," Higgins said.
Batavia distance runner Dakota Roman had a banner night for the Bulldogs as the senior qualified in the same individual events as Altmayer with equally impressive times.
Sprinters Schlaman and Tori Ortiz were the cornerstones of the Bulldogs' dominant relay victories at 400 and 800 meters.
"We are really excited to see what we can do at state," Ortiz said.
Cary-Grove senior Nikki Freeman and Metea Valley junior Courtney Morgan are ranked first and second in the state in the discus.
Freeman reversed a defeat to Morgan in the shot put with the winning throw in the discus at 142-3.
West Aurora hurdler Rajiah Andrews failed to extend the Blackhawks' streak of consecutive 100 hurdles sectional titles to seven, but the junior qualified in all four of her events.
Teammate Tamia Rayford won the 400 for the second time in her career.
"I am just going to leave it all on the track," Rayford said of her downstate goals.
St. Charles North senior star Hannah Schilb entered rare territory.
The Iowa-bound Schilb exceeded 40 feet in the triple jump and approached 19 feet in the long jump to announce her impact next week in the two events.
"I do my best good competition," Schilb said.