Girls track and field: State meet scouting, Northwest
Girls track and field: State meet scouting, Northwest
Where: O'Brien Stadium at Eastern Ilinois University, Charleston
Thursday prelims - Class 1A field events 10 a.m., running events 11 a.m.
Friday prelims - Class 2A field events 8 a.m, running events 9 a.m.; Class 3A field events noon, running events 12:55 p.m.
Saturday - Class 1A, 2A, 3A finals, 10 a.m.
Quick take - Lincoln-Way East appears to have the firepower to fuel a fourth straight Class 3A state title run. The Griffins have the top sectional mark in the 400, 800, and 1,600 relays. Senior Kayla Hilton will play a big part in the relays and also will be looking to score some big points in the 100 and 200 dash. The chase field is wide-open and includes Mid-Suburban League champion Prospect. The Knights qualified 12 individuals and 2 relays, setting themselves up for a big weekend. Downers Grove South will also be a team to watch. Senior Shaliyah Dixon-Tucker is the top seed in the 100 high hurdles and 100 dash, with senior Michaela Hackbarth the top seed in the 800. The two seniors will pace the Mustangs' attack. O'Fallon and New Trier have quality relays which will pace their attack. Alton senior LaJarvia Brown is also geared up for a big weekend; she is the top seed in the long jump and seeded second in the 100 high hurdles. She will also be a threat in the triple jump and 300 low hurdles.
Local focusProspect: Brenda Kendziera (long jump, high jump, 300 low hurdles), Cassidy Selep (pole vault, 100 high hurdles), Jess Skudlarek (high jump), Angela Roman (shot put), Maya Mason (100 high hurdles, 300 low hurdles), Brooke Wilson (1,600, 3,200), Annie Walsh (200), 400 relay, 800 relay. Prospect has had a memorable season, winning the MSL crown and also taking first at the Lake Park sectional. The Knights are led by a core group of seniors that have state experience and can cover the entire field. Prospect will be looking to cobble together points from both the field events and track. Keep an eye on the 400 relay. Mason, Skudlarek, Walsh, and Samantha Berman hit a school record (48.19) in taking first at the MSL meet. Mason also be in contention for a state medal in the 100 high hurdles. Wilson earned two state medals last year in the 3,200 (2nd place) and 1,600 (6th place). She will be looking to duplicate that performance this year. Selep has also come on strong and has put herself in position for a state medal in the 100 high hurdles. Kendziera had a big sectional and will be looking to ride that momentum into the state meet. Field events will be key for the Knights in their trophy run, and Skudlarek, Selep, Kendziera and Roman can lean on previous state experience. Prospect has definitely put itself in the conversation for a state trophy.
Barrington: Anna Cossio (high jump), Kelsey McLaurin (triple jump), Jocelyn Long (3,200), Sara Kate Capel (300 low hurdles), 800 relay. Barrington finished second in the MSL and third at the Buffalo Grove sectional. McLaurin has definitely been a difference-maker this year for the Fillies. The junior is the anchor for the 800 relay that will be in contention for a state medal. Long finished fourth in the 3,200 last season and will make a run for a state title this weekend. Capel also has had a strong season and will be eyeing a medal in the 300 low hurdles. Barrington won the 1,600 relay last season, but was denied a chance to defend its title when one of its runners slipped and fell on a wet track at the sectional meet and the relay missed qualifying by 1.75 seconds. The Fillies have some special athletes and will be aiming to collect some state medals this weekend.
Palatine: Corey Rinella (long jump, 100 high hurdles), Kelly O'Brien (800, 1,600), Sam Lechowicz (1,600), Jess Streepy (pole vault), 3,200 relay. O'Brien led a Pirates group that finished second at the Buffalo Grove sectional. She notched the top Class 3A sectional time in the 1,600 (4:57.93) and also holds the second-fastest overall season mark in the 800 (2:12.72). O'Brien will also be a key member of a Pirates 3,200 relay that will be shooting for its 12th consecutive top-five finish. Lechowicz earned a state medal in cross country and has had a big season in the 1,600. Streepy has had a solid freshman season in the pole vault.
Fremd: Nora Finegan (800), Linda Varela (800), 400 relay, 800 relay, 1,600 relay. Finegan was a key member of the Vikings' 3,200 relay that finished third in Class 3A last season. This year Finegan has made her mark in the 800, taking second at the BG sectional. The Vikings senior is also the anchor for the 1,600 relay, which will be in the mix for a medal. Junior Hanna Murakami, junior Bethany Ekwonwa, sophomore Anayia Veremis and freshman Emma Schulz are spread among the three relays that have definitely made their marks this season.
Wheeling: Michaela Vasey (shot put), Gloria Wide (discus), Timber Terrell (triple jump), Yailene Leon (800), Alexis Knight (400), 1,600 relay. Vasey, Wide, and Timber are making a return trip to the state meet for the Wildcats. Knight has injected the track attack with a burst of speed and is quickly becoming a difference-maker, and Leon has definitely taken a step forward this season.
Hoffman Estates: Meagan Biddle (1,600), Destinee Jackson (100 high hurdles), Christina Wood (discus), 3,200 relay. Biddle holds the fourth-best season mark in the 1,600 (4:54.29) and will be in the hunt for a state title. The Hawks senior has looked comfortable and confident and should be primed for a big weekend. Last year she finished eighth in the 1,600 but is better positioned this spring. Hoffman is also optimistic about its 3,200 relay, and Jackson took first in the 100 high hurdles (15.45) at sectionals.
Schaumburg: Madison Marasco (800), Lauren Kubinski (1,600), 3,200 relay. Last year Schaumburg finished sixth in the 3,200 relay; this year the Saxons are eyeing a higher finish. Marasco and Kubinski return from last year's lineup and will pace the relays this year. Kubinski has looked smooth in the 1,600 and Marasco will be a threat to qualify for Saturday's finals in the 800.
Buffalo Grove: Nya Carr (long jump, 100 dash, 200 dash). Carr has emerged to become one of the top sprinters in the MSL this season, taking first in the 100 and second in the 200 at the conference meet. Carr is now looking to make her mark at state. Carr has also added the long jump this season and finished first at the sectional meet.
Hersey: Maggie Berigan (shot put), Barbara Rydzewski (discus), Hailey Bowes (3,200), Sarah Harden (1,600). Berigan finished second in the MSL for shot put, with Rydzewski taking second in conference for the discus. Bowes also impressed at conference by taking second place. Berigan will contest for a state medal.
Elk Grove: Emily Stegmeier (800, 1,600). Stegmeier figures to be in the running for a medal in the 800. She was a state qualifier in cross country and has emerged as one of the top distance runners in the MSL.
Other state qualifiers: Rolling Meadows senior Gabby Sanchez qualified for the state meet for the second consecutive year in the 1,600. The Mustangs senior has been overshadowed in a deep MSL distance field but has had a solid senior season. Conant freshman Kayla Wartman made the most of her first opportunity by qualifying in the 800; she finished 11th in the 800 at the MSL meet but rebounded nicely with a seventh-place finish at the Lake Park sectional. Maine West senior Madeline Bobinski qualified in the discus for the second consecutive year. Bobinski took first in the discus at the Niles West sectional. Leyden qualified its 3,200 relay to the Class 3A state meet.
Class 2ASt. Viator: Elizabeth Drab (long jump, 100, 200, 400). Drab has had quite a breakout season and enters the Class 2A state meet with the top sectional time in the 400 (56.37). The Lions junior had an explosive sectional meet, finishing first in the long jump, 100, 200, and 400 at Antioch.
Class 1AChristian Liberty Academy: Isabella Wolke (1,600, 3,200), Emma Wolka (3,200), Angie Nicholas (400). Wolke has made her mark for the Chargers, earning a combined three state medals in cross country and track. Last season Wolke finished fourth in the 3,200 in Class 1A and she has the seventh-fastest sectional time in the 3,200 this year. Also keep an eye on Nicholas, as the junior enters the Class 1A state meet with the sixth-best sectional mark in the 400.
- Michael Eaken