Track and field: Huntley sweeps titles at county meet

It was certainly a good night for both the Huntley boys and girls track programs.

Both teams captured McHenry County championships on their home track Friday night.

For the sixth straight year, the Red Raiders boys brought home the top prize with 159 1/2 points. Jacobs was a distant second with 92 points.

"This is kind of our halfway point in the season and I like where we are at," said Huntley coach Jim Rolando. "We had a lot of great performances. I am very happy for the guys."

Junior sprinter Dukem Anikamadu led the way for the Red Raiders with a double win in the 200 (21.75) and the 100 (10.77).

"I was really happy with my starts and I am glad with my performance," said the Huntley junior. "I am happy to help the team out."

On Thursday, sophomore Alex Pitrone won the shot put with a throw of 52-6 1/2.

Huntley claimed top honors in the 400 relay with a time of 42.90.

On the girls side, the Red Raiders claimed the county title for a second straight season with a score of 153. McHenry was second with 125 points.

"We were really struggling as a team and revaluated some things," said Huntley coach Shawn Nordeen. "Tonight was fun to see everything come together. The girls were amazing. We have three main goals every year to win county, conference (Fox Valley) and sectional. This is a very good first step."

Winners for the county champs were Tyra Miller (100 hurdles, 15.34), McKenzie Krich (400, 1:02.59) and Chloe Smith (800, 2:25.22).

"I am very happy to win the hurdles and win the county championship on my home track." said Miller. "It was a really good night."

The Red Raiders also won the 800 relay (1:46.88) and completed their county repeat with a first place effort in the 1,600 relay (4:17.10).

One of the top individual efforts of the evening came from Crystal Lake South senior distance runner Caitlin Bruzzini who repeated as county champion in both the 1,600 and 3,200. Bruzzini won the 3,200 in a clocking of 11:18.27 and crossed the finish line first in the 1,600 in a time of 5:13.75.

"It was a great night to run," said Bruzzini. "I got the lead early and was able to run against the clock."

Jacobs got a fine effort from 800 runner Zach Albrecht who won the race in a time of 4:24.33.

"I am really happy with my pace," said Albrecht. "It was a good night to run and I was happy with the results."

The Golden Eagles boys won the 800 relay in 1:30.48.