Girls cross country: St. Charles East's Abbott runs away with crown
The skies opened up last year and canceled St. Charles East's Jeff Leavey Invitational at LeRoy Oakes Forest Preserve, denying Barrington's Molly FitzPatrick a chance to run on one of the more challenging courses she sees.
She got her chance Saturday with much better weather conditions and made the most of it, circling the course in 17:38 to take second overall and lead Barrington to the team championship.
FitzPatrick, a junior who also took second in this race as a freshman, was joined in the top 10 by teammates Allison Drage (third, 17:45) and Alyssa Norris (sixth, 18:34).
Barrington's 62 points beat runner-up Benet by 14.
"We are clicking pretty good right now," FitzPatrick said. "It's a good season-opener. Our main goal is to get the whole team down to state and get our 1-5 split closer together."
FitzPatrick and St. Charles East junior Alice Abbott quickly formed a pack of two at the front of the race.
Abbott took control of the race when the runners disappeared into the woods in the second mile. She ran a 17:30 to finish eight seconds ahead.
"For a first race it was pretty good," FitzPatrick said. "Obviously coming into a meet you want to win but it's tough when you have a great competitor like Alice and she's on her home course. It's hard, she's awesome."
Abbott said she enjoyed the challenge to run against FitzPatrick. Batavia also was in the field but didn't run several of its fastest girls including a pair of returning all-staters, which left Abbott and FitzPatrick out in front.
"Molly is an excellent runner and I was excited to run against her today," Abbott said. "I know she's really accomplished and has been very successful."
While the Saints practice at the school, Abbott said they meet at LeRoy once a week during the summer to run.
That familiarity with the course helped.
"Once I got to the top of the hill I recovered after those uphills and I tried working as hard I could up and recover down and stretch out my legs, pump my arms and use those downhills to my advantage," Abbott said.
Unlike a majority of runners who were winded, out of breath and generally exhausted after the race, Abbott said she felt too good.
"I haven't raced in awhile so I wanted to feel it out before I start developing my race strategy," Abbott said. "I'm happy with how I did. I think I can definitely go harder, I felt a little too comfortable for my liking. I need to push it a little more in the second mile."
Abbott also was pleased her younger sister Ava met her goal of breaking 20 minutes to finish as the second Saints runner and 38th overall in her first varsity race.
"I was so proud of her," Alice Abbott said.
Elisabeth Camic took fifth, Joy Jackson seventh and Emily Spellman 11th to lead Benet to second.
York (81), Huntley (135) and Jacobs (179) rounded out the top five. Brooke Berger placed eighth for the Dukes and Baily Wilk ninth for Huntley.
Waubonsie Valley's Ashley Heidenrich finished fourth overall in 18:10.
"I just try to start the first mile under control," Heidenrich said. "The last mile is a little tricky so you just try to hold on and focus on competing instead of time. Last mile was feeling a little rough, I'm not going to lie, but it's early in the season and it's a tough course. Nothing I didn't expect to feel."