Cross country: Waubonsie Valley's Heidenrich wins regional
Things were done in a big way at Saturday morning's Class 3A Oswego East girls cross country regional.
Naperville North, looking for its fourth straight state title, finished with 33 points to earn the championship plaque, 57 points fewer than the second-place finisher.
Waubonsie Valley senior Ashley Heidenrich won the 3-mile race by 16 seconds.
As for the Huskies, coach Dan Iverson said consistent improvement is crucial for his squad to keep the success going.
"We ran well today. It's all about trying to get better as a team," he said.
Junior Audrey Mendrys was top Naperville North finisher in third place.
"This season has been a lot of fun. We work together to push each other," she said.
Mendrys' teammates Sophie Golobitsh and Kate Donaldson were fourth and fifth. Metea Valley's Sophie Sandy was second to make it an all-DuPage Valley Conference medal stand.
As for Heidenrich, she obviously enjoyed the big lead she had. But she said it's important to avoid overconfidence.
"I focus on my own pace and keep moving. It's tempting to slow down, but you keep looking for the landmark and keep moving forward," she said.
Heidenrich qualified as an individual as did teammate Katelyn Mullinax.
Neuqua Valley, Naperville Central and Metea Valley also will join Naperville North at next Saturday's St. Charles East sectional.
The wind definitely got stronger for the boys race that followed the girls competition. But that didn't stop Naperville North's Jake Allen from winning the 3-mile race by 13 seconds.
Neuqua's Nicolas Dovalovsky was second and Waubonsie's Zach Benzinger fourth for the DVC showing on the medal stand.
Allen said the strong wind was not a factor.
"If you were here last year, it was like a mini-tornado. Compared to that, today was nothing," he said. "It's always good to race and win. I do what I can for the team."
Neuqua Valley, Waubonsie Valley and Naperville Central will join Naperville North next week at Leroy Oakes Forest Preserve, site of the St. Charles East sectional.
Metea Valley's Mamadu Diallo qualified as an individual.