Girls cross country: Grant's Negovetich sectional champ
After placing fourth in Class 3A in the state as a freshman, Grant sophomore Aly Negovetich wasn't going to let the powerful Hoffman Estates sectional faze her Saturday morning on the fabled 3-mile Busse Woods course.
And despite some fairly muddy grounds and temperatures at 40 degrees to start the race, Negovetich plowed her way to the individual title in 17:50.6 to easily surpass her closest competitor by 14 seconds.
The Mid-Suburban League ruled the team competition with Prospect edging runner-up Barrington 87-88 for first place. Third-place Fremd (123 points), fourth-place Hersey (130) and fifth-place Palatine (189) earned trips to the 41st Annual IHSA state meet next weekend in Peoria.
"I just wanted to start out a little easier and relaxed and kick at the last mile," said Negovetich. "I started to pull away with a mile to go. Our training has been really good, and I'm confident."
Grant coach Jeff Durlak has grown accustomed to the stellar performances Negovetich has turned in so consistently during her first two campaigns for the Bulldogs.
"She stayed patient because we knew it was going to be pretty sloppy out there today," said Durlak. "Last week at Palatine was her best time of the season (17:05), but with the conditions and the way the course was she ran a smart race today."
Confidence was also no problem for Lake Zurich freshman sensation Brooke Johnston Saturday as she took home the third of seven at-large berths downstate with a sixth-place finish. The Bears finished in eighth place as a team behind Warren and Libertyville.
"She (Johnston) ran great, she had to run with that front pack, and she ran phenomenally," said Lake Zurich coach Randal Dunbar. "I feel like she doesn't know how good she is, but she's a confident runner, and that's a good thing for a freshman."
After missing the entire regular season due to a heel injury, Round Lake senior Fatima Giron beat the odds again to earn the fourth at-large berth to state with a seventh-place finish. This will be Giron's third trip to state, and she is the only girl in school history to ever advance to the storied meet at Detweiller Park.
"It's a surreal experience, but I never lost sight of my goal," said Giron, who wore a walking boot until running at regionals last weekend. "I definitely think my cross-training paid off, and I'm definitely confident."
Libertyville freshman Sheila Tucker (13th) just missed the cutoff (11th) for a trip downstate while Raina Rice (18th) was Warren's top runner.
"She (Giron) has been fantastic the way she's been able to work through her injury and her comeback was phenomenal," said Round Lake coach Kevin Brady. "To still be able to qualify for state without basically having a season is phenomenal, and she has to realize she's one of the best runners in Illinois so I'm hoping the course is nice down there next week."
CLASS 2A
At the Class 2A Fenton sectional, Chicago Latin took home first place with 39 points followed by St. Ignatius (52 points) in second, and Vernon Hills (86) in third.
The Cougars' very young team was led by sophomore Emma Wakefield in third, and lone senior Carly Sear in ninth as Vernon Hills continues its quest for a sixth top-three trophy in the past seven years under coach Suzanne Curry.
St. Viator's Katie Castelli (sixth), and Carmel Catholic's Ezzie Posner (23rd) both earned individual at-large berths to the state meet next weekend in Peoria.