Girls track and field: Andelbradt, Naperville North win DVC meet
The first DuPage Valley Conference girls indoor track and field competition in three years came down on the shoulders - and legs - of Madeline Andelbradt.
Naperville North could not have requested a more deserving athlete as the anchor leg in the league-closing 1,600-meter relay.
A reigning Class 3A all-state long hurdler and high jumper, Andelbtradt only padded the cushion two-event individual champion Emma Berres and middle legs Marissa Magana and Cristina Gu provided.
In leading the Huskies' championship time of 4 minutes, 9.69 seconds - almost five seconds quicker than runner-up DeKalb - Andelbradt enabled Naperville North to eke out a 138-137 victory over Naperville Central, which had its three-point lead entering the 15th event Thursday night at North Central College in Naperville erased.
"It's amazing, knowing what we had to do and getting it down," said Andelbradt, who was well aware of the team score entering the final event. "I knew what I had to do."
Berres will be departing the Huskies' program to play soccer this spring, but the freshman delivered with wins in the always demanding double lengths of 800 and 1,600 meters.
Berres' 5:07.77 posting in the metric mile was one-hundredth of a second faster than sophomore teammate Julie Piot.
The resulting 18 points, however, were beyond instrumental to the Huskies' razor-thin margin of victory.
Pilot and Gu were also members of the Huskies' victorious 3,200 relay, which also edged Naperville Central for the title.
Naperville Central received one of its two track titles from its top sprint-relay quartet as the Redhawks' Sarah Bennington held off a monstrous closing rush by DeKalb junior standout Sariyah Watsokn to capture the 800-relay in 1:48.78.
The difference in the race was unquestionably the flawless exchange between Bennington and Sophie Kusserow on the final exchange.
"Handoffs are what make it," Bennington said. "It doesn't matter how much speed you have. That's what the coaches tell us."
Naperville Central sophomore Brooke Sawatzky not only captured the 55 hurdles but also won the triple jump and placed second in the long jump to Naperville North senior Denise Hernandez.
Metea Valley had two speed queens in Kyra Harris and senior transfer Maria Lambert.
The latter swept the 200 and 400 meters after the former dusted the field in the 55 dash.
"I tried to push myself and focus out the distractions," said the sophomore Harris.
"Coming in, I was new to the conference so didn't know what to expect," said Lambert, a two-time Class 1A sprinter for Aurora Christian last spring.
Neuqua Valley junior Carissa Hamilton won the Wildcats' only gold medal with her program-record 11:11.45 in the 3,200 run.
"It was my first-ever track and field race," Hamilton said of his historic debut.
DeKalb won two field events as shot-putter Jayme Redmond and pole-vaulter Joscelyn Dieckman were crowned champions.
"I am better in the shot put than discus," Redmond said.
Dieckman has her sights set on the Top Times Meet, the unofficial indoor state championship the last Saturday of the month.
"I am ranked No. 4," Dieckman said.