Girls track and field: Huntley leads partially completed FVC meet
Huntley's Alex and Dominique Johnson, and Prairie Ridge's Rylee Lydon will have to wait over the weekend to chase Fox Valley Conference records in long, triple and high jumps.
While it was frustrating that rainy, low 50-degree weather forced postponement of the field portion of the FVC girls track and field meet, it also means three of the conference's best jumpers in history will compete in 75-degree weather on Monday at Huntley's Red Raider Stadium.
The running events went on as scheduled at Hampshire, with Lydon and the Johnsons each winning two events. Huntley's Vicky Evtimov ran on three winning relays - 4x100, 4x200 and 4x400 - and was runner-up to Alex Johnson in the 100.
The Red Raiders have 90 points to lead the meet with the six field events remaining. Prairie Ridge (67), Cary-Grove (63) and McHenry (58) are next in line.
Lydon won the 400 and 200 and shoot for the meet's oldest record, 5-8 in the high jump, set in 1980 by Crystal Lake South's Mary Swenson. The next-oldest record is Dundee-Crown's Juliet Alrich's 400 mark of 56.32 from 2006.
In better weather, Lydon might have approached that mark, but winds hitting double digits did not help on Friday.
"At this point I was hoping for faster times, but with not ideal weather and the wind was super-strong in the back stretch that kind of knocked me out a little bit," Lydon said. "I can't complain about the win, but definitely wish for a better time.
"I'm looking forward to (jumping Monday). The warmer weather, muscles will be nice and loose and ready to go. I'm hoping to jump pretty high on Monday, looking forward to that."
Alex Johnson will be shooting for her own long jump mark at 19-0 on Monday. Both Johnson sisters, who have gone past 40-0 in triple jump, may get Huntley's Daryn Davis' triple jump record of 38-1.
"It will definitely be a better day. I'll do better on Monday," Alex Johnson said.
Most of the FVC teams will be right back at Huntley for the Class 3A Sectional Meet on Wednesday.
"I'm planning on not taking that many jumps on Monday, just get some repetition," Alex Johnson said. "I'm pretty happy with my rankings in the state, I want to get a good jump at sectional."
Johnson won the 100 and ran with Evtimoiv, Jessie Ozzauto and Sophie Amin to win the 4x100. Evtimov, Anna and Sammi Campanelli and K'Leigh Saenz won the 4x200, and Dominique Johnson, Sammi Campanelli, Evtimov and Ozzauto won the 4x400.
Huntley's Breanna and Brittney Burak went first and third in the 1,600 for more big points.
McHenry's Alyssa Moore anchored the Warriors' winning 4x800 team with Peyton Stinger, Lydia Zancho and Lynda Rotundo, then also won the 800.
"Everyone did well and we ran a (personal record) as a team by two seconds," Moore said. of the 4x800. "I liked how the 800 started with us all together and after a while we started separating. I'm hoping I can get my time down to 2:17 and get to state."
Prairie Ridge's Rachel Soukup won the 3,200, Cary-Grove's Lindsey Kownick won the 100 high hurdles and Crystal Lake South's Ashley Ciezadlo won the 300 hurdles.
"It was really exciting for me, it's a big accomplishment," Kownick said. "It's been going well. I've been doing hurdles about four years and I've been doing really well this season. That was one of my top two races. I had a great mindset, good form, everything. Everything today went really well today."
Ciezadlo was running in only her third hurdles race and ran a 48.90. Ciezadlo has run 100s and 200s before and had been competing with the Gators' 4x400 relay.
"I've been running the 4x400," she said. "I have the endurance that I didn't have in earlier years. Since sixth grade I always wanted to try hurdles. My height helps and having them low helps.
"I was eager to get out here because field events were postponed. I knew I had a lot of potential in this race. Hopefully I'll be going to state."