A pair of freshmen played a role in five of six first-place finishes for the Vernon Hills girls track and field team as the Cougars won their own Class 2A sectional Friday, May 15.
Vernon Hills compiled 101 points to win its first sectional title since 2012 and its third in six years, sending three relay teams and five individuals in seven events to the state meet Friday and Saturday at Eastern Illinois in Charleston.
“One of the great things about track, girls in particular, is you never know what the draft [of eighth graders] is going to provide or who is going to turn out,” Vernon Hills coach Jason Rush said of the two freshmen — Jordyn Bunning and Lauren Katz — who played a key role in the victory.
Carmel finished eighth with 42 points, also qualifying three relays and a pair of individuals for state while Wauconda took sixth scoring 52 and Antioch seventh with 51. Hampshire was second with 68 points, 33 behind the Cougars.
Bunning won the pole vault by clearing 9-9, the 110-meter hurdles clocking 15.33 seconds and the 300 hurdles in 49.46. Katz won the 800 in 2:19.59, was part of the first-place 4×400 relay (4:07.94) and ran a leg of the 4×800 that took second (9:47.83). In the 800, Katz trailed until the final 300 meters.
“I ran a leg of the [4×800] relay and went out too fast,” Katz said. “I held back until the final 300 meters and then gave it everything I had left.”
She won by nearly 2.2 seconds. Lauren Kim took third in the race in 2:22.09 to earn a trip to state.
Katz and Kim teamed with Natalie Miller and Samantha Hershman in the 4×800 relay. Molly Wasserberg, Kiara Schuh and Christine Tsai joined Katz in the 4×400.
Vivian Overbeck was a double state qualifier for Vernon Hills, winning the 3,200 in 11:16.58 and placing third in the 1,600 with a time of 5:19.80. She said she was determined to prove herself in two events this year.
“Two years ago I didn’t qualify,” Overbeck said. “Last year I qualified in the 3,200 but missed out at 1,600. This year I want to make all state in both.”
She was fifth in the 3,200 in 2014.
Also earning a berth at state were Kasey Firnbach in the discus with a second-place throw of 123-01 and the quartet of Tsai, Schuh, Wasserberg and Emily Carido in the 4×100 relay. They were third in 50.56.
Carmel exceeds expectations
Carmel’s eighth-place finish was a plus for coach Jim Halford. He said he was going to put his faith in the Corsairs’ relay teams and they came through. Three earned a trip to state along with a pair of individuals.
“We exceeded our expectations,” Halford said. “The relays finished strong.”
In both the 4×100 and the 4×400, the anchor leg pulled Carmel ahead a place in the final lap.
Marianne Smith, Nissiya Adjei, Emily Silge and Valerie Jarencio joined forces to win the 4×100 in 50:36. In the 4×400, Grace Duffy, Riley Felicicchia, Jaclyn Psenka and Kalli Morozin took second in 4:08.77. Adjei, Duffy, Jarencio and Lauren Cheslog ended up third in the 4×200 running a state qualifying time of 1:47.58.
Hasana Huff won the triple jump with combined leaps of 36-03.25 to earn a return trip to Charleston while Aileen Hull, another freshman, will run the 1,600 at state after taking fourth in 5:23.72.
An earlier version of this story stated that Vernon Hills would send three relay teams and four individuals to the Class 2A state meet in eight events. The Cougars will send three relay teams and five individuals to state in seven events.
Sadin is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
Twitter: @sadinsteve
