On a hot and sunny afternoon the Hinsdale Central 3A girls track and field sectional is here. DVC champion Naperville Central in attendance along with Metea Valley, Waubonsie Valley and Naperville North.
Triple Jump
To the triple jump pit where Naperville Central sophomore Brooke Sawatzky, winner of the event in the DVC a week ago sprints down the track and makes a leap of 35 feet and 1.25 inches. That is good enough for second place and a state qualification. Raina Wolf from Sandburg is the sectional champ. Naperville North senior Denise Hernandez dominates the long jump at 19 feet, 2 inches, a new school record to win the sectional and will head to state as well.
Pole Vault
Now to the pole vault where Waubonsie Valley sophomore Daniella Russo clears the bar at 9 feet, 9 inches. That is good for a tie for third. A great effort but just shy of state qualification.
2021 state qualifier and girls volleyball standout Ashley Kushner takes her turn down the runway. The senior gets over the bar and will head down state once again with a height of 10 feet, 3 inches.
Naperville Central sophomore Kait McHale started pole vaulting for the first time in January of this year. It’s safe to say that the girl is a natural as McHale wins the sectional by a foot and a half, setting a new PR with a height of 11 feet, 9 inches. A very bright future for this Redhawk.
High Jump
All state high jumper Madeline Andelbradt is back from injury and doing a little film study before taking one of her leaps. The Naperville North senior punches her ticket to state for the second straight season, cracking the top two after clearing 5 feet, 3 inches.
The sectional champion is someone who just missed out on the state cut a year ago. Metea Valley sophomore Annastasia Murphy gets up and over the bar for a new school record at 5 feet, 5 inches to take the crown and make her first trip down state.
4X800 Relay
The first running event of the meet is the 4X800 meter relay. Naperville North and Lyons Township battling for first place in this one. The Huskies racing with Jackie Liu, Sydney Day, Christine Gu and Emma Berres as the anchor. Berres the freshman outpaces her opponents in her two laps as the Huskies take the sectional win, LT in second place and heads to state as well.
100 Meter Hurdles
Next up is the 100 meter hurdles. Naperville North’s Maggie O’Neill chasing the leaders. Shannon Lawler from Stagg is the sectional champion. Versatile Naperville Central star Brooke Sawatzky is heading to state in another event by finishing second. O’Neill ends up in 4th.
100 Meter Dash
Same distance let’s just get those pesky hurdles out of the way. Metea Valley with two sprinters near the front. Sophomore Kyla Harris on the left and senior Maria Lambert on the right. Zoey Littlejohn from West Aurora right there as well. At the line, it’s Lambert who finishes in first place. Littlejohn takes the other qualifying spot in second place while Harris finishes in 3rd. Second win of the night for the Mustangs.
3200 Meters
From the shortest race to the longest. The two mile is next as DVC champion Liv Phillips and teammate Ava Hendren get off to the early lead. After the first two laps Naperville North runners Julie Piot and Logan Brennan get out in front, Metea senior Sarah Maggio near the front, rocking the shades. Waubonsie freshman Lily Baibak and Metea senior Keeley Behr near the back edge of the pack.
Pulling away for a decisive victory is Sophia McNerney from Downers Grove South to win the sectional. She would win the 1600 later in the night as well. Lyons Township’s Catherine Somerfeld in second place. Ava Hendren from Central crosses in third. Sarah Fischer from Hinsdale Central track, Claire Pyne from Downers Grove North and Julie Piot go 4-6 while Sarah Maggio lunges for the line for 7th. She qualifies for state by less than a half second as the top 7 will all make the trip to Eastern next week. Logan Brennan in 8th and Liv Phillips in 9th.
800 Meters
Sun beginning to dip below the trees now as the 800 meter race approaches. Emma Berres and Jackie Liu from Naperville North in the hunt, but winning in decisive fashion is Catie McCabe from Hinsdale Central. Berres takes second for the other automatic qualifying spot and Jackie Liu takes third but unfortunately is two tenths of a second behind the time needed to qualify for state at 2:19.61.
4X200 Meter Relay
The third relay of the night is the 4X200. Naperville North, Bolingbrook, West Aurora and Downers Grove North all in contention for state berths. Ashley Kushner leading off for the Huskies and she hands off to Danielle Hernandez. Hernandez gives the baton off to Lily Logenbaugh before Christine Gu turns on the afterburners as the anchor leg. The Huskies win the relay by nearly three seconds over Downers Grove North in second. The Huskies and Trojans going back and forth atop the overall team standings.
400 Meters
Now over to the 400 meters as the meet hits the final few races. Metea Valley sophomore Kyla Harris right in the middle of your screen. She just missed out on state in the 100 meters, she does not miss this time. The Mustang wins the 400 with a time of 57.49. Myonica Jackson from Bolingbrook, Sophie Kusserow from Naperville Central, Rebecca Phillips from Lyons and Avery Littlejohn from West Aurora all hit the state qualifying time as well.
Wheelchair Division
Shoutout to West Aurora senior Megan Sporny, who competed in the 100, 400, 800 and 200 meter wheelchair division races and crushed the state qualifying times in all four. Here she is in the 200 with a time of 59.71.
4X400 Meter Relay
The final race of the night. Downers Grove North picked up enough points on the Hinsdale Central track in the 300 meter hurdles and the 200 meters to clinch the sectional title, but still plenty at stake in the 4X400.
Ashley Kushner starting the relay off once again for Naperville North. Brooke Bilik, Sophie Kusserow, Lola Satre-Morales and Brooke Sawatzky also running for Naperville Central.
Lyons Township in front, with Central and North on their heels. Megan Schoenjohn and Emma Berres run the middle two legs for the Huskies. At the final handoff, Naperville Central in the lead with Hinsdale Central and LT in second and third. Christine Gu in 4th for Naperville North but not for long. The Huskies turns on the jets and passes Sawatzky down the stretch and holds off Catie McCabe from Hinsdale Central to give Naperville North its third relay win of the night. Sawatzky gets across the line in time to qualify the Redhawks for state in the event.
Downers Grove North wins the Hinsdale Central girls track and field sectional championship by just two points over Naperville North. Lyons Township in third, Hinsdale Central 4th, Naperville Central 5th and Metea Valley in 6th. Eastern Illinois awaits next weekend!
For more prep sports highlights, visit the Naperville Sports Weekly page!
