On your marks, get set, let’s go racing at the girls indoor track and field DVC meet. Naperville North comes in as defending indoor champs, but defending outdoor champ Naperville Central along with the rest of the conference teams look to dethrone the Huskies before the outdoor campaign begins next month. This highlight is sponsored by BMO Harris Bank.
We begin with the long jump as Gabi Karvelis from Neuqua Valley gets a jump of seventeen feet and nine inches, that’s good for a PR and a second place finish. Teammate Zawadi Brown takes first place in the event.
On the high jump with Metea Valley’s Anna Murphy who was a 2022 State finalist and I’d say this jump of five feet three inches has her ready for another successful outdoor season.
Huskies start off with a strong run
Now let’s hit the track with the 4 X 800 meter relay. It’s the Huskie group of Marissa Magana, Julie Piot, Logan Brennan and Sydney Day starting things off on the right foot with a comfortable win eight seconds ahead of Naperville Central and Metea Valley.
Naperville Central turns on the jets
To a longer race in the two mile, as North’s Shania and Rianna Tandon get in front early but later Ava Hendren from Central chases the Tandon girls and grabs the first place spot. She cruises her way to the finish line with a time of eleven minutes and seven seconds, just one second ahead of Shania Tandon. Neuqua Valley’s Carissa Hamilton comes in third. Rianna Tandon takes fourth and Lily Baibak from Waubonsie Valley finishes in fifth.
We go to a shorter distance race in the 55 meter hurdles as Brooke Sawatzky for Central leaps ahead of the pack and wins the race by a comfortable full second ahead of North’s Clara Logenbaugh.
Redhawks and Wildcats battle out
Take down the hurdles and we go dash 55 meters. Zawadi Brown for Neuqua comes in like a lightning bolt and inches out Metea’s Kyla Harris by two tenths of a second at 7.19.
Onto the 800 meter run and it’s a one two finish for Naperville Central with Addison George and Abby Mogg leading the way for the Hawks.
Back to the relay’s and Abby Wood is the anchor of the Central group of Adeline O’Niell, Lauren Thorne and Bella Brozek. Wood has a comfortable lead on the final leg but the Neuqua pack is trying to catch up. At the line, Wood just wins it by the skin of her teeth and celebrates with a tumble. Hawks take the win with a time of 1.48.31 that’s just four hundreds of a second ahead of Neuqua’s group.
Redhawks and Wildcats keep trading off wins as Brown picks up another victory for herself in the 400 meter dash. Brown wins four events including the 200 later in the meet. The All-State performer looks poised for a monster spring.
Redhawks with the dagger in the mile
Neuqua keeps that momentum with Gretchen Leland and Sienna McEneaney out front in the mile. Although out of the blue Liv Phillips by everybody and nobody is going to catch her. Phillips wins the race ahead of North’s Julia Piot and teammate Addison George. These big time wins were pivotal because they result in Naperville Central capturing the indoor girls track and field DVC title with 139 points, ahead of Neuqua Valley and DeKalb.
Full results from the meet can be found at athletic.net.
For more prep sports highlights, visit the Naperville Sports Weekly page!
