Downers Grove North ‘Ritter’ Invite Recap

DGN Ritter Invitational
Tony Jones


On-Site Coverage by Tony Jones

Brrr…was the vast understatement word of the evening.  It was so cold that the young lady who sang the national anthem got caught in between a chill and screeched a verse of the fabled song. It was that cold.  Still, the chilly 38*F climes that followed by a stiff south breeze could not deter some of the state’s hot track and field action.

First thing first-

A big shout out to meet directors Tim McDonald and emeritus Bruce Ritter as well as the whole Downers Grove North staff for braving absolutely brutal conditions.  They produced a great meet.  The runners in turn responded quite well under the circumstances.

Perez and Fisher steal the show-

The first official race on the track was the 4x800m relay.  Some of the state’s premier teams were primed and ready to go when the 6pm start time came.  Palatine, Elmhurst York, Prospect, Lane Tech, Downers Grove North, and Glen Ellyn Glenbard West got off well when the gun sounded.  York’s Emma Fisher (Sr.) struck first and powered her way to the front and pushed through the initial 400m in approximately 1:09.6.  She held strong using the backstretch tailwind along with the Palatine runner just behind her. Fisher continued to push hard as she entered the homestretch and a stiff wind in her face.  She handed off to her teammate in first with a 2:23.2 leg.  Palatine wasn’t far behind in 2:23.7.  It would be the only time that York would lead in this affair.
 
Palatine took off in great position and quickly assumed the lead.  It appeared the Pirates would be in line to run away with things, but the home team Downers Grove North would not have any of it.  In fact, a few other teams surged back to Palatine to create a cluster.  In the background, notable observers could see Pirate coaches Joe Parks and the legendary Steve Currins urging their runner on.  By the third leg, it was a two-team race between Palatine and Downers Grove North.  Finally, the anchor legs would feature Palatine’s Kara Burton (So.) and the Trojan’s Meghan Bonfield (Jr.).  The pair worked together briefly but clearly it was a race that each girl wanted to win.  Bonfield had a slight advantage late in the final lap and held strong through the finish line to win in 9:37.23-9:38.04.  Both times are now the top marks in the state.  Coach McDonald would later say “this was the best we could do in the conditions out there.”  
 
Maddie Perez (Jr., Glenbard West) may have watched a bit of the relay and decided that she would not have any theatrics in the 3200m.  She immediately zipped out to the front of the 13-girl race with 72, 2:30 opening splits.  Her teammate Lisa Luczak (So.) assumed the second spot and soon was running on an island.  There was no way she was going to catch her idol on a day like this.
 
Perez continued her march to what seemed like a special mark.  She hit the first half in 5:06 (the track for the 1600m is 5:05 at the time) and 14-seconds ahead of Luczak.  The cold and wind did not seem to bother Perez whatsoever as she turned a usually long and sometimes agonizing race into quick work.  The bell lap was reached in 9:06 and Perez had more issues with lapped runners in lane one, but it didn’t matter.  Perez made Swiss cheese of a few stragglers a second time before trotting swiftly home in 10:27.30.  It would be a personal best for the state’s pre-eminent distance runner.  As well it served noticed to some of her foes who may have gotten comfortable with great early season times.  Luczak would eventually come home with a very respectable 11:00.77- just ahead of the University of Missouri bound Brooke Wolfe of Prospect who ran 11:12.38.
 
The 800m was more than a mere fill in for the upcoming 1600m duel between Perez and Fisher.  Glenbard West’s Emma Reifel had to sit through two previous heats before getting her turn.  Reifel didn’t take too much time in going for the victory. The senior standout used her patent breakaway speed with 200m to win easily in 2:19.07.  Christina Santiago (Jr., Prospect) put up a valiant fight but had to settle for second in 2:21.43.  She held off Cassidy McPherson (Jr., Palatine) who took the bronze medal.
 
The final distance race of the evening was a dandy between Fisher and Perez in the aforementioned 1600m.  Fisher struck like a viper first when she led the first lap and change.  However, Perez refused to succumb and even took a momentary lead of her own.  Ironically, they were battling so fiercely that it didn’t seem like anyone else was in the race. Two Mid-Suburban League foes: Tess Wasowicz (Sr., Palatine) and Santiago were in the distant rearview mirror.
 
The evening belonged to Fisher and Perez who continued to run stride for stride through 800m in 2:30.  The landscape stayed even on the bell lap, but it was clear that the pace quickened on the backstretch as both gladiators were trying to output each other.  As the race entered the homestretch, the cold but hearty faithful got on its feet to cheer on the duo.  Perez and Fisher hit the finish line in an unofficial 5:02.  Immediately both camps rushed their favorite runner.  Glenbard West coach Kelly Hass jubilantly rushed to her Perez and anointed her the winner.  The same was done by the Lady Dukes athletes for Fisher.  It wasn’t until a minute or two later that the meet announcer announced that Fisher won by the slimmest of margins in 5:02.23-5:02.26.  It was a meet and track record.  No doubt it was one of the greatest battles this season.

Saffa and Spagnola duo held their own too-

West Aurora arguably has the best duo in the state behind Naperville Neuqua Valley’s Savannah Carson (Sr.) and Maya Neal (So.).  If Anita Saffa (Sr.) and Emma Spagnola (Jr.) are the second best combo in the state it’s not by much.  That fact was put to the test before the running events even started.  Spagnola got matters started in the long jump where she jumped 17-7.5 on her first attempt.  It was good enough to hold off Catherine Sherwood (So., Prospect) who was mighty close at 17-5.  Spagnola moved over to the track and turned out the top prelim mark in the 100H (15.76).  The final was even more impressive as Spagnola blitzed the field with a 15.25 time into a strong headwind.  Her teammate Saffa stepped up in the 100m by winning it by a wide margin 12.53 over Sydney Keith (Sr., Wheeling).  Keith had the top mark in the prelims.  Saffa also won the 200m in 25.62- turning back Keith once more who ran a distant 26.62. Spagnola completed her individual affairs by winning the 300H in a season best 45.88 over Rebecca Ridderhoff (Sr., Downers Grove North).  Saffa and Spagnola did team up in the 4x100m relay and placed second in 50.35.

Outro-

Bertha Frazier (Jr., Champaign Centennial) was one of the pre-meet favorites in the 400m.  She lived up to the billing with a strong finish over the final 120m to win in 58.98.  
 
The event of the day was of course the 4x400m relay.  It came down to Downers Grove North and Lane Tech.  Lane Tech took the lead after a savvy break in on the second leg by freshman Imani Davis.  She gapped the field a bit with a convincing finish.  However, the lead didn’t last because the Trojans would grab hold of the race shortly after the third leg.  Stephanie Urbancik (Jr.) closed it out for her team and Downers North 4:06.54-4:07.93.

West Aurora won the team title with 119 points.  Prospect netted 105 and Palatine 90.
 

Elite Performances

Girls Highlights