Knowing their course and racing a tough middle of the race bode well for both Palatine boys and girls teams Saturday at the Palatine Sectional. The girls race kicked off the day with a very close finish, as Palatine beat Hersey 94-96. The boys side was equally as exciting, with many top athletes showing their heart throughout the race. Palatine beat Hersey in this race as well, 57-79.
ILRunners.com Coverage: Palatine Sectional
Girls
Everyone knew only a couple points seperated Palatine and Hersey at the finish, however the amount of space between the teams runners as they crossed the finish line surprised. Girl for girl each team battled, with Palatine pulling out just the slightest of wins, 94-96. Woodstock finished third (138 points), Barrington fourth (146) and Libertyville fifth (153). Dundee-Crown missed out by three points, finishing sixth.
The race that really pushed Palatine towards the victory came up top by Colleen Standridge. Standridge's performances in past weeks showed incredible mental toughness, and Saturday showed that again. From the mile onward the pack of leaders kept at four. Heather Olson (Jr., Warren), Kristina Aubert (So., Crystal Lake South), Kayla Beattie (Fr., Woodstock) and Standridge (Sr.). Those four pulled away and held on to each spot as the race progressed.
Into the final 400m straight, Olson gapped Aubert, sprinting for the victory in 17:07, while Aubert finished a respectable 17:14. Beattie showed what a powerhouse freshman she is, finishing a strong third in 17:18, while Standridge closed strong in 17:20. Annette White (Prospect) finished fifth in 17:25.
Boys
Palatine's goal Saturday was simple. Pack it up into groups and run strong through the middle of the race. That tactic worked near perfection, as the Pirates beat Hersey 57-79. Palatine's 4-7 runners ran together nearly the whole race, finishing very well, catipulting their team to the win. Cary-Grove finished third with 168 points, while Barrington and Dundee-Crown both tied for fourth with 178 points.
As the gun sounded, Kevin Havel (Sr., Hersey) took off and never looked back. He had a nice lead at the 800m mark, gapping the rest of the field by well over ten seconds. That lead never vanished as he crossed the line in 14:10. Mat Smoody (Sr., Palatine) meanwhile started with the pack and put in a surge around the mile mark, grabbing onto second and running with teammate Kevin O'Brien (Sr., Palatine), as those two plus Hersey senior Bill Wisser pulled away from the rest of the field by a mile and half.
The the finish neared, Smoody ran strong for second in 14:27, while O'Brien outkicked Wisser in the final straight, finishing third in 14:34, while Wisser (14:39) and Scott Friedlander (Sr., Deerfield, in 14:40) finished 4-5.
Results Forthcoming.