Karina Liz will be on display Saturday evening in the 800
Girls-
Karina Liz (Sr., Aurora Central Catholic) and Imani Davis (Sr., Chicago Lane Tech) never met on the track- only in virtual races or track and field pools. They will go head to head in the 800m championship. If all goes according to plan there will be a new state best. Liz is a two-time defending state champion in 2A with a personal best 2:10.73. Liz has arguably been the best middle distance runner over the past two seasons because she is not afraid to take on all comers. The pace should be fast with 56 second 400m speed on the table. Davis on the other hand is not a push over. She placed 4th last year in the 3A final clocking 2:13.85. Now is the time for the speedy Davis to make her push as a premier 800 runner before the state series unfolds in a few weeks.
The 32 girl field of the 3200m may be overshadowed due to the previous engagement that the Glenbard West "Sue Pariseau" Invitational will possess. No Judy Pendergast (Sr., Naperville North) or Maryjeanne Gilbert (Sr., Peoria Notre Dame) as previously advertised, but it should not stop a very good race from happening. Summer Pierson (Sr., Yorkville) is fresh off of a great performance at Arcadia where she clocked 10:46.04 (IL #1 at the time and still #2). But Caitlin Shepard (Sr., Lake Zurich) has ran well too. The University of Kentucky bound Shepard competed well in New York at the New Balance Indoor Nationals to a tune of 10:48. Brooke Wilson (Jr., Prospect) is one of the top runners over the past year in the long stuff too. She has a personal best of 10:47.72 and will be running in her first outdoor 3200. It will be a great battle among the trio and one if not all three should produce personal bests. The field will also feature Brett Chody (So., Metea Valley) and Dakota Roman (Sr., Batavia)- both girls have run under 11:00 this spring. Roman has the leg speed advantage producing a 2:16 800m.
The Mid Suburban League (MSL) has been revered as one of the top leagues for distance runners for a very long time. Meagan Biddle (Sr., Hoffman Estates) and Kelly O'Brien (Sr., Palatine) have been at the forefront of the MSL legacy. Both runners have personal bests under 5:00 and this should be another classic. The field is long when you consider Maddy Kammerer (Sr., Oswego), Isabelle Sparreo (So., Stevenson), Abby Fioresi (Jr., Aurora Central Catholic), and Kortney Schardt (Sr., Lakes).