Girls-
3A #24 Evanston has enjoyed a wonderful season thus far. The Wildkits rise among the state's elite teams started over the summer when the young ladies could be seen completing their morning runs from school to the lake as a team. The result of putting in hard work usually means a strong return on an investment. The success continued on Saturday with a complete and thorough victory over 37 teams. The Wildkits scored a scant 82 points. Evanston won the battle of front runners with junior Enyaeva Michelin and freshman Samantha Steman finishing second and third. The team's closing scorers put additional damper on the competition by sticking together throughout the sloppy conditions. Oswego East placed second overall and second in the white division. Junior Abby Flamersfield finished sixth to lead the way for the Wolves.
The Pat Savage Invitational is split up into two groups: Red (Class A/AA) and White (AAA). The runners compete in one race and finish in the same chute but the scoring is separated only for team trophies and medals consideration. 2A #7 Chicago Northside College Prep won the red division title respectively over conference rival Payton College Prep 73-76.
| TEAM SCORES | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PLACE | TEAM | POINTS | SCORERS | TIMES | ||
| 1 | Evanston Township High School | 82 | 2+3+21+22+34 (86+121) | 1:15 1-5 Split | 19:11 Avg | ||
| 2 | Oswego East High School | 117 | 6+10+12+38+51 (52+83) | 1:17 1-5 Split | 19:24 Avg | ||
| 3 | Northside Prep High School | 127 | 4+14+24+39+46 (57+80) | 1:24 1-5 Split | 19:28 Avg | ||
| 4 | Payton High School | 183 | 13+15+28+45+82 (95+124) | 1:23 1-5 Split | 19:47 Avg | ||
| 5 | Woodstock High School | 212 | 5+7+8+90+102 (116) | 2:18 1-5 Split | 19:39 Avg | ||
The individual race was a bit more conservative than the boys. For one the pace was much slower in relative terms. Six minute mile pace for girls is more comfy than five minute pace for boys. A strong fleet of girls could have staked their claim as a leader with a first mile in 5:53-54 and by no means was it a runaway from those who trailed. Last year's winner senior Kate Jacobs of Jacobs was there again in the lead as well as freshman Samantha Barrett of Marian Catholic. Michelin, Sara McCoy (Jr., Northside Prep), Steman, and Flammersfield were among the fray. The pack begin to thin out over the next half mile and it was Michelin who took over the chores. Ashley Bryja (Sr., Chicago McAuley) trailed with McCoy and a few others. The second mile was completed by the leaders in 12:20. The individual battle at this point was very unclear. That's because the rain was falling so hard that it made the landscape hard to peruse. But as soon as the runners started to stream into the stadium it became evident that it was going to be a thriller. Michelin was leading but Bryja was coming on strong and the sense and feel of the track must have given a flashback of the 800m trackster she is when it's the spring season. Bryja eased past Michelin with 150m left to win in jubilant fashion. The 18:29 was 11 seconds slower than Jacob's time but that came on a completely dry day.
| top 10 GIRLS THREE MILE RUN | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PLACE | ATHLETE | TEAM | RESULT | POINTS | ||
| 1 | Ashley Bryja | 12 | Mother McAuley High School | 18:29.24 | 1 | |
| 2 | Enyaeva Michelin | 11 | Evanston Township High School | 18:32.31 | 2 | |
| 3 | Samantha Steman | 9 | Evanston Township High School | 18:33.00 | 3 | |
| 4 | Sara Mccoy | 11 | Northside Prep High School | 18:36.60 | 4 | |
| 5 | Kate Jacobs | 12 | Woodstock High School | 18:38.53 | 5 | |
| 6 | Abby Flammersfeld | 11 | Oswego East High School | 18:47.37 | 6 | |
| 7 | Morgan Thompson | 9 | Wauconda High School | 18:51.56 | -- | |
| 8 | Kylie Hagmann | 10 | Woodstock High School | 18:54.35 | 7 | |
| 9 | Shannon Koscinski | 9 | Woodstock High School | 18:58.36 | 8 | |
| 10 | Julia O'grady | 10 | Prospect High School | 18:58.53 | 9 | |
Ashley Bryja's post race reaction