Batavia Distance Madness Looks To Be IL's Version of NBNI


Girls preview-

800m: 

This will be the first race that we will see of the fast section races as it is set to start at 6:13 pm. This race may be the weakest race on the girl's side but sees some big-time hitters with Lauren Huber of Glenbard East and Mia Gianfrancesco of Batavia in the field. Huber was one of the best freshmen in the half-mile run last season with a PR of 2:16.75. She gained an all-state honor as part of the Lady Rams 4x800m team. She is also entering the track season after a year without doing cross country and instead opting to play volleyball for her high school. The real question will be what her endurance is like since she hasn't run competitively in over 7 months. This marks the first time that Gianfrancesco is running on the oval. She is a very accomplished xc runner with two all-state accolades but has always played soccer as her dad is the head soccer coach at Batavia high school. She looked great as part of the Bulldogs 4x800m team this past Monday at the Downers Grove South Mustang Relays. She has run every event it seems like, but the open 800m. This race may very well take a 2:16 to win.

3200m:

Some fire will happen in the fast section of this event with a total of nine all-staters in the field. Alex Morris of Naperville North headlines the group after a very successful campaign on the grass that ended with two all-American honors to bring her total now to three. This will be her season debut in her main track event. Morris has been racing only the 1600m to start the year and is coming off her first ever sub 5:00 performance in the event. She will look to try and best her former teammates meet record of 10:34.25 set last year by Sarah Schmitt which only about a second slower than her outdoor PR from last year. She will face a tough challenge though with Brenna Cohoon of Downers Grove South, Abby Lopez of Argo, and Campbell Petersen of Naperville North all with PR under the challenging sub 11:00 barrier. Petersen actually beat her teammate when she finally broke 5:00 in the 1600m, can she beat her in the 3200m as well? Lopez is a long distance training specimen who is ready to show the dividends of hard work. Cohoon was an all-stater last year in the 3200m and will focus mainly on the event again this year even after being part of a US#17 4x800m team this past Monday at DGS Mustang Relays. Cohoon is just really excited to see where she stacks up against the rest of the state, "It will be a good barometer for where I am at this point in the season" she told us. This will be for sure a race that we will see a few sub 11:00 marks. 

1600m:

This will be the best event on the girl's schedule by far with a total of 10 athletes with all-state accolades in the fastest section. This field has the capability of taking 7 athletes under the 5:00 barrier. Katrina Schlenker of Batavia enters the race as the top dog in the fight with a 4:55.46 winning by about 27 seconds. It's going to be fun to see what she does with some competition on her tail. Arguably the current best 800m runner in the state, Erin Reidy of Downers Grove South, is in the field just a week after going 2:11.47 at the NCC Cardinal Classic. Reidy is expected to carry the field to a bevy of fast times. She is prepared and knows what it takes to take home the win. Claire Hill of Naperville North took second to Reidy at that magical race in the Al Carius Field house this past Thursday that brought the crowd to its feet. She will be looking for redemption over Reidy who just got her at the line. Brooke Stromsland of Lakes has a newfound spotlight on herself after her 2A state title over Lianna Surtz of Rosary this past cross country season. The Eagles star kicked off her campaign this past week at the NCC Cardinal Classic finishing the 1600m in 5th with a 5:04.97 after running the 4x800m. Now that she has knocked off that rust we may very well her dip under the watershed mark for the first time in her life.