Metea Valley second to none at Glenbard East

Metea Valley took an unorthodox approach to capture the most significant girls track and field crown in its brief history.

Despite not winning any of the 18 events Saturday at the Ram Invitational in Lombard, the Mustangs secured the title to the 16-team meet largely courtesy of eight runners-up finishes.

“It was a total team effort,” Metea Valley coach Jim Braun said after the Mustangs secured the 91-78 victory over sister school Neuqua Valley. “We’re a good second-place team. We don’t get a lot of firsts.”

Schaumburg, which had one of the two double winners in sophomore hurdler Darneisha Spann, was third with 59 points. Naperville Central was fourth, followed by host Glenbard East and its incomparable reigning state champion Lindsey Rakosnik.

Glenbard South was comfortably ahead of Benet for sixth, with Waubonsie Valley and West Chicago rounding out the local programs.

Mustangs sprinter Emily Cowen was second in both of the two shortest sprints, and Metea’s Amira Turner made it three in a row with her runner-up slot at 400 meters. Lauren Lindholm battled Rakosnik until the bitter end at 1,600 meters before the Illinois-bound Rakosnik collected her second win after earlier claiming the 800, for which she is the defending Class 3A state titlist.

Kendall Cast did likewise at 3,200 meters; the Mustangs’ 400 relay, with Cowen as the anchor, had the last of their second-place results on the track.

Throwers Jasmine Davis and Holly Julifs were second in the shot put and discus, respectively.

The University of Illinois’ three local recruits met with varying degrees of success. Rakosnik eased to victory at 800 meters in 2 minutes, 21.67 seconds, and future teammate Amanda Fox in the 1,600 in an outdoor-best time of 5:05.5

“We had an indoor meet (against Metea Valley), and (Lindholm) was right behind me the whole time,” Rakosnik said of the Mustangs’ senior. “I stayed strong in the end. I was just racing (the 800) to get points for the team.”

“(Rakosnik) is a once-in-a-lifetime athlete,” Glenbard South coach Mark Tacchi said.

“She’ll be a great teammate,” Naperville Central state cross country champion Fox said of Rakosnik. “It will be a lot of fun to be on the same team with her.”

“I had to stick behind (Rakosnik) behind her this race as well (as their indoor meeting),” Lindholm said. “She is really fast.”

Waubonsie Valley defending state runner-up at 100 meters Morolake Akinosun was held out of competition for precautionary reasons. The third Illini recruit posted the fastest time in the nation during the indoor season at 55 meters.

Neuqua Valley senior Savannah Carson won the 100 meters in 12.43 seconds, but the returning all-stater at 200 meters had to scratch in both her specialty event and the long jump.

Alex Rozgony medaled at 200 meters and spearheaded the 800 Neuqua Valley relay team to a second win; high jumper Shaniha Lim snared the Wildcats’ last title.

Naperville Central sophomore Mary Beth Blank captured the 200 dash by one-hundredth of a second, and the Redhawks’ Tina Norris erased Davis’ 10-inch led in the shot put with a winning effort of 39 feet, 6 inches.

“I had to go for it,” Norris said.

Jamie Gradishar gave the Rams a third title with her winning performance in the pole vault, and Benet senior Anne Yahiro won the triple jump after being runner-up in the long jump. West Chicago crowned the 400 champion in Lali Valdivia, while Waubonsie Valley got on the board courtesy of its 3,200 relay.

Glenbard South thrower Sam Howard hurled the discus 121-8 to snare the final local first-place award. Spann could not have authored a better script to the conclusion of her flawless afternoon.

The Saxons’ sophomore, who dusted all comers to win the 100 hurdles by almost a second and the 300 hurdles in equally one-sided fashion, collaborated with Lauren Lindgren, Hannah Combs and Tori Cappozziello to take the 1,600 relay in 4:09.09.

“I’m actually used (to winning) by now,” said Spann, who has tasted defeat only twice outdoors. “I stepped up and I performed great. I would have to say I’m most pleased with the 100 hurdles.”

Caroline Kurdej was the Saxons’ other champion at the meet.

Locked in a tense battle with Cast and Benet senior Audrey Blazek for much of the 3,200 run, the Saxons’ freshman finally created some separation over the final 400 meters. Kurdej toured the eight laps in 11:20.08 to deny Caste by nearly four seconds.

“I wanted that win real bad,” Kurdej said. “My plan was to press through in the final 300 meters.”