Hart and Michelin finish in the 1600 (Laura Duffy photo)

Hart wins seasonal triple crown for second straight year; Naperville North wins team title; Hinsdale Central runs US #3 in 4x8 win; Michelin runs US#2 time in 800m win; Young with a triple win with third 100 Meter Dash title.

By Michael Newman

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Charleston, Il – For the first 1500-meters of the 3A Girls State Finals Saturday afternoon, Glenbard West’s Katelynne Hart and Evelyn Michelin of Evanston Township ran next to each other on the O’Brien Stadium’s big blue oval not letting each other take the lead. In the end, it was Hart that just had a little more heart to finish.

Two of the best runners in Illinois history came off the final curve together with the capacity crowd going crazy. Michelin went to the right to try to pass Hart. The Glenbard West sophomore held Michelin off. Hart made one final move that the Evanston Township senior did not have.

A joyful Hart crossed the line to win the 1600 Meter Run breaking Shelley McBride’s 33-year old 3A Meet Record running 4:47.36 (US #10). Michelin crossed next in a personal best 4:48.34.

“I knew I was going to wait until the final 200-meters to make my move. She (Michelin) has such great speed,” Hart said. “I did not know what she was going to have left in the last 100. There has been some stress leading up to this race. When I crossed the line, all that stress was released.”

“I knew that this double was definitely doable,” Michelin explained. “Hart is amazing. I knew going out with her would put me at the time I wanted to get. I just wanted to get a PR today and leave it all out there.”

Hart earlier in the meet went for the win in the 3200 Meter Run and it was a smart move considering the temperatures that soared into the 80’s with the humidity close to matching the temperatures. She won her second 3200 Meter Run title (10:12.96) by almost 13 seconds. Barrington’s Jocelyn Long moved by Naperville North’s Sarah Schmitt in the final 300-meters to place second (10:25.01) to Schmitt’s 10:28.24.

Michelin raced before her 1600 Meter Run showdown with Hart. The race that she ran in the 800 Meter Run will be one that will be talked about for years to come. Michelin took the pace out hard leading the pack through the first 400-meters in 62.5 seconds. The pack led by Schaumburg’s Madison Marasco went through two seconds back. Michelin continued to surge entering the back stretch. Marasco noticed that ad countered the move trying to get close to the lead. Michelin would never allow that. The margin of two seconds stayed the same entering the final 100-meters. Michelin had eyes on Courtney Clayton’s state record of 2:07.05. She crossed the line with the state title running the second fastest time in the nation (2:08.44) just missing the record. Her time though was the fifth fastest ever run by an Illinois Girls athlete at the distance. Marasco was next also running a personal best (2:10.14) just ahead of third-place Mikenna Robinson of Neuqua Valley (2:11.83).

“I knew that if I was going to run under 2:08 today was going to be the day,” Michelin said. “I didn’t do it today. Hopefully, I get some other opportunities to better that time.”

Points here and there get Naperville North the team title

Naperville North’s team 3A title was something that Coach Dan Iverson started to talk to his team about in early February. “We talked to the team early in the year about the possibilities of a state title,” he said. “It just continued to grow as the season went on. It was a drive that this group had.”

The Lady Huskies, after finishing third in last year’s finals, gutted their way to a team title scoring 53 points for their first championship in track & field. They also became the first school (along with 2A Dunlap on Saturday) to win Cross Country and Track and Field Championships in the same calendar school year. Homewood-Flossmoor captured their second second-place finish in as many years with 47 points. Belleville West scored 39 points to finish two points ahead of Whitney Young for the final trophy.

Naperville North found ways to get the points that they needed for the title. It started with Safina Allie’s sixth-place finish in the Long Jump. Their 3200 Meter Relay team was next finishing fourth in the race. Schmitt’s third and the fourth-place finish by Alex Morris gave them a much needed 13 team points. Claire Hill finished ninth in the 800 Meter Run.

Hallie Bieber was pulled out of the relays in the finals so that she could concentrate on her two hurdle events. In a great finish in the 100 Meter Hurdles, Homewood-Flossmoor sophomore Kaylah McCall surged over the final hurdle for the win (14.06) edging Bieber (14.13) and Belleville West’s LaQwasia Stepney (14.16). Bieber came off the curve in the 300 Meter Hurdles with a lead that she only extended in the final 100-meters. Bieber won her second state title (43.48) by more than a second ahead of Stepney (44.67).

Allie’s sustained an injury in the Long Jump and could not run in the 800 Meter Relay. Annie Brandt and Gillian Delaney stepped in for Bieber and Allie, so their team could just get a point in the event in which they did. Schmitt held on in the 1600 Meter Run to finish eighth.

All Naperville North had to do in the 1600 Meter Relay was to finish ahead of Homewood-Flossmoor. That happened as the Lady Huskies finished second just ahead of Homewood-Flossmoor.

Third time title results in Triple win for Young

There were people that were doubting that Whitney Young’s Amira Young could win her third state title in the 100 Meter Dash. “I really do not pay attention to anything that is out there in the news and social media,” Young said. “I know I am god getting ready for when it counts at the end of the season”

Young did that with three great performances in her final time at the state meet. Young looked good in the finals of the 100 Meter Dash moving into the lead 50-meters in and finishing with her third win (11.80) ahead of Ameia Wilson of Danville and Ozzy Erewele of Springfield who were given the same time (11.88). Highland Park’s Taylor Gidding was just one hundredth of a second back as she finished fourth (11.89). Young looked stronger in the 200 Meter Dash pulling away from Gilling and Wilson for the win (24.37) as Gilling edged Wilson for second both given the same time (24.37).

Young only had 20-minutes to rest before she would anchor Whitney Young’s team in the 1600 Meter Relay. Young got the baton with the lead. Naperville North and Homewood-Flossmoor closed the gap as Young seemed to be tiring. She found one more burst of speed down the stretch as she held on for the win (3:52.73) ahead of Naperville North (3:53.71) and Homewood-Flossmoor (3:54.13).

Other Highlights

This was not any ordinary race that Hinsdale Central would have in winning the 3200 Meter Relay. Kayla Byrne and Bella Pisani kept the Red Devilettes to the front for the first two legs. Grace McCabe took the baton for the third leg of the race and took off. The third 800 of this race and the move that McCabe made defined it running a 2:12 split. McCabe handed off to Reilly Revord for the final 800-meters. The senior just extended the lead even more running a 2:14 closing split. Revord crossed the line baton in the air with the win. Hinsdale Central’s time of 9:03.41 is ranked third nationally. It is also the third fastest time ever run by an Illinois school in this event. Byrne, McCabe and Revord were also on the 2016 team that won the race with the fifth fastest Illinois time ever. The trio also ran last year that finished second. It is quite a historic making group that has left their legacy in Hinsdale.

Beautiful handoffs by Homewood-Flossmoor defined their win in the 400 Meter Relay. Their time of 46.97 finished ahead of DeKalb (47.26) and Kenwood (47.40). DeKalb ran a state’s leading (1:38.59) to win the 800 Meter Relay with Homewood-Flossmoor (1:40.51) and Crete-Monee (1:40.52) next.

Dajour Miles of West Aurora did not look like she was injured as she came around the curve in the 400 Meter Dash finals. Miles had scratched from the 400 Meter Relay and the 100 Meter Dash from an injury that she suffered the week before at her sectional meet. Miles looked strong in Saturday’s finals winning her second straight state title at that distance (54.72) a second ahead of Lakes Community’s Taylor Tilmon (55.76).

In the field events, Riley Ammenhauser of Neuqua Valley completed an amazing freshman season by jumping 40-2.25 to win the Triple Jump ahead of Isabel Maletich of Downers Grove North (39-5.25) and Lake Park’s Isabelle Kennedy (39-2).

Belleville West’s LaQwasia Stepney and Raelyn Robinson of Glenbrook South both had 19-04.25 bests in Friday’s prelims of the Long Jump. Both did not improve on Saturday. Stepney won the state title on a better second jump.

Lake Park’s Kelly Zehnder equaled her personal best of 11-9 to win the Pole Vault. Grace Daun of Wauconda cleared a personal best to win the High Jump with Grace Cleveland of Normal Community and Jennelle Rogers of Oswego finished second and third both clearing the same height (5-7).

Thornwood’s Jasmine Mitchell was the queen of the ring winning both state championships in the weight events. Mitchell’s 45-10 mark in the Shot Put was almost three feet ahead of second-place Ellie Weltha of Bloomington (42-10.50). Mitchell’s throw of 147-8 was tops as she won the 3A Discus title with Jalah Morris of Zion-Benton placing second (140-1).