:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/shawmedia/IZKET4PQRONBCNGIUJTBDZEHK4.jpg)
The girls track and field season is underway. Here are previews of teams from around Kendall County.
Newark
Coach: Jeff Schutt (fifth season)
Top athletes: Megan Williams, jr., jumps/hurdles; KJ Friestad, jr., shot put; Peyton Eike, jr.; Kellie Snyder, jr.; Lindsey Hatteberg, jr.
Key newcomers: Brooke Kala, sr., 400; Kiara Wessen, fr.; Brooklyn Hatteberg, fr.; Gwen OConnell, fr.; Julia DeClementi, fr.; Madison Sittler, fr.; Stephanie Snyder, fr.; Lauren Ulrich, fr. Danielle Monses, fr.
Worth noting: Williams leads a strong junior class. The Colorado Christian volleyball commit qualified for state as a freshman in 2019 in the 100 hurdles, 300 hurdles, long jump and triple jump. Friestad is throwing the shot put in track while also playing softball this spring. Eike, Snyder and Lindsey Hatteberg are also part of that strong junior girls class that will be the foundation of Newark’s track team this year. Kala is a senior making her return to track after a couple of years off due to her heavy travel soccer schedule. Schutt expects Kala to make a run at qualifying for state in the 400.
Oswego
Coach: Jamie Bechina (15th season).
Top returners: Ella Hale, sr., distance; Becca Corbett, jr., distance; Olivia Solis, sr., high jump; Grace Davis, sr., sprints; Skyllar Greenslade, jr., sprints/relays; Audra Soderlind, so., distance; Emma Ponx, jr., pole vault/sprints; Peyton Brueck, sr., distance.
Key newcomer: McKenzie Farrell, jr., pole vault.
Worth noting: The Panthers, who won the Southwest Prairie Conference and took second at sectionals in 2019, are in a rebuilding year – where they’d be even without the pandemic. Oswego does return a few athletes with state aspirations, but doesn’t have the depth or strength the 2020 team would have had. Solis, a Minnesota State commit, took ninth at state high jump as a sophomore. Hale, a Louisville recruit, was sixth at state in the 800 as a sophomore and ran on the state-qualifying 3,200 relay, as did Corbett. Davis, part of the state-qualifying 400 relay in 2019, will join the team after football season and is enlisting in the Air Force. Soderlind has been a state qualifier in cross country. Farrell, an elite gymnast, is new to track and field.
“Despite missing the 2020 season, we are happy to be back on the track for this 2021 season,” Bechina sad. “We are excited for the opportunity to build upon our solid foundation and traditions with our returning upperclassmen as well as some new and eager athletes.”
Oswego East
Coach: Connor Downs.
Top athletes: Naima Morris, so., hurdler/sprinter; Sydney Williams, so., 400/800/1600/3200; Kenna Nord, jr., long jump/triple jump/sprints; Maddie Zarembski, jr., 400/800/1600/3200; Bella Stiller, jr., 200/400; Elsa Clausen, jr., thrower; Naylah Allen, sr., 400/800/1600/3200; Ari Rivera, sr., sprints/pole vault; Ella Vacek, sr., high jump/triple jump/hurdles/200/400; Camden Puller, sr., thrower.
Worth noting: The Wolves, fourth in the Southwest Prairie Conference in 2019, look to have depth, depth and more depth. Downs said they have 94 girls that have been practicing with the track team. “We don’t know exactly what we have yet, but we have options,” Downs said. Oswego East has had nine straight years with a long jump or triple jump state qualifier, a streak only interrupted in 2020 by the cancellation of the season. The Wolves’ depth carries them through the 2019 season, which Downs seems to be true for 2021 as well. Allen, who will run collegiately at Lewis, and Zarembski come off strong cross country seasons. Rivera will compete at North Central next year. Oswego East opened its season with a triangular meet win over Oswego and Plainfield South.
“Looking forward to triangulars for the entire season with the conference to see how we match up against each few teams throughout the year,” Downs said.
Plano
Coach: Rick Ponx (second season).
Top returners: Armoney Clay, so., sprints; Tomi Ashaye, so., sprints; Jay Barber, jr., sprints; Kayah Cherry-Myles, sr., sprints; Dakota Shatter, so., middle/long distance; Gianna Cadena, jr., middle/long distance; Natalie Flores, sr., middle/long distance; Payton Hieden, sr., middle/long distance; Rachel Martinez, sr., 200/400; Jillian Scull, sr., hurdles/jumps; Maryssa Woodhouse, so., hurdles/jumps; Ava Debolt, jr., hurdles/jumps; Myia Debolt, sr., hurdles/jumps/pole vault; Sasha Helfgott-Waters, so., pole vault/jumps; KC Polomchak, so., thrower; Juliana Olivier, so., thrower.
Key newcomers: Alexa Sobiescyzk, fr., sprinter/jumper; Eloina Montesinos, fr., sprinter/hurdler; Leilarosa Bonilla, fr., middle distance.
Worth noting: Ponx said Plano is not deep with numbers, but has all events covered. The Reapers had a strong start to the spring, taking second place at the Morris multi-team meet although they did not enter a relay team. Individual champions at Morris included Clay in the 100 and 200, Helfgott-Waters in the pole vault and long jump and Ashaye in the hurdles. Martinez is running collegiately at Aurora University.
“We are looking forward to a good year, and enjoy the competition that the I-8 brings to the table,” Ponx said.
Sandwich
Coach: Dusty Behringer (18th season).
Top returners: Catrina Mitchell, jr., shot put/discus; Emalie Mosher, so., sprints/relays; Claire Roberts, jr., sprints/relays/long jump/triple jump; Molly Roberts, so., distance/relays; Bailey Sherman, jr., distance/relays.
Key newcomers: Claire Allen, so., shot put/discus; Alana Stahl, so., distance/relays; Georgia Vene, so., sprints/relays.
Worth noting: Sandwich in 2019 posted a 17-1 dual meet record, won the Interstate Eight Conference meet and titles at the Plano Invitational and Herscher Invitational.
Behringer is excited the team is able to compete this spring, with a caveat. “Unfortunately, due to the situation we are in this season, we have seven all-conference performers [from 2019] that chose not to compete this year, so to say we are light on numbers for the Lady Indian track team is an understatement said,” he said.
Still, Sandwich returns several quality athletes from the 2019 conference champs. Claire Roberts missed qualifying for state in 2019 by 3/4 of an inch in triple jump and was Sandwich’s 2019 Field MVP. Mitchell was 2019 Field MVP, Mosher the 2019 Track-Sprints MVP and Molly Roberts the 2019 Track-Distance MVP. Among the newcomers, Stahl qualified for what would have been state cross country last fall, and Behringer said that Allen “is looking to put her name among some of the great shot and discus throwers that Sandwich High School has produced in recent years.”
Yorkville
Coach: Lauren Vriezen (sixth season).
Top athletes: Sara Klemm, sr., 3200; Anna Hunter, jr., 800/1600; Maggie Hunter, jr., 800/1600; Alex Stewart, so., 800/1600; Ava Galloway, fr., 800/1600; Katie Melzer, so., middle distances/300 hurdler; Tayhler Srachta, sr., sprints/jumps; Angie Nendick, so., thrower; Mackenzie Allen, jr., thrower.
Worth noting: The Foxes will have a relatively young squad this year so Vriezen is eager to see how they’ll fare in the first track season in the Southwest Prairie Conference. Klemm, who will run collegiately at Western Carolina, is the only senior competing in distance events, focusing on the 3,200, so her leadership and experience will be invaluable. Vriezen is looking forward to seeing what the Hunter sisters, Stewart and Galloway can do in the 800/1600 in their first high school track season, with Melzer part of the mid-distance squad and a 300 hurdler. Srachta, recovering from a concussion, is Yorkville’s top returning sprinter/jumper in a very young sprint squad, with Nendick and Allen leading a small, but enthusiastic group of throwers.
“We, like many, are in a unique position this year with many athletes still not out for track yet as they are finishing up volleyball, soccer and football,” Vriezen said. “We also have several coaches who overlap sports so it has been a very different start to the season but more than anything we are just really excited to be back with our kids and competing in track & field!”
Yorkville Christian
Coach: Jeff Schutt
Top athletes: Zoe Schuberth, jr.; Nina Schuberth, so.; Felicity Allgood, jr.; Britney Bridal, jr. Sidney Petersen, jr., shot put/hurdles/800; Cassie Reynolds, so., 400; Mikayla Highland, fr., shot put.
Worth noting: With multiple sports going on at once, Yorkville Christian is having to share athletes between several sports. Zoe and Nina Schuberth are still playing volleyball, as are Allgood and Bridal. “We hope to make up a 4 x 1 squad that should break our existing school record,” Schutt said. Petersen is a multi-purpose athlete that will throw the shot put, run the hurdles and do the 800. Cassie Reynolds is a first-time track athlete and Schutt said is making personal record progress in the open 400. The Mustangs also have a promising freshman Highland for the shot put as soon as she is done with volleyball.