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Paige Greenhagel certainly took advantage of the unusually warm weather last week to further strengthen her rapidly expanding repertoire.
The Burlington Central senior, fourth in the high jump and the anchor on the Rockets’ eighth-place 4x200-meter relay at the Class 2A girls track and field state finals last May, unleashed a program-record long jump of 18 feet, 6 inches in a triangular April 10 against Hampshire and Cary-Grove.
The effort was the fourth-best statewide mark during the nascent outdoor season. Greenhagel trails only Geneseo senior Annie Wirth among Class 2A competitors in the event.
Last spring, Greenhagel joined Fiona Pedone (2021) as the only four-event state qualifier in program history after also barely missing all-state status in the long jump and 1,600 relay.
“She is such a versatile athlete. She can do anything.”
— Burlington Central track coach Vince Neil, on Paige Greenhagel
“But we haven’t had anybody do what Paige has done at the state level,” Burlington Central coach Vince Neil said of athletes preceding Greenhagel who also qualified in multiple events. “She is such a versatile athlete. She can do anything.”
“I have a very nice outlook on how this season will go,” said Greenhagel, who has committed to Virginia-based Liberty University to pursue the heptathlon, a seven-event discipline involving sprinting, hurdling, jumping and throwing. “I kind of surprised myself with the decision because I didn’t even know if I wanted to continue my track career in college.”
Ever the team player, Greenhagel will vacate her customary anchor role on the Rockets’ 4x400 relay to run the open 400. Greenhagel will continue her anchor duties on the Rockets’ award-winning 4x200 relay as her fourth event this spring.
“It gives other people a chance to experience [the state atmosphere] as well,” Greenhagel said.
Greenhagel is a student of the technical, physical and mental challenges her field events encompass. The Fox Valley Conference features elite athletes such as Huntley three-time state champion Alex Johnson, her equally lethal sophomore sister Dominique and Prairie Ridge senior standout Rylee Lydon. The four league rivals could theoretically combine for five Class 3A and 2A state championships in the three jumps.
“I like being around people who do similar things,” Greenhagel said of her fearsome conference foes. “I like seeing their techniques as well as try new things.”
Greenhagel views height as being the indispensable common denominator between vertical and horizontal jumping.
“The height will give you the distance in the long jump,” Greenhagel said. “It also obviously gets you over the bar [in the high jump].”
Burlington Central will travel to Batavia on April 21 for its next major competition, the Carlson-Anderson Classic.
Garcia looks to continue Saints’ distance excellence
St. Charles East earned elite status as a distance program when its boys cross country team captured the 2019 Class 3A state championship. Micah Wilson almost single-handedly maintained the image by winning both an individual cross country state championship and a 3,200-meter track state title.
Mitch Garcia has grand ambitions in the metric 2-mile this spring.
“Mitch is in the middle of his greatest track season,” St. Charles East cross country and track distance coach Chris Bosworth said. “He had a great indoor season and a good start to the outdoor season.”
Jed Wilson, the junior brother of Wisconsin freshman Micah, and unrelated newcomer Michael Wilson are the Saints’ other emerging threats.
“As a distance crew, we are doing far better than what we did in cross country [last fall],” Bosworth said.
Thorpe has a winning philosophy
Dan Thorpe reached the coaching pinnacle when Seth Groom powered Marmion to the Class 2A boys state championship in 2018.
“Our coaching philosophy, whether it’s winning state championships or 11 consecutive conference championships, is PRs,” Thorpe said. “Personal records every week, even in a Tuesday dual meet, are what we are trying to do. When May comes around, good things will happen [as a result].”
The Cadets were short-handed at the Class 3A-dominant Metea Valley Invitational last weekend because of their Easter break winding down.
“Even with half of a team, we are going to compete,” Thorpe said. “You don’t want to not get invited back – and rightfully so – for not showing up.”
The Marmion trendsetters this spring are its three returning state qualifiers: miler Connor Carlson, long sprinter Mitchell Gratz and pole vaulter Ryan Anderson.