Girls track and field teams head outdoors soon, and here are previews of teams from around the Suburban Life coverage area.
Benet
Last year’s state qualifiers Keira Jenke (middle distance), Gabi Brown (sprints/hurdles), and Emma Briggs (throws) will lead the way for Benet Academy as the Redwings look to send each of them downstate once again this spring. Jenke ran the fastest 800m in the state and won the Illinois Top Times championship during the indoor season. Brown finished third at Illinois Top Times in the 400m and set a new school record. Briggs was top 10 in the state indoor season this winter for shot put. Newcomers Sara Luo, Sarah Read, and Abby Morrissey are expected to be strong contributors as well.
Downers Grove North
Anna Grapenthien, Aniya Hubbard, Charlotte Stanton, Blake Welter, and Adriana Marsicano will run sprints for Downers Grove North. Macy Ermitage, Kayla Solem, Katelyn Cutright, Sophia Schlueter, and Helen Justice will run middle and long distance. Hurdles will be led by Ava Flynn, with Molly Van Anne contributing as well. Rylie Marshall and Sophia Solecki will throw shot put. Caroline Phillip and Emilie Kuchta will pole vault with Welter, Grapenthein, Van Anne, and Maya Nicholson handling jumps.
Downers Grove South
Downers Grove South will lead its sprint group with Allison Mytys, Karen Boakye, Kailyn Parker, Sam Sadelski, Eleanor Loznicka, and Jada Judkins. Nia Ortega, Nora Maier, and Rose Jones will run distance. Judkins and Claire Mallo will handle hurdles with Alana Wright and Ariana White throwing shot put and Breia Graefen and Nana Cann doing pole vaulting. Boakye, Mytys, and Alanna Banks will help make up the jumping group.
Fenwick
The Friars took sixth at the GCAC Indoor meet this spring. Maeve Bonakdar, a returning sectional champion in the shot put and discus, was indoor conference champion in the shot put.
Bridget Brunick and Juliana Gamboa were second and third, respectively, in the 3,200. Mia Bagato was fourth in the 800, and Avani Williams was sixth in the 400. Fenwick’s 4x400 relay was fifth. Gamboa is a returning state qualifier in the 3,200. Williams and Gamboa are back from Fenwick’s state-qualifying 4x400 relay. Williams is also a returning sectional champion in the high jump.
Glenbard East
Kiza Emena, Julia Daoud, Alexandra Van Dam, Melina Torres, and Grace Cross will run sprint races. Evelynne Barry, Ava Ihms, and Pauline Uribe will cover the distance races. Allison Yuknis, Kayden Pruitt will handle the hurdles. Emena, Daoud, Haley Greenfield, and Taylor Griffith will race in relay events. Madison Leicht and Taylor Schaub will throw shot put. Yukis will partner with Anna McFarland in high jump. Makayla Hagenbart will compete in pole vault.
Glenbard South
Vanessa Whittaker, Nel Adamczyk, Genevieve Corbin, Milly Clarin, and Jillian DeMayo will run sprint races for the Raiders. Audra Loney, Rachel Van Tholen, Lina Meah, and Marlena Kendra will compete in distance events. Whittaker and Adamczyk will pair with Georgia Bryan, Mila Goetting, as well as DeMayo and Clarin.
Glenbard West
Glenbard West sprints will feature Hailey Tran, Saniya Patterson, Annie Franz, Morgan Witcher, Ronnie Doumek, and Addie Nordman. Alexa Novak, Shayne Dietzen, Ava Chase, and Maya Slowikowski will run distance. Cathlea Ben and Parneet Randhawa will hurdle with Maeve Farrell and Annabel Coffey throwing shot put. Charlotte Franz and Ashley Stevens will pole vault. Randhawa will lead the jump team along with Tran, Ben, and Hannah Evans.
Hinsdale Central
Lily Hodneland (middle distance), Ella Satre (middle distance), Morgan Kohn (1600m), and Avery Bonino (long jump/triple jump) are top returning talents for the Red Devils. Expectations will be high, as they will lead a team that qualified for state in the 4x100, 4x200, 4x400, 800m, 1,600m, and 3,200m last season.
Hinsdale South
Hinsdale South cites its top returning athletes as Kennedy Ruff (sprints/hurdles) and Janelle Lewis (sprints/relays). Audrey Koepfle is returning this year and coming out of qualifying from state cross country and hoping that momentum can carry into the track season. Anna Frankel was injured during much of cross country, but returns for the relay team. Freshmen Sky Herbert, MiMi Womack, April Hardy, and Rachel Tolentino will contribute to a young core group that the team hopes to build around. Emma Koehler (distance), Emma Glashin (hurdles/pole vault), Zaga Golubovic (throws), and Alysia Lu (throws) will add depth to a strong team.
IC Catholic Prep
Grace Gildea (distance) and Chloe Brandt (sprints) are expected to be top returning contributors. The team feels the off-season work they put in has given them an edge to improve in the events ahead with the goal of sending multiple athletes to the state meet in May. Leona Carmello joins the team to run sprints and coach Reginald Collins believes the 3,200 meter run and triple jump will be top events. “This year our team is dedicated to the process,” said Collins. “This team is hard working and they have the drive to want to be successful.”
Lyons
The Lions took third at the West Suburban Silver indoor conference meet. Karenna Knop won the 55 hurdles at indoor conference and Bianca Taylor was conference champion in the long jump. Lucy Laux was second in the 400. Jane Weber was fifth in the 55 and 200 sprints at conference. Lyons was fourth in the 4x200 relay, third in the 4x800 relay and second in the 4x400 relay. Natalie Kass was fourth in the shot put, Chloe Russell fourth in the high jump, Sarah Wiggins was third in the triple jump and Sophie Picha second in the pole vault. Wiggins is a returning state qualifier in the 300 hurdles.
Montini
Montini took eighth at the GCAC Indoor meet. Sydney Gertsen was third in the 800 at indoor conference and second in the 1,600. Ashlynn Lindt was fifth in the 1,600. Natalia Pesola was fourth in the 3,200. Karissa Jones was second in the shot put. Gertsen is a returning state qualifier in both the 1,600 and 3,200.
Morton
Morton was seventh in the West Suburban Gold indoor conference meet. Gaby Gonzalez was fifth in the 1,600 at indoor conference and Anna Pachla was sixth in the 3,200. The 4x800 relay was fourth. Kevonna Smith was fifth in the shot put. Ariana Aragon was fourth in the pole vault.
St. Francis
Danielle Dabeca, Lincy Estrada, Alicen Sheldon, Thalia Haraldson, and Lauren Henkel will run sprint races for the Warriors. They will be supported by Erin Hinsdale, Abby Yarusso, and Margaret Andrzejewski in distance runs. Dabeca will also run hurdles and relays, while Keely Unroe and Parker Sierzega throw shot put. Ainsley Clark will combine with Yarusso and Sierzega to form the jump team.
Timothy Christian
The Trojans sent nine athletes downstate last year and will compete in 2A this season. Kiara Holmes (sprints), Georgie Romano (middle distance/hurdles/long jump), and Ella Potoshnick (distance) are standout returners from that group. Holmes is looking into running the 400m this year, after cracking the school top five list in the 200m last year. Eden Moore, Bella Hackert, and Chloe Wilgenburg all qualified for state in the 4x800 last season. Lily Dishman (hurdles/400m) and Anneliese Hopp (100m/400m) both bring depth to the team. Leah Friend prefers the 100 and 200, and will keep the 4x100 and 4x200 in every race. With her and Holmes, Timothy Christian sprint relays are going to be fun to watch.
Westmont
Westmont will be led by Eila Costello, Kayci Richey, Jazlene Mendoza, and Kallie Niemer in the sprint s. Aelyn Anderson will cover distance events. Niemer and Eva McDermott will throw shot put, with Addisyn Haseltine and Grace Shannon competing in jumps.
Wheaton Academy
Nicole Camiola (sprints/relays), Sydnie Becker (sprints/relays), Aria Villareal (long jump/hurdles), and Addie Painter (distance/relays) are among the top returners for a Wheaton Academy team that is looking for their fourth straight conference title. Camiola made all-sectional with fourth in the 200 last year, while Villareal made it into the sectional finals for the long jump. Becker took third in the 400m with a state-qualifying time of 1:00:20. She also won the conference in the 400 and broke the school record with a time of 58.86. Ashleigh Nickel (long jump/hurdles) will be a top newcomer.
Wheaton North
Wheaton North hopes to bring a strong squad to the track this spring. It will be led by Lauren Baker and Reagan Stoneberg in the sprint races. Autumn Gruenwald, Ema Eissler, and Annika Carlson will be joined by Emily Offutt and June Rectenwald in distance events. Keep an eye out for Elianna Moody in the hurdles and Ophelia Baker in shot put. Ruth Ann Sakyiama will also throw for the Falcons. Kara Wilkinson will compete in pole vault. Ellie Korntheuer, Mia Little, and Moody will also compete in jumping events.
Wheaton Warrenville South
Top contributors are expected to include McKaileigh Hughes (sprints), Natalie Larson (sprints), Clara Franken (middle distance), Eva Martin (middle distance), Emily Fahrman (800M), Addy Lindsay (distance), Abby Barrett (distance), Kate Jeffers (distance), Treasure Strong (hurdles), Tessa Bachner (throws), Gracyn Mangelsen (high jump), and Katie Schwartzhoff (pole vault).
Willowbrook
Janell Adam, Gianna Flamm, Jada Johnson, Khloe Adeniji, Paige Simek, and Rachel Simek will run sprints for Willowbrook. Mariangela Popoca, Kate Borho, Bethany Yurich, and Juliet Oddo will run middle and long distance. Kaitlyn Santos and Quintia Stallworth will throw shot put. Phoebe Aldana and Macy Morris will high jump. Mikayla Pender-Bey and Morris will triple jump, with Eugenia Kissane and Shaniya Rodriguez pole vaulting.
York
Jillian Booth, Abigail Pointon, Morgan Navarre, Julia Weseloh, and Molly Krupa will run sprints. Meanwhile, Karlin Janowski, Katharine Cifelli, and Stella Rosso will handle the middle and long distance races. Lily Carone and Paloma Berrones will hurdle. Olivia Silkaitis and Alyssa Korkowski will throw shot put. Haley Klaibor and Tatiana Kallianis will pole vault and Lauren Gunn, Pointon, and Peyton Larson will jump.