Girls Track and Field: Elaine Paul, York run away with Rolling Meadows sectional title

ROLLING MEADOWS – On the morning of the Class 3A Rolling Meadows Sectional on May 10, York junior Elaine Paul woke up feeling tired.

“I was hoping that would go away,” Paul said. “It did, thank goodness.”

Paul had an eye-popping night at the meet, finishing first three times and qualifying for state in a fourth event. Paul’s performance helped York run away with the sectional title with 124 points to runner-up Lake Park’s 82.

Paul sped to first in the 100-meter dash (12.29) and 200 (25.41), helped the Dukes’ 4x200 relay capture gold (1:44.35, with Mia Hanger, Norah Peiffle and Katelyn Pratt) and scooted 100 yards for the second-place 4x100 relay (49.01, with Hanger, Pratt and Morgan Navarre).

The state meet is this weekend on the campus of Eastern Illinois University in Charleston.

Glenbard North superstar and Notre Dame-bound Grace Schager raced to the state championship in Charleston in the 3,200 last spring. At the May 10 sectional, she clocked a first-place 10:27.04 in the 3,200 and topped the 1,600 field in 4:58.62.

Panthers teammate Skyler Libel had an eventful night, winning the long jump with an 18-01.5 effort and then thinking her season had ended in the 100 hurdles after finishing fifth with a time of 15.92.

Glenbard North assistant coach Gary Heilers gave a disappointed Libel some super news shortly thereafter.

“I told her, ‘You made it,’ " Heilers said. “She was convinced she was done. But she made it on the dot [the state qualifying standard in the event is 15.92].

Glenbard North finished third (53 points) in the team standings, followed by Glenbard West (53), Conant (49), Wheaton North (43), Schaumburg (34), Hoffman Estates (31), Rolling Meadows (22), Elk Grove (18), Glenbard East (18), Willowbrook (18), Addison Trail (10), Bartlett (3) and Fenton (1).

The gathering featured 10 DuPage County schools and five Cook County schools.

Other champions: 4x800 relay (Glenbard West, 9:44.88; Moira Ahern, Maia Kaslewiscz. Mackenzie Gilbert and Carlin Hass); 4x100 relay (Conant, 48.99; Margaret Owens, Anna McGrail, Gianna Hill and Sophia Galiano-Sanchez); high jump (Lake Park’s Karmen Kurow, 5-5.75); 100 hurdles (Conant’s Daisha Brunson, 14:76); discus (Lake Park’s Sereana Vulaono, 115-07); pole vault (Lake Park’s Evalina Bach, 11-00.75); 800 (Glenbard West’s Gilbert, 2:19.22); 400 (York’s Navarre, 59.73); 300 hurdles (Wheaton North’s Kitty Noland, 47.6); triple jump (Lake Park’s Imani Ogunribido, 36-11.5); and 4x400 relay (York, 4:04.22; Margaret Maston, Galiano-Sanchez, Ariya Shah and Navarre).

More than 50 entrants qualified for the state meet. The top two finishers in each event automatically made it to state.

https://www.dailyherald.com/sports/20230510/girls-track-and-field-york-runs-away-with-rolling-meadows-sectional-crown