SENECA – The Seneca girls track and field team has had a dominant season, and it carried through to the postseason with the Irish winning the team championship at their own Class 1A sectional Thursday night.
Seneca totaled 163 points to 84 for runner-up Newark. Scoring but having no individual advancers were Somonauk in ninth place with eight points, Earlville and Marquette tied for 11th with four each and Serena 13th with one.
Capturing first place for the Irish were Brooklyn Giertz in the 300 hurdles (48.02) and the pole vault (3.76 m); the 400 relay team of Caitlyn O’Boyle, Emma Smith, Giertz and Anna Bruno (50.90); the 800 relay of O’Boyle, Smith, Faith Deering and Bruno (1:50.42); the 1,600 relay of Bruno, Audrey Jenkins, Vroman and Smith (4:25.15); and the 3,200 relay of Marie Chesharek, Keeli Pumphrey, Jenkins and Delany Welsh (10:54.11).
Seneca’s Amber Vroman placed second in both distance events, posting a 2:27.20 in the 1,600 and a 5:46.97 in the 3,200. Taking second were Giertz in the 100 hurdles (15.92), Deering in the discus (38.38m), Teegan Johnson in the long jump (5.20 m)
For Newark, Kiara Wesseh was first in the 100 hurdles with a time of 15.90. Grabbing second place and advancing to Charleston were Brooke Kala in the 400 (1:04.6), Kjersten Friestad in the shot put (11.63 m) and Wesseh in the high jump (1.59 m). Also moving on were the 400 relay of Wesseh, Lindsey Hatteberg, Megan Williams and Brooklyn Hatteberg (51.72); and the 800 relay of Peyton Eike, Megan Williams, Wesseh and Brooklyn Hatteberg (1:50.82).
Streator’s Krohe, Pierce headed to Charleston: At the Geneseo 2A Sectional on Thursday, Streator’s Lana Krohe registered a toss of 12.13 meters to place first in the shot put competition.
“Nerves helped me a lot with everything,” said Krohe, who was seventh in the discus with a 27.99-meter toss but did not advance in that event. “I know at the Seneca Meet, I threw my PR there, and there was another girl there who had thrown farther than me in previous meets. That energy helped me get where I was.”
Also for the Bulldogs, Abby Pierce advanced to state with a time of 49.87 in the 300 hurdles, good for second place. Streator as a team finished ninth in the field with 20 points.
“I was seeded second, so in my head I was just thinking ‘I’ve just got to run for it,’ ” said Pierce. “I’ve worked for this.”
No Ottawa advancers from Rock Island: At the Rock Island Class 3A Sectional, the Ottawa girls track team had no advancers. The Pirates’ best finishes on the day were a seventh-place by Sara Meyer in the pole vault (2.55 m), a tie for eighth by Hannah Galetti in the high jump (1.4 m) and 12th by Krisee Clark in the discus (26.01 m).
Fieldcrest’s Megow earns state spot: At the Tremont 2A Sectional, Fieldcrest’s Carol Megow was the lone advancer for the Knights, finishing in second place in the 300 hurdles with a time of 51.88.
Allen qualifies for Sandwich: At the Plano 2A Sectional, Sandwich placed sixth as a team (28 points), as sophomore Claire Allen led the way, qualifying for state after winning the shot put (12.44 m) and finishing second in the discus (39.98 m).
“I thought I could have done better in the discus, but I managed to throw pretty well in the shot,” Allen said. “I’m really happy to be going to state after having lost my freshman year to the pandemic.”
Softball
Seneca 10, Reed-Custer 0, (5 inn.): In Class 2A Regional action at Seneca, Maggie Carpenter pitched a two-hit shutout, striking out 12 to lead the Irish past Reed-Custer and lift her record to 14-2.
Carpenter also led the winners’ 16-hit attack at the plate, going 4 for 4 with an RBI, while Madi Mino went 3 for 3 with a pair of doubles and an RBI, Zoe Hougas and Kennedy Hartwig (double) each went 2 for 3.
No. 1 seed Seneca (23-4) will face No. 5 seed Coal City for the championship at home at 11 a.m. Saturday.
Serena 9, Walther Christian 2: In 1A regional play at Melrose Park, the Huskers exploded for four runs in the fifth inning and three more in the sixth to claim the win and advance to the title game at Newark.
Paisley Twait slammed a triple, double and drove in four runs to lead the support of winning pitcher Taylor Staton, who allowed five hits and two walks while fanning eight. Staton (RBI) and Reese Cole each had a double and single, and Katie Baker (RBI) had a triple and single.
Wrestling
Seneca 78, Glenbard South 0; Seneca 39, Yorkville Christian 34: At Yorkville, the Fighting Irish improved to 25-2 on the season with wins over the Raiders and Mustangs.
Winning a pair of bouts for Seneca were: Luke Sangston at 106 pounds (forfeit, pinfall in 0:27), Owen Feiner at 132 (two forfeits), Asher Hamby (pinfall in 1:31, forfeit), Collin Wright at 145/152 (two forfeits), Gavin Robertson at 182/195 (pinfall in 1:59, 6-4 decision), Kyle Hamby at 182/195 (two forfeits) and Maveric Varland at 220 (8-0 decision, forfeit).
Sandwich 56, Ottawa 18; Kaneland 35, Sandwich 31: At Morris, the Indians topped the Pirates but fell to the Knights in Interstate 8 Conference duals.
Winning a pair of bouts for Sandwich were Miles Corder at 126 (pinfall in 1:13, pinfall at 5:07), Evan Reilly at 132 (pinfall in 1:20, pinfall in 2:32), Aidan Linden at 152 (5-2 decision, 15-0 technical fall) and Sammy Dale at 195 (12-3 major decision, forfeit).
Ottawa got victories vs. Sandwich from Casey Kammerer at 120 (pinfall in 1:57), Hunter Wilson at 145 (pinfall in 2:36) and Jaxson Decker at 285 (forfeit).