2023 Northwest Herald girls track and field preview capsules

FOX VALLEY CONFERENCE

Burlington Central

Coach: Vince Neil (17th season)

Last year’s finish: Tied for third in FVC Meet

Top returning athletes: Paige Greenhagel, sr. (HJ, LJ, sprints); Maddie Mucci, jr. (LJ, TJ, sprints); Tiana Foreman, sr. (throws); Tia Brennan, sr. (PV, sprints); Abby Burke, so. (distance); Corryn Kester, jr. (sprints, middle distance); Kenzie Andersen, jr. (sprints, middle distance); Mia Estrada, so. (sprints, middle distance); Danica Wiegel, so. (PV, sprints); Keira Heindl, jr. (sprints); Sia Patel, jr. (sprints); Teagan Cathcart, so. (distance)

Top new athletes: Emma Ruthenberg, fr. (sprints); Clarice Berus, fr. (TJ, sprints); Ripley Hamell, fr. (sprints); Paige Durckel, fr. (LJ, sprints); Emile Anderson, fr. (throws); Emie Davis, fr. (middle distance); Liz Alvarez, fr. (middle distance); Ivy Didomenico, fr. (distance); Aanya Vyas, fr. (middle distance)

Worth noting: The Rockets return a lot of their Class 2A sectional champion team. … Greenhagel took fourth in the Class 2A high jump and anchored the Rockets’ eighth-place 4x200 relay team at the state meet. Wiegel and Andersen also ran on the 4x200 team. … Foreman (discus) and Brennan (pole vault) won FVC titles last year. … Mucci missed a state medal in the triple jump by one spot. … “Our major points at meets will come from our field events,” Neil said. “We have the makings of one of the best teams we have had in quite some years at Central. If we can chip away at points on the track to combine with our field event finishes we can score a lot of points at major meets as well as the state meet.”

Cary-Grove

Coach: Mark Anderson (23rd season)

Last year’s finish: Tied for third in FVC Meet

Top returning athletes: Lindsey Kownick, sr. (hurdles, LJ); Annika Nordin, sr. (throws); Maggie Groos, sr. (throws); Jocelyn Onstot, sr. (distance); Ada Saletnik, sr. (distance); Juliana Ferrara, sr. (sprints); Kathryn Perkins, sr. (jumps); Sophie Vongsiri, sr. (sprints, jumps)

Top new athletes: Emma Karnmoscak, fr. (throws); Caelie Mendro, fr. (sprints, jumps); Kennedy Manning, fr. (sprints, jumps); Olivia Parker, fr. (sprints)

Worth noting: Kownick (100 high hurdles) and Nordin (shot put) were state qualifiers last season and return for the Trojans. … Onstot was a Class 2A All-Stater in cross country, and Saletnik missed that status by one spot. … “We have a terrific senior class and a talented and large group of rookies,” Anderson said. “We will be pretty competitive in most events at every meet.”

Crystal Lake Central

Coach: Brett Willhoit (eighth season)

Last year’s finish: 10th in FVC Meet

Top returning athletes: Annie Ferrero, sr. (distance); Emma Macke jr. (distance); Brynn Matthaei, so. (distance); Maggie O’Connell, so. (sprints); Abbey Zalatel, sr. (field events)

Top new athletes: Grace Fujino, fr. (field events); Amber Funk, so. (sprints); Sheniya Gise jr., (sprints); Jacqueline Orvis, fr. (distance)

Worth noting: Ferrera, Macke and Matthei were integral parts of a Tigers cross country team that was second in the Class 2A Kaneland Sectional and ran at state. … “Our numbers are back up after a rough COVID-19 stretch and we are looking to continue to focus on daily improvements to be as competitive as possible,” Willhoit said.

Crystal Lake South

Coach: Matt Dunker (12th season)

Top returning athletes: Abby Machesky, jr. (sprints, middle distance); Bella Gonzalez, sr. (distance)

Top new athletes: Olivia Pinta, so. (middle distance, distance); Victoria Pinta, so. (middle distance, distance)

Worth noting: South should be strong in races from the 800 up with Machesky and Gonzalez, two of the top runners on the Gators’ Class 2A Kaneland Sectional champion team. Gonzalez is a three-time All-Stater in cross country. … The Pinta twins also were key contributors in cross country. … “We have a lot of turnover and newcomers in the sprints and field events, so it is exciting to see the progress they are making,” Dunker said. “Our mid-distance and distance runners had another successful season during cross country, We are hoping a few of them are ready to take that next step on the track also.”

Dundee-Crown

Coach: Christine Hopkins-Muehl (11th season)

Last year’s finish: Eighth in FVC Meet

Top returning athletes: Paulina Tinajero, sr. (sprints, jumps); Perla Vargas, sr. (sprints); Kaylee Brodie, sr. (distance); Lydia Anderson, sr. (distance); Valerie Ortega, jr. (sprints); Grace Bourbon, jr. (hurdles, PV); Yvonne Castro, jr. (distance); Mya Lenz, jr. (distance); Sarah Bernstein, jr. (hurdles, jumps); Marissa Klaas, so. (jumps, PV, hurdles); Oliwia Drozdz, so. (sprints, LJ); Kaitlyn Anderson, so. (sprints, hurdles)

Top new athletes: Lisa Hahn, fr. (throws); D’Angel Slater, fr. (sprints)

Worth noting: The Chargers lost FVC shot put champion Tealyn Kamp to graduation, but Tinajero has the school long jump record and medaled in the FVC 200 and 400. … “We are hoping to make gradual improvements each and every meet,” Hopkins-Muehl said. “We are trying to foster a mindset of commitment, cooperation and improvement. We know we are facing an uphill battle compared to other teams in our conference. We just want to show consistent growth as a team and as individuals.”

Hampshire

Coach: Bo Price (first season)

Last year’s finish: Ninth place in FVC Meet

Top returning athletes: Grace Harris, sr. (sprints); Lexi Kagel, sr. (throws); Hailey Caraway, jr. (HJ, LJ, sprints); Ella Perrone, jr. (sprints, middle distance); Ashley Herzing, jr. (sprints)

Top new athletes: Alyssa Garcia, fr. (middle distance); Ava Garcia, fr. (sprints); Hailey Homola, fr. (throws); Annabelle Haskins, fr. (distance)

Worth noting: Price is in his sixth season with the program, his first as head coach. … Harris and Herzing qualified for state with the Whip-Purs’ 4x200 relay team last year. … Price hopes the Whips can have a better balanced distribution of points in bigger meets this season. … “We’re led by a small, but strong group of hardworking senior girls,” Price said. “This young team has a ton of talent and promise as we progress through the season.” … He looks for Perrone and Alyssa Garcia to lead an emerging group of 800 runners that will help in the longer races.

Huntley

Coach: Jason Monson (fourth season)

Last year’s finish: FVC champion

Top returning athletes: Alex Johnson, sr. (LJ, TJ, sprints); Dominique Johnson, so. (LJ, TJ, sprints); Vicky Evtimov, sr. (sprints); Sophie Amin, jr. (sprints, hurdles); Breanna Burak, sr. (distance); Brittney Burak, sr. (distance); Ally Panzloff, sr. (throws); K’Leigh Saenz, jr. (sprints); Emmy Byers, so. (sprints); Molly Allen, sr. (distance); Ava Allison, jr. (distance); Gianna Dehart, jr. (HJ); Sienna Robertson, so. (throws); Taylor Casey, jr. (sprints, hurdles); Abbie Wiliams, so.. (sprints)

Top new athletes: Addison Busam, fr. (sprints); Luca Garlin, fr. (sprints); Brianna Kigongo, so. (sprints); Lily Sarnwick, so. (sprints)

Worth noting: Huntley returns most of its key performers from a team that won the FVC title, a Class 3A sectional title and was fifth in the state meet. The goal will be to bring home a trophy this season for a top-three finish at state. … Alex Johnson won the Class 3A long and triple jumps last season, while sister Dominique was triple jump runner-up. Alex will compete at Arizona State next year. … The Johnson girls, along with Evtimov and others will make up some formidable sprint relays, which is where they can climb in the team standings at state. … The Burak twins are coming off of Class 3A All-State cross country seasons. Breanna will run at Illinois State; Brittney will run at Indiana State. … Amin was a state qualifier in the 100 high hurdles and Panzloff made it in discus.

Jacobs

Coach: Jason Wright (first season).

Last year’s finish: Seventh place in FVC Meet.

Top returning athletes: Addie Gorman, sr. (sprints, PV), Natalia Maciorowski, sr. (middle distance), Bailey Schwartz, so. (distance).

Top new athletes: Claudia Robleda, fr. (LJ), Carly Uehlien, fr. (SP).

Worth noting: Schwartz had an outstanding cross country season, which culminated with her, Gorman and Maciorowski all helping the Golden Eagles qualify for the Class 3A State Meet. … “We expect some strong performances out of our freshman and sophomores in addition to the more established girls on the team,” Wright said. “We are a young team and are looking forward to seeing how some of our underclassman can fit in and work with the juniors and seniors on the team.”

McHenry

Coach: Kyle Owens (15th season)

Last year’s finish: Fifth place in FVC Meet

Top returning athletes: Alyssa Moore, sr. (distance); Danielle Jensen, jr. (distance); Lynda Rotundo, sr. (distance); Kelly Huerta, jr. (sprints); Samantha Schemmel, sr. (hurdles); Angelina Bakewell, sr. (hurdles); Peyton Stinger, sr. (sprints, middle distance)

Top new athletes: Brianna Amedio, fr. (sprints, jumps); Emma Blanken, so. (hurdles, sprints); Ava Bodinus, fr. (sprints); Mackenzie Grieve, fr. (sprints); Angelina Dubois, jr. (middle disance)

Worth noting: The Warriors return three-fourths of their 4x800 relay team (Stinger, Moore and Rotundo) that was 14th in Class 3A last year, missing a finals spot by two places. … Moore, who will run at Murray State, was 15th in the state 800 preliminaries and won the 800 at the McHenry County and FVC meets. … Jensen and Rotundo were Class 3A All-Staters in cross country. Rotundo will run at Illinois next year. … Owens sees Schemmel, Blanken and Bakewell as breakout candidates in both hurdles races. … Amedio should be an immediate contributor as a freshman in the sprints and jumps. … “After two straight fifth-place finishes in the FVC we are excited for the opportunity to take a step forward and prove that we can score big points in the Fox Valley Conference, which will be loaded with talent again this season,” Owens said.

Prairie Ridge

Coach: Sarah Long (sixth season)

Last year’s finish: Second place in FVC Meet

Top returning athletes: Rylee Lydon, sr. (HJ, LJ, sprints); Rachel Soukup, sr. (distance); Molly Willis, sr. (sprints, TJ); Anna Borg, jr. (sprints, LJ); Katie Jewell, so. (sprints, TJ); Olivia McPherson, jr. (distance)

Top new athletes: Kelly Anderson, fr. (sprints, hurdles); Brenna Benjamin, fr. (distance); Marissa Lemus, fr. (middle distance); Lila Stewart, fr. (distance)

Worth noting: Lydon is a two-time Class 3A state champion, having won the 400 as a sophomore and the high jump last year. She also won a national heptathlon title last summer and an indoor national pentathlon title last week. She will compete in heptathlon at Texas A&M next year. … Soukup was the Class 2A state runner-up in cross country and will run at NCAA Division I Belmont. Soukup also may be used for the Wolves’ 4x800 relay with Benjamin, Steward and McPherson. … “If the indoor season has been any indication of how outdoor will go, our team is in great shape to do great things this season,” Long said.

KISHWAUKEE RIVER CONFERENCE

Harvard

Coach: Casey Seyller (18th season)

Last year’s finish: Sixth in KRC Meet

Top returning athletes: Brenna Uppleger, sr. (sprints, LJ); Christina Koleno, sr (sprints); Asha Billstrand, sr. (HJ, sprints); Grace Latterell, sr. (PV, hurdles); Katelyn Dube, sr. (hurdles, sprints); Jaclyn McMillan, jr. (HJ, TJ); Anahi Jimenez, sr. (sprints)

Top new athletes: Ani Gonzalez, fr. (sprints, LJ); Hayden Binz, fr. (PV, middle distance); Ella Martin, fr. (hurdles, sprints); Jaden Timblin, so. (sprints, throws), Melissa Sanchez, so. (sprints)

Worth noting: Uppleger was a state qualifier in the long jump and 100, and she set the KRC Meet record at 17-7 1/2 in the long jump. She has been close to 18 feet indoors this season. … Koleno, Billstrand and Jimenez were three-fourths of the Hornets’ 4x400 KRC champion team and are back. Koleno and Billstrand also run in the 4x100 and 4x200 relays with Uppleger, which set school records. … Latterall should be one of the top vaulters in the KRC and have a shot at qualifying for state. … “We have the most seniors and four-year track athletes I’ve had in my tenure as head coach,” Seyller said. “Our strength is in the sprints and field events.”

Johnsburg

Coach: Tom Weaver (12th season)

Last year’s finish: Second in KRC Meet

Top returning athletes: Jolene Cashmore, sr. (sistance); Caitlyn Casella, jr. (sprints); Natalie Burke, jr. (sprints, jumps); Anna Elfering, jr. (throws); Rylee Hardersen, jr. (jumps); Ellie Bauer, sr. (distance); Giada Miraldi, so. (distance); Savannah Peete, jr. (jumps, sprints)

Top new athletes: Lila Duck, jr. (sprints, jumps); Ivy Garcia, jr. (distance); Hope Klosowicz, fr. (sprints); Juliana Cashmore, so. (throws, jumps); Lilly VanDyck, fr. (throws); Sara Posey, fr. (throws)

Worth noting: Johnsburg returns most of its team that finished in second place and will post big points with Cashmore and Casella, who each won two KRC titles last season. Cashmore had a standout cross country season and likely would have been a Class 1A All-Stater if she had not experienced physical issues in the final 800 meters of the state meet race. … Burke and Hardersen have stood out in indoor performances this spring. … Miraldi and Bauer were part of a strong cross country team and will help in longer races. … “The Skyhawks have added and returned some amazing athletic young women from the volleyball team who are excited to contribute (Duck, Garcia, Juliana Cashmore, and Wizceb),” Weaver said. “The freshmen are proving themselves to be competitive and exciting to watch.”

Marengo

Coaches: Bob Fecarotta (ninth season) and Kim Hoffmeister (fifth season)

Last year’s finish: Fifth in KRC Meet

Top returning athletes: Gianna Almeida, sr. (LJ, sprints); Michaela Almeida, sr. (HJ); Alexa Calbow, sr. (sprints); Samantha Conroy, jr. (sprints); Amanda Harris, jr. (sprints); Nikole Czepczynski, so. (sprints, middle distance)

Top new athletes: Olivia Walter, fr. (hurdles); Ava Frederick, fr. (sprints)

Worth noting: Michaela Almeida is looking for her third Class 2A state qualification in the high jump. She took ninth as a sophomore. … The Indians return their state-qualifying team of Amanda Harris, Samantha Conroy, Gianna Almeida and Alexa Calbow. … “We have the largest team we’ve had in close to a decade,” Fecarotta said. “Our 4x200 team returns with hopes of getting another shot at running downstate again.”

Richmond-Burton

Coach: Taylor Conroy (first season)

Last year’s finish: Third place in KRC Meet

Top returning athletes: Alexia Spatz, so. (distance); Angelina Gersch, sr. ( TJ, LJ, sprints); Sahanna Doherty, jr. ( TJ, LJ, sprints); Camila Mendez, sr. (distance); Anika Frable, sr. (hurdles)

Top new athletes: Allison Hunt, sr. ( HJ, hurdles); Emerson Wold, fr. (middle distance, distance); Olivia Popp, fr. (middle distance); Sophia Komar, fr. (sprints); Jasmine McCaskel, jr. (sprints); Kristina DeLeon, so. (sprints)

Worth noting: Spatz, Wold, Mendez and Popp were on the Rockets’ Class 1A state-qualifying cross country team. … R-B had one big graduation loss with Lilly Alberts, who was fourth in the Class 2A 400 and seventh in the 200 at state.

Woodstock

Coach: Jon Brown (fourth season)

Last year’s finish: KRC champion

Top returning athletes: Maggie Adams, jr. (distance); Keira Bogott, so. (middle distance); Adriana Bowers, sr. (PV); Corrine Bures, so. (sprints); Kiersin Carey, jr. (middle distance); Anna Crenshaw, jr. (throws); Savannah Griffin, jr. (hurdles, PV); Allie O’Brien, jr. (throws); Aby Smith, sr. (middle distance); Hallie Steponaitis, jr. (HJ); Addie Walker, jr. (throws)

Top new athletes: Mia Foss, fr. (sprints, jumps); Amina Idris, so. (sprints); Sofia Krueger, fr. (sprints); Sophia Mendoza, so. (sprints, jumps); Lily Novelle, so. (jumps, middle distance); Sophie Sarabia, fr. (distance)

Worth noting: Woodstock has a deep squad back from its KRC champion team and gets a boost in distance races with the return of Adams, the 2021 KRC girls cross country champion who missed last season with an ACL injury. … Steponaitis is a two-time Class 2A state qualifier in the high jump, where she took fourth as a freshman. … “We have a lot of depth this year,” Brown said. “The girls have worked extremely hard this offseason and I’m excited to see them develop and grow. We have a great group of senior leaders.”

Woodstock North

Coach: Cas Creighton (11th season)

Last year’s finish: Fourth in KRC Meet

Top returning athletes: Bella Borta, jr. (hurdles); Lexi Hansen, jr. ( HJ, TJ); Dani Hansen, jr. ( TJ, PV); Ashley Janeczko, jr. (SP, discus); Abbie Manoso, so. (sprints, LJ); Hailey Drach, jr. (distance); Jadyn Grismer, so. (hurdles, HJ); Brenna McConnell, so. (throws)

Top new athletes: Emily Muckerheide, jr. (LJ, middle distance); Victoria Grant , fr. (HJ, sprints); Bre Brown, sr. (sprints, middle distance); Elli Voss, fr. (HJ, sprints); Tori Quick, fr. (HJ, sprints)

Worth noting: Hansen (high jump) and Borta (300 low hurdles) were state qualifiers and are looking to return to Charleston this season. Borta won the KRC 100 high and 300 low hurdles. … Janeczko and McConnell have started the season indoors with their personal-best shot puts. Janeczko was KRC shot put runner-up and third in discus. … “Brenna has worked hard in the offseason, and it has shown,” Creighton said. “Our team has many new athletes this season between freshmen and upperclassmen. It’s exciting to see our team grow.”

INDEPENDENT

Marian Central

Coach: Steve Thomas (second season)

Last year’s finish: No conference meet

Top returning athletes: Lily Bures, sr. (sprints, jumps); Bella Zecchin, sr. (sprints, jumps); Mia Reiche, jr. (sprints, jumps); Emma Weber, jr. (sprints, jumps); Kaitlyn Remke, so. (hurdles); Gianna Stahl, so. (distance)

Top new athletes: Kaitlyn Mullen, sr. (jumps, middle distance); Carla Rubio, jr. (throws, PV); Jenna Remke, fr. (sprints; jumps)

Worth noting: Zecchin took eighth in the Class 2A long jump, and Bures was ninth in the high jump. … Thomas hopes that the Hurricanes take more entries to state this season as they were close with sprint relays that had Bures, Zecchin, Reiche and Weber last season. “They will most likely be in one of our most competitive relay teams, but we have a good core of underclassmen that are excited and wanting to get a taste of state by filling out our relay spots,” Thomas said. “I’m excited to see which athletes step up and command a spot.”

NORTHEASTERN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE

Alden-Hebron

Coach: Miguel Gil-Reyes (third season)