Girls track: West Aurora wins big, but WW South claims sectional
DVC Girls Track
Team results
1. Wheaton Warrenville South 151, 2. West Aurora 128, 3. Naperville North 71, 4. Glenbard North 67, 5. Naperville Central 59, 6. Glenbard East 45, 7. Wheaton North 24, 8. West Chicago 13.
Event winners
High jump – Emma Spagnola, West Aurora 5-5; Long jump – Emma Spagnola, West Aurora 17-3½; Discus – Desirae Ranberg, Wheaton South 124-9; Triple jump – Kyla Walton, West Aurora 35-1.75; Pole vault – Emily Schwartz, Wheaton South 12-0; Shot put – Tina Norris, Naperville Central 39-0; 3200 relay – Wheaton South 9:16.91 * (McKenna Kiple, Amy Yong, Kayla Knightlinger, Hope Schmelzle); 400 relay – West Aurora 49.15 * (Monique Dunum, Tykia Neal, Cynthia Smith, Anita Saffa); 3200 run – Amanda Fox, Naperville Central 10:43.98; 100-meter hurdles – Emma Spagnola, West Aurora :15.07; 100-meter dash – Anita Saffa, West Aurora 12.33; 800 – Lindsey Rakosnik, Glenbard East 2:11.45 *; 800 relay – Wheaton South 1:44.28 *(Maggie Dansdill, Jessica Spera, Emily Phillip, Jennifer Fiola); 400 – Simone Carr, Glenbard North 56.66 *; 300 hurdles – Emma Spagnola, West Aurora 44.11*; 1600 – Lindsey Rakosnik, Glenbard East 4:59.50*; 200 – Anita Saffa, West Aurora 25.53; 1600 relay – Wheaton South 3:58.79 * (Emily Phillip, Amy Yong, McKenna Kiple, Hope Schmelzle).
*meet record
Updated: May 3, 2012 10:29PM
West Aurora won more battles Thursday at the DuPage Valley Conference girls track meet, but Wheaton Warrenville South won the war.
The Blackhawks, paced by four individual wins from Emma Spagnola and two from Anita Saffa, won eight events at Naperville Central. The Tigers claimed five wins, including three relays, and used their superior depth to win the team title by 23 points.
“That depth is kind of hard to compete with,” West Aurora coach Teresa Towles said of Wheaton South, which scored in all 18 events and double-scored in seven of the 14 individual events.
“They’re talented as well. They have quality and they’re a strong team.”
The two teams have taken turns winning the title since 2009. This time, the Tigers finished with 151 points and the Blackhawks had 128. Naperville North (71), Glenbard North (67) and Naperville Central (59) rounded out the top five.
“If you have the right attitude and are aggressive, the results will take care of themselves,” WW South coach Rob Harvey said. “We’re a team.
“I’ve had great teams that were a challenge to coach. I’ve had great kids who wouldn’t challenge themselves as athletes. This team is a perfect mix. They challenge themselves and they’re a joy to coach.”
Spagnola, a sophomore standout, went 4-for-4 for the second straight year. She won the high jump by clearing 5-5, the long jump in 17-3½, the 100-meter hurdles in 15.07 seconds and the 300 hurdles in a meet-record 44.11 seconds. It was one of eight records to fall in the meet.
“I think we have one of the best ever there,” Towles said. “It’s amazing, especially because there’s a lot of good competition here.”
Saffa came up big by edging her nemesis, Naperville North’s Alexis Hyshaw by .13 of a second to win the 100-meter dash.
“She ran it, she finally ran it,” Towles said as Saffa crossed the finish line. “That’s a big step for her.”
Earlier, Saffa anchored the record-setting 400-meter relay (49.15) that included Monique Dunum, Tykia Neal and Cynthia Smith. She came back to take second in the 400 behind Glenbard North’s Simone Carr, who won in a meet-record 57.11. Saffa edged Hyshaw by .15 of a second for the 200 title.
“I just saw (Hyshaw) and had a burst of energy (in the 100),” Saffa said.
Other individual meet records that fell included the 800 and 1,600 runs, which were both won by Glenbard East standout Lindsey Rakosnik in 2:11.45 and 4:59.50, respectively.
Wheaton South’s 800, 1,600 and 3,200 relays all set records. The 800 group of Maggie Dansdill, Jessica Spera, Emily Phillip and Jennifer Fiola won in 1:44.28; Phillip, Amy Yong, McKenna Kiple and Hope Schmelzle won the 1,600 in 3:58.79 and Kiple, Yong, Kayla Knightlinger and Schmelzle won the 3,200 in 9:16.91.
The Tigers also got wins from Emily Schwartz (12-0) in the pole vault and Desirae Ranberg (124-9) in the discus.
West Aurora’s other win came from triple jumper Kyla Walton, who went 35-1˝.
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