Girls Track: Emma Spagnola, West Aurora dominate Kane County Meet

Updated: April 27, 2012 10:32PM

“It’s so-o-o cold,” said Emma Spagnola. “You warm up and take your sweats off and you’re cold before you can start (the race).”

The 40-degree temperatures, made worse by a howling wind out of the northeast, did nothing to keep the West Aurora sophomore standout from setting a blistering pace in leading her team to a third straight girls Kane County Meet title. Spagnola won four events and the Blackhawks got a pair of wins from junior Anita Saffa and another from sophomore Maya Marion and won the team race by 59 points.

“Our goal was to win,” said West coach Teresa Towles, whose squad had no problem doing that, scoring in every event but the 800 and pole vault and double-scoring in four individual events to win in a runaway with 142 points. Runner-up St. Charles East had 83.

Batavia (83), St. Charles North (58) and Burlington Central (48) rounded out the top five. Geneva and Rosary tied for sixth at 41, Kaneland was seventh with 34 and Aurora Central 10th in the 13-team meet with 13.

Spagnola won the 100 hurdles in 15.02 seconds, took the 300 hurdles in 45.08, the long jump (17-4.25) and high jump (5-1).

“Probably the 300s,” Spagnola said when asked which was the most gratifying win. “I’m actually beginning to run that race. I used to pace myself, but now, I figure if I die, I die.”

Saffa claimed sprint queen honors by taking the 100-meter dash in 12.65 seconds and the 200 in 25.80. She was the runner-up (1:00.39) to St. Charles East’s Britney Williams (59.44) in the 400 and ran a leg of the Blackhawks’ second-place 400 relay team.

“It wasn’t my best time (in the 100) but it’s cold,” said Saffa. “I’ve been struggling with my hamstrings and actually took last week off but they were really hurting in the 400. I was on the edge running that one, pushing them. I wanted to break one minute but it’s just too cold.”

Marion topped Batavia senior Haleigh Theuerkauf in the discus with a throw of 109-10, which won by two feet, six inches. Theuerkauf returned the favor in the shot put, winning with a toss of 37-2.5 to Marion’s 36-11.75.

“Neither was a p.r., it was a little windy and cold,” said Marion, who made it downstate last year in the shot put and is making great strides in just her second year of throwing.

“I played softball for six years,” she said. “I threw in four meets in eighth grade but didn’t take it seriously. I’ve been lifting five-to-six times a week this semester because I’m taking a gym class where we lift. I’m 15 pounds from the school record in several lifts.”

Towles was also pleased with the efforts of junior Claire Loran in the 3200 and junior Rachel Cavender in the 1600. Loran was seeded seventh but took fourth (12:10.83). Cavender was the second seed by moved up to take second in 5:23.56.

Rosary’s lone win came from its 800 relay team made up of sophomore Sydney Zaragoza, freshmen Megan Conlin and Christina Perillo and senior Grace Petry. They won in 1:49.74, coming in seeded fourth.

“We would have been higher, though, because we ran a 1:48 earlier this week on a nice day to win at (the eight-team) Benet Invitational,” said Rosary coach Vic Mead. “They’ve been coming on pretty good.”

Geneva freshman Hannah Davison had the area’s other event win, claiming the triple jump with a 35-8.25, which edged West’s Kyla Walton by 1.25 inches.

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