Naperville Central is the host for the 2023 girls track and field DVC meet. The Redhawks come in as defending champs along with winning the indoor title back in March. Five other teams are in attendance looking to stop the hawks and run for new times and PR’s with sectionals next week. This highlight is sponsored by BMO Harris Bank.
Get that sand raked out because we’re starting with the triple jump. Neuqua Valley’s Gabi Karvelis comes running down the track and jumps her way to 35 and four inches. She takes third place in the triple but wins the long jump. Up next is Central’s Brooke Sawatzky whose jumps to a first place finish at 35 and 9.25 inches.
Kait McHale sets a new personal best
We go to the pole vault with Kait McHale from Central who clears 13 feet which is a new personal record. That helps McHale to the first place spot over Joscelyn Dieckman from DeKalb.
Now let’s go racing in the 4 by 8 meter relay. Metea’s group of Maya Hall, Samantha and Taylor Poces Bell, along with Gianna Cannek win this race in dominant fashion by five seconds ahead of Naperville North with Naperville Central in third.
Time to run two miles with the 3200. A runner that should not surprise anyone is Central junior Liv Phillips who leaves everyone in the dust. She wins with a time of ten minutes and forty nine seconds. North’s Logan Brennan comes in second followed by teammate Shania Tendon. Phillips’s Redhawk partner Ava Hendron comes in fourth.
Brooke Sawatzky sweeps the hurdles
Hurdles are on the track which means we’re running the 100 meter hurdles. This event is a fantasy land for Brooke Sawatzky who wins this race along with the 300 meter hurdles later in the meet. Teammate Julie Vanderbloemen finishes in second place.
Neuqua with a strong showing in the sprints and relays
Hurdles are off, and now we run 100 meters as Neuqua’s Chioma Anyaegbunam flies to the finish line in first place at 12.40 seconds. Maya Hall from Metea Valley in second. Daniella Russo from Waubonsie Valley in sixth place. Anyaegbunam also wins the 200 meter dash later on in the meet.
Wildcats keep the momentum in the 4 by 200 with the group of Tolu Aremu, Lauren Ammenhauser, Anyaegbunam, and Gabi Karvelis taking the cake by two seconds ahead of the Naperville Central quad of Carlee Adelman, Liz Hayes, Adeline O’Neill, and Paige Owens.
Always so strong in the distance races, Naperville North gets a win in the mile Julie Piot. She runs a time of five minutes and three seconds followed by Neuqua’s Carissa Hamilton in second and Central’s Abby Mogg in third.
Sophie Kusserow from Central comes back strong
We run a lap in the 400 meter dash. Central’s Sophie Kusserow is back from injury and makes her presence felt count in a big way by winning the race with a time of 57.83 seconds. Sariyah Watson from DeKalb, Olivia Dalson from Neuqua Valley and Julia Hannon from Metea Valley round out the top four. Central also gets a first place finish from Allison Roozeboom in discus.
For a second straight season Naperville Central is your girls outdoor track and field DVC champion. All that excitement is good enough for head coach Phil Allen to do the griddy. The Redhawks finish with 163 points ahead of Neuqua Valley in second and Naperville North in third. Sectionals are on the way next week.
Full results from the meet can be found at athletic.net.
For more prep sports highlights, visit the Naperville Sports Weekly page!