Girls Cross Country: Lockport girls run as a pack to state
By Tim Tierney For Sun-Times Media October 31, 2012 9:28PM
Lockport's Kimberly Johnson (135). | Larry Kane~For Sun-Times Media
Girls State
Cross Country
When: Saturday at Detweiller Park, Peoria
CLASS 3A
TEAM QUALIFIERS
Lincoln-Way Central: Amanda Baker, Keygan Balaja, Mallory Johnson, Heidi Killinger, Meghan Killinger, Taylor Martinez, Lisa Meister, Alena Pacheco, J.J. Robinson, Bridget Sullivan, Elizabeth Venezio.
Lincoln-Way East: Angie Bravo, Anna Conboy, Abby Couwenhoven, Erin Couwenhoven, Kristy Dertz, Morgan Ford, Emily Karl, Kaley McLawhorn, Kendall Nepote, Samantha Ostmann, Alyssa Vogt, Kyndall Wallace.
Lockport: Alicia Fry, Haley Beaumont, Courtney Correa, Aubrey Elwood, Emmie Hahn, Kimberly Johnson, Brooke Kramer, Isabella Krockey, Taylor Latta, Madeline Rodriguez, Taylor Stortz, Bianca Wiemeyer.
Minooka: Caleigh Beverly, Kaitlyn Chetney, Ashley Clark, Colleen Coyle, Morgan Crouch, Keely Doran, Gaby Gall, Caitlin Kurtz, Moira McAsey, Haley McNamara, Haley Renison, Laura Simon.
INDIVIDUAL QUALIFIER
Lincoln-Way North: Abby Casey
CLASS 2A
INDIVIDUAL QUALIFIERS
Lemont: Claire Gagen and Victoria Salazar
Lincoln-Way West: Natalie Waters
Updated: December 2, 2012 1:57PM
The graduation of two All-State runners left Lockport with a lot of work to do this season to return to state meet form.
“At the beginning of the year there were a lot of people who doubted us,’’ said Kimberly Johnson, one of two seniors on the squad. “That was kind of our rallying cry throughout the year, to say that we can do it.’’
They sure did. Lockport overcame the loss of Megan O’Brien and Stephanie Sanders and earned a return trip to Peoria for the Class 3A state meet Saturday at Detweiller Park.
What’s even more impressive is the Porters did it without top runner Haley Beaumont, who suffered a leg injury late in the season and didn’t run in the state series.
“We all try to share the responsibility around, and try to make sure there’s not too much pressure on one person,’’ Johnson said. “We don’t really have a lead runner who can go out and score really low. Our strength this year is definitely getting all of us in together at the end of the race.’’
Lockport has finished among the top 20 teams three straight years, including a 14th-place finish last season.
“We have been very fortunate the past few years to have some runners who were just blistering fast, All-Staters who were in the top 25 in the state,’’ coach Evon Marie Schlotter said.
“This year, we knew we did not have that right off the bat. What we’ve done instead is it’s a true cross country team. We are running a tight pack.’’
Minooka’s pack led the Indians to second place at the Normal Sectional. Freshman Morgan Crouch was seventh and the next four Minooka runners were packed 14th through 19th.
Experience should help Minooka at Detweiller with Laura Simon, Kaitlyn Chetney, Caleigh Beverly and Haley Renison back from the 2011 team that finished 22nd.
Glenbard West’s Madeline Perez has the top 3A time of 16 minutes, 38.58 seconds and will be tough to beat considering she went unchallenged at the Niles West Sectional.
In Class 2A, Lincoln-Way West’s Natalie Waters enters the state meet with the fourth-best sectional time (17:39). Waters finished 31st (18:15) in the 2011 state final.
