Always in the hunt

Huntley's Omo Tseumah jumps over the bar in the high jump final Friday at the Woodstock Invitational. Tseumah cleared 4 feet, 10 inches and finished fifth. (Catalin Abagiu - cabagiu@nwherald.com)

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WOODSTOCK – If such records were kept, Huntley’s girls track and field team might make an IHSA list for runner-up finishes in big meets.

Shawn Nordeen remembered his teams coming close for most of his 13 years as Huntley’s head coach, and Friday’s Woodstock Track and Field Invitational provided a similar story.

When lightning struck for a second time at 8 p.m., the meet was stopped at Larry Dale Field. The first delay had been an hour earlier and after the IHSA-mandated half-hour wait, and a warm-up period, athletes came back to the track but were only able to finish the 4x200 relay and triple jump before lightning appeared again.

After 13 events, Harlem was the team champion with 88 points, with Huntley solidly in second with 61. The Red Raiders would have had some big points in the remaining five events, but it would have been almost impossible to catch Harlem.

“It’s been great [being competitive],” Nordeen said.

“Looking back, it seems like we’re always just one year off,” Huntley coach Shawn Nordeen said. “It shows consistency with the kids we have. I’m not complaining too much about having seconds.”

Huntley’s Amy Fanella won the triple jump (36 feet, 1 1/2 inches) and Jacobs’ Bethany Muscat won the high jump (5-2) for the local girls winning individual titles. Huntley also got a second from Carrie Quinn in the 100-meter dash and a second from its 4x200 relay team, which Quinn anchored.

Fanella was disappointed she could not run against Harlem’s Jenna Combs in the 300 low hurdles. Combs was fourth in the IHSA Class 3A Girls State Meet last year.

“[Combs] always pushes me and I like running against her,” said Fanella, who was second to Combs in the 100 high hurdles. “I ran against her twice last year and I didn’t beat her, but I don’t think I was far away.”

Woodstock’s Kayla and Elise Beattie took a night off from running their usual races – the 3,200 and 1,600 – and competed only in the 800 Friday. Kayla took second to Rochelle freshman Michelle Dobbs in the 800, which was one of the meet’s best races. Dobbs won in 2:17.65, while Beattie’s time was 2:17.67. Both runners beat the meet record of Auburn’s Kemi Okwumabau (2:20.0) set last year.

Beattie broke the Woodstock school record of 2:19.00 (converted from the 880-yard run), set in 1979.

“The 800’s really not my event, but we decided since we doubled last week [at the McHenry County Meet] and we will the next three weeks, that we’d do this,” Beattie said. “It was definitely a different race, more tactical than the 3,200. I got boxed in for the first 400 and realized [Dobbs] was taking off. In the last stretch I didn’t know if I should run behind her or beside her.”