Inside Track 
 and Field

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Athletes of the week

Boys

James Davis

Huntley, jr.

Davis has had a strong season, already having won the 100-meter dash at the McHenry County Track and Field Meet before taking the 100 title at the Palatine Relays on Saturday.

Davis was slightly behind Belleville East’s Adoreé Jackson at the start, but caught him within the first 20 meters and led the rest of the way, winning in 10.9 seconds. Jackson was given 11.0 for his time.

Davis also ran for the Red Raiders’ 4x100 and 4x400 relay teams.

Girls

Jessica Ayers

Prairie Ridge, jr.

Ayers won the 100-meter dash at the Palatine Relays when she caught Conant’s Angela
Herrmann just before the finish line and passed her.

Ayers finished in 12.2 seconds, Herrmann was at 12.3. Ayers leaned forward at the finish and fell, scraping both knees, both elbows and a hip.

Ayers also took third in the 400 and anchored the sixth-place 4x400 relay for the Wolves.

Noteworthy

More records for Beattie: Woodstock senior Kayla Beattie ran a 4:48.97 in the 1,600 meters to set the meet record at the Woodstock Invitational on Friday night. Beattie then ran at the Palatine Relays on Saturday and broke a 25-year-old meet record with her 10:32. That time was 10 seconds faster than Wheeling’s Dana Miroballi’s meet record.

“We kind of set this up to simulate state,” said Beattie of the back-to-back meets. “It’s nice to know physically I can handle it [on successive days]. I won’t be running a 4:48 1,600 in the [state] preliminaries.”

Beattie liked being at the meet for another reason. She trains with the Woodstock’s boys runners and enjoyed the chance to support them.

“Today was all about them,” Beattie said. “My favorite part was watching my training partners. I really enjoyed that.”

Bound for Marquette: Prairie Ridge’s Marc DiVerde and Huntley’s Haley Loprieno, both seniors, will run for Marquette University in cross country and track next year.

DiVerde finished seventh in the Fox Valley Conference Cross Country Meet and was a Northwest Herald All-Area second-team selection. He will get athletic and academic scholarship money from the Milwaukee school. The Golden Eagles’ head cross country and assistant track coach is Mike Nelson.

“I really liked the coach, and I got a great feel for the team,” DiVerde said.

He also was able to speak with senior thrower David Carbajal, a former Prairie Ridge athlete, about the school. DiVerde also looked at Miami (Ohio).

Loprieno was 12th in the FVC Cross Country Meet and received All-Area honorable mention last season. Her summer training was set back by a stress reaction in her left fibula, although she has recovered now, and her coaches think she is having her best track season.

“I liked the location, it’s in a city, but it’s not too big,” Loprieno said. “I feel really strong now. I’ve been doing speed and agility training at Going Vertical in Huntley. I did a lot more training than I ever did before and built up a lot of strength.”

Loprieno also had looked at D-I SIU-Edwardsville and D-III Washington University in St. Louis.

This week’s top meets

Fox Valley Conference Girls Meet

4:30 p.m. Thursday at Crystal Lake South

Defending champion Cary-Grove is the decisive favorite in the meet, especially after the Trojans almost doubled the score on the rest of the field two weeks ago at the McHenry County Meet.

Big Northern Conference Girls Meet

4:30 p.m. Thursday at Stillman Valley

Burlington Central is likely the favorite here, but Hampshire and Marengo have strong teams and should be near the top.

– Joe Stevenson
jstevenson@nwherald.com