Rogutich: I can jump farther

Marengo’s Allison Rogutich sails through the air in the Class 2A triple jump during Friday’s preliminaries at the IHSA Girls Track and Field State Meet in Charleston. Rogutich qualified for today’s finals. (Clark Brooks / For the Northwest Herald)

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CHARLESTON – Allison Rogutich feels like there is a monster effort inside her waiting to be unleashed.

The Marengo junior is in third place in the Class 2A triple jump at the IHSA Girls Track and Field State Meet after making 36 feet, 10 inches in Friday’s preliminaries at Eastern Illinois University’s O’Brien Stadium.

“I know it’s there,” Rogutich said. “I haven’t even hit the board.”

Rogutich tied her career-best jump on her first attempt, but had she taken off well on the board, she would have been close to 38 feet. That is what she has planned for today’s finals.

“I was really happy to get that,” Rogutich said. “I knew in the 36s would make the finals. I’ll just do more run-throughs [before the finals] and try to get on the board.”

Rogutich also qualified in the 100-meter high hurdles, and her teammates Shawney Damisch (300 low hurdles) and Katie Adams (1,600) advanced to today’s finals as well. Adams already was in the 3,200, which is run only on Saturdays at the state meet.

Woodstock senior Kayla Beattie cruised to a win in her heat of the 1,600 in 5:08.10, a race she has run 20 seconds faster this season. Beattie is the overwhelming favorite in the 3,200 and 1,600. She likely will break the state meet record for any class in the 3,200 (10:13.24, set by Peoria Bergan’s Suzie Tuffey in 1984) and also will chase Tuffey’s state record of 10:03, which was run in a non-state meet race.

Beattie finished her heat and left the track quickly.

“I want to focus on tomorrow’s races,” she said.

Damisch had the fifth-fastest time (45.46) in the 300 hurdles to make the finals. It was a good time considering her footwork was not ideal.

“I wanted to get in the 44s, but I’ll shoot for that [in the finals],” Damisch said. “I started off hitting a few hurdles, then I started [alternating] hurdle legs. I did that a lot at the beginning of the season.”

Hampshire junior Cassie Kruse had a busy day with eight laps on the blue track at O’Brien. Although Kruse finished 13th, just missing the 12-competitor final field of the 1,600, she advanced in the 800 and with the Whip-Purs’ 4x800 relay team of Paige Membrano, Autumn Chomenko and Liz Sicheri, who ran 9:34.86, the third-fastest time in the prelims.

“I’ll just try to place the highest I can,” Kruse said. “It would be great to medal in all the finals you’re in, but I’ll just do my best.”

Christina Bravos is the first valedictorian in Woodstock North history and the first to make the finals in state track and field. She qualified in the discus with a throw of 103-5. Bravos will compete in the finals, then quickly return home to deliver the valedictorian’s speech at North’s commencement, set for 7 p.m. today.

“I wasn’t too happy with my throw, but it was good enough,” Bravos said. “I’m really excited to be here.”

Bravos said attending state as a fan two years ago helped her deal with the atmosphere. As for which will make her more nervous today, she did not hesitate.

“My speech,” she said. “There will be a lot more people there watching.”

Crystal Lake Central’s Katie Idstein and Celeste Madda each competed in four events Friday, both running in the 100, 200 and 4x100 and 4x200 relays. The 4x200 relay of Idstein, Grace Roth, Claire Walker and Madda ran 1:45.47 to qualify for the finals.

“I’m so excited,” Idstein said. “We wanted that one the most.”