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Sports

Central's Alberts, North's McDaniel Run Well at WWS

Host Tigers top competitive girls track invitational field, but many area athletes perform well.

This time of year it’s all about getting ready for the postseason, what with conference meets this week followed by sectionals and then the state girls track finals.

So piling up wins at Friday’s 34th annual Tiger Invitational at Wheaton Warrenville South was not quite as important as turning in solid efforts in preparations for the home stretch of the season. And while the loaded host Tigers captured the team title 100 to 92.50 in a tight battle with Glenbard West, , , Downers Grove South and Hinsdale South each had its share of great individual efforts.

 Naperville Central senior Jenny Alberts finished second in the open 400 with a time of 59.89, while Downers South’s Samantha Baeten was third and Hinsdale South’s Sarah Warren was fourth.

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 Alberts also ran on the Redhawks 4x800 relay with Alex Cushing, Hannah Wood and Kailey Mikulec and the quartet was fourth with a state-qualifying time of 9:33.12.

 “I was real surprised,” said Alberts. “It was the first great weather and great competition we’ve had. We dropped a lot of time in that (3,200) relay and we went to keep under the state cut.”

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 The two-mile race saw Naperville Central’s Amanda Fox take second in 11:16.87, with Downers South teammates Jacquelyn Thate and Katie Strelau finishing 4-5. The Mustangs, who tied with Schaumburg for sixth in the team standings with 52 points, earned third—place points from Baeten in the 100 dash (12.71), while Hornet freshman Warren was fifth in that event in 12.91.

 Hinsdale South, 12th out of 18 teams with 29 points, was paced by jumper Uzo Okoro, who took first in the triple jump at 35-02.50 and second in the triple jump at 17-00.25. Also in the triple jump, Mustang Kristy LaRue was second at 34-09 and Naperville North’s Claire Remee was third at 34-03.

 Okoro was happy to clear 17 feet for the first time this spring and now is setting her sites on the state mark of 17-03. “We have conference next week and then sectionals, so I just wanted to get 17,” said Okoro, who reached a career-best 17-10 last year at conference. “For me mentally I wanted to reach that mark tonight.”

 Downers South’s Rebecca Stearns and Raven Wilson went 5-6 in the 300 hurdles, while Naperville North had a pair of runners come in under the state cut-off of 5:15.24 in the mile. The Huskies Rachel Weathered was sixth at 5:12.51 and Maria McDaniel was right behind in seventh at 5:12.96.

 For McDaniel, a freshman, the race marked a second straight week with huge time drops and new career-best times. Two weeks ago she ran a 5:28 before she turned in a 5:18 last week. Friday she brought the time down again and now can think seriously about making some noise in the postseason.

“This is unbelievable. I can’t imagine anything like this,” said McDaniel. “My legs hurt and I’ll sleep well tonight. It does surprise me. I just wanted to be around my PR but the competition pushes you.”

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