Cougar Twilight Invitational, 4.28.2017

Post date: Apr 30, 2017 11:51:49 PM

What can Minooka girls track & field do in less than 5 minutes?

The 28th Annual Cougar Twilight Invitational hosted by Conant High School on Friday gave us this answer. This A-B-C-style meet, where athletes compete in divisions with others of similar ability, gave Minooka the opportunity to put together some performances that were great, and others that were even historic. And if you only had 5 minutes to watch, there’s plenty you could have seen.

Here are the Top 5 things Minooka girls track did in less than 5 minutes.

5. Fast times in the 100

From the first heat with a Minooka runner in the 100-meter dash to the last, positive things happened on this chilly night. All three girls hit season-best marks, and two of them were personal bests. All three were moved up in their respective divisions at the last minute, and they all delivered. Sophie Darden and Lauren Larsen hit personal bests, finishing 3rd in Division C and 5th in Division B, respectively. Aaliyah Young just missed her personal best in Division A, but still ran a season’s best.

4. Reach 9 feet and higher

Technically these didn’t all occur within 5 minutes, but had this been a dual meet where all pole vaulters were raising the bar together, they would have. Three girls from Minooka cleared 9 feet in the pole vault — the first time this has happened in school history. Meghan Marchio won Division C with 9-0, Katelyn Gall won Division B with 9-6, and Brooklyn Bachmann finished 4th in Division A with 10-0. Marchio’s and Gall’s marks were both personal bests.

3. Compete in 3 events simultaneously

Sydney Andreano is not your typical track and field athlete. She juggles time between discus, shot put, and triple jump. You’ll often find her slightly out of breath because she just ran from one event to another. When she arrives, she’s not rattled; she’s focused. And she’s had success. Friday night she traveled amongst those three events and ended up winning Division B triple jump, and placing 2nd in both Division B shot put and Division A discus. That’s 22 varsity points in about 5 minutes.

2. Score 5 points in the 4x400-meter relay

If you look at the results sheet, this doesn’t appear too remarkable. We finished 5th in the 4x400 and didn’t run a season’s best time, but the upperclassman leadership on this was telling. We had sketched out a rough plan for the relay ahead of time, with more than four runners in mind for the race. We told them all to be ready, and we would let them know during the meet. Circumstances led to us having fewer available than we thought. We even told one person she wasn’t running, only later to tell her she was. All who carried the baton were excited and willing to help the team. Lindsay Freese, Ali Mondrella, Mackenzie Callahan, and Eryn Renison ran a race that made us proud.

1. Run 1600 meters

This one was truly historic. It was four years in the making. And it is a great way to begin the last month of the season. Mackenzie Callahan won the Division A 1600-meter run in 4:59.76. This was a personal best, a meet record, and a school record. From the moment the gun went off, you could seen the determined look in her eyes. She was all by herself most of the race, and the final stretch was against only the clock. She beat it.

There were lots of other good things that happened outside a 5-minute timetable on the way to Minooka winning their 5th straight invitational, going back to the indoor season. Some more highlights:

• Ashley Tutt: 3200-meter run Division A champ;
• Vivian Van Eck: 3200-meter run Division B champ, personal record, and 5th-best all-time;
• Julia Dames: 3200-meter run Division C champ, personal record, and 7th-best all-time;
• Abby Rivara: 100-meter hurdles personal record;
• Emily Ellis: 800-meter run personal record;
• Emily Johnson: 400-meter dash personal record;
• Amanda Wilson: 1600-meter run personal record;
• Olivia Kics: 1600-meter run personal record;
• Madison Thompson: 200-meter dash personal record;
• Desiree March: High jump Division B champ and personal record;
• Abigail Boland: Shot put personal record;
• Karlee Cox: Shot put Division C champ;
• Harley Graham: Discus personal record, and 9th-best all-time.

Go Minooka!

— Coach Thomas