Wind, cold, does not stop Prospect at Bruce Ritter Invitational

By Michael Newman [email protected]

Downers Grove, Ill. – The Prospect Girls team took to the track Thursday evening at Downers Grove North High School ignoring what was facing every other team in the 15 team Brice Ritter Invitational.

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The Lady Knights spread their points over most of the events to easily win the team title with 151 points. Naperville Central (92 points), York (82.5 points), Lyons Township (80 points), and Downers Grove North (76.5 points) rounded out the top five teams.

Conditions were brutal at this meet as they were throughout Illinois on this night with winds over 25 mph at times with temperatures near 40 degrees.

The conditions did not seem to bother Darina Tersina of Prospect as she came away as the meet’s big winner with three event titles and helping her team to a fourth win in a relay. Tersina had a huge tailwind to her back to help her win the Triple Jump with a 38-11.75 mark. Tersina led off Prospect’s quartet to a 50.22 time in winning the 4x100m Relay ahead of Glenbrook South (50.60) and Lyons Township (50.77).

Tersina’s wins in the sprints came running into a strong wind. The senior got out of the blocks quickly in winning the 100 Meter Dash (12.88) ahead of Glenbrook South’s Hayden Nelson (13.19). The same held true in the 200 Meter Dash. Tersina had the lead off the curve and held on to run a season’s best of 26.08 for the win ahead of Zoe Littlejohn of West Aurora (26.49).

Prospect won three more event to help them with their win. Audrey and Lily Ginsberg took the pace out conservatively in the final section of the 800 Meter Run passing 400-meters in 71.5 seconds. They took the lead in the next 200 on their way to rolling to a six second win. Audrey took the win (2:18.92) just ahead of her sister Lily (2:19.23). York’s Katelyn Winton finished third (2:25.26). Audrey Ginsberg was also a part of her team’s quartet that ran 4:07.70 to win the 4x400m Relay ahead of Lyons Township (4:12.11).

Prospect’s other win came when Madison Payne had a 35-2.75 mark to win the Shot Put.

Other Meet Highlights

York picked up three event wins in this meet. The Dukes took the lead halfway through the 4x800m Relay with Bria Bennis holding on the final lap to give her team the win (9:53.94). Catherine Sommerfeld ran a strong anchor leg to close the gap to give Lyons Township second (9:55.68) ahead of third-place Prospect (10:00.28).

Brooke Berger of York took the lead 800-meters in to the 3200 Meter Run to win the race in a personal best of 10:58.20. Hailey Erickson of Prospect (11:04.57) and Katherine Klimek of York (11:06.55).

Katelynn Platt took the lead on the anchor leg to give York the win in the 4x200m Relay (1:47.88) finishing ahead of Downers Grove North (1:49.01) and Prospect (1:49.08).

Liv Phillips and Ava Hendren of Naperville Central broke away from the field early in the 1600 Meter Run. Phillips pulled away from her teammate to run 5:12.45 to win with Hendren running 5:14.68 to finish second. Sommerfeld came back from the 4x8 relay to finish third (5:18.15).

Other track wins included Sophie Kusserow of Naperville Central in the 400 Meter Dash (1:00.11), Brooke Sawatzky of Naperville Central in the 300 Meter Hurdles (49.24), and freshman Kyla Motley of Shepard in the 100 Meter Hurdles (16.51).

Field event winners included Brianna Sweas of Shepard in the Discus (107-7), Abigail Milott of Glenbrook South in the Long Jump (17-7), Eveline Reno of Thornton in the High Jump (5-1.75), and Kait McHale of Naperville Central in the Pole Vault (10-0). The High Jump and the Pole Vault were held indoors due to the wind.