Photo: ©2019 DyeStat /Chuck Utash

By Michael Newman

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After Katelynne Hart’s win in the 3200 Meter Run in last year’s Arcadia Invitational, the Glenbard West junior became part of the conversation of who the top distance runners were in the nation.

When Hart blew away the field to win the Girls 3200 Meter Run Invitational race on Saturday night, she was the conversation.

With this win along with her race where she finished second behind New York’s Katelyn Touhy at the New Balance Indoor Nationals, KK has joined that small group of national elite runners this season.

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“The competition here is so amazing and it is great to get to run against so many talented runners,” Hart said afterwards. “To pull off the win was awesome.”

Hart waisted no time in taking the lead in this race. We have seen her do that so many times while racing in Illinois. The crowd and the meet announcer were surprised that she had opened up a four second lead at the end of the first lap crossing 400-meters in 69.1 seconds.

Sydney Thorvaldson of Rawlings HS WY was the only runner expected to challenge Hart as she made her move to get closer during the second lap of the race. By the time Hart passed through 1600-meters in 4:54.5, Hart had opened up a five second lead. Where she has improved on her race is the third section where she pulls away even more.

With two laps left, that lead had grown to 12 seconds. Her time in her repeat win in the race was 9:59.57 just dipping under 10-minutes for the fourth time in her career for the 3200-meters/2-miles distances. She ran the fourth fastest time ever in this meet and could make it three in a row in 2020. She is the first repeat winner in that distance since Sarah Baxter did in 2012-2013. It is the fastest time in the nation so far this season.

“I definitely think I am capable of doing it (running sub 9:55),” Hart added. “ I think my training has showed that I am ready to do it. I was hoping to do that tonight. Hopefully, very soon that will be coming.”

Maybe the Sue Pariseau Invitational on Easter weekend?

FULL HART DYESTAT INTERVIEW

Thorvaldson took second (10:12.18) holding off Meagen Lowe of Buchanan CA for that spot (10:12.78). Kristin Fahy of LA Costa Canyon CA, the California D3 State Cross Country Champion, finished fourth (10:15.80). The top 13 runners in that race all were under 10:30.

Ava Parekh of Latin School was also in that race. The freshman ran an incredible personal best of 10:39.31 to finish 23^rd. Jenna Schwartz of Waterloo ran a seasonal best of 10:57.89.

ILLINOIS ARCADIA INVITATIONAL MEET HIGHLIGHTS

The Homewood-Flossmoor Girls team traveled out to California to test themselves against some of the top teams in the nation. The Lady Vikings left Arcadia Saturday night fairing quite well.

The quartet of Alicia Adams, Ashanti Denton, Kaitlyn Jackson, and Madison Myrick won the Invitational 800 Meter Sprint Medley (100m-100m-200m-400m) running 1:45.57 finishing ahead of Dana Hills CA (1:46.20) and Edison CA (1:47.29).

The line-up of Alexis Stringfellow, Jasmyn Hunter, Cylah Bass, and Jackson ran 1:41.82 to win the Rated 800 Meter Relay race by just 17 hundredths of a second ahead of Los Alamitos CA (1:41.99). The Lady Vikings did not have their best handoffs in the 400 Meter Relay Invitational race. The team of Adams, Akela White, Kaylah McCall, and Trelyn Newkirk still ran a state leading 47.33 to finish fifth overall.

Ashanti Denton ran a huge personal best in the Open 400 Meter Dash running 55.76 to finish third overall in that event. Kaylah McCall ran a seasonal best of 14.25 to finish seventh in the Invitational 100 Meter Hurdles. Madison Myrick cleared an outdoor seasonal best of 5-5 to finish third overall in the Seeded High Jump.

Neuqua Valley’s Riley Ammenhauser started out her outdoor campaign by jumping 40-3.50 to finish third in the Invitational Triple Jump.

Illinois Distance Runners flocked to California for good weather to run in. The weather broke nicely in Illinois this weekend so the competition in the distance races drove them to some great performances.

Whitney Young’s Samuel Rivera was in touch with the leaders for most of the Boys Invitational 1 Mile Run. He ran a state leading and personal best of 4:14.68 to finish fourth overall.

Riley Wells of Rockford Christian was in the back of the field (per usual) in the Boys Invitational 800 Meter Run passing through 400-meters in 56.2. He made a move on the backstretch passing 600-meters in 1:24.5. He crossed the line in 10^th overall but still ran a state leading 1:54.51 and her third fastest time ever in the distance.

The Boys Invitational 3200 Meter Run is usually the spotlight race of the meet. This year was no exception. Nico Young of Newbury Park CA and Cole Sprout of Valor Christian separated themselves early in the race passing through 1600-meters in an incredible 4:22. The pack picked up in the final 600-meters with the two runners passing one lap to go in 7:40. Young passed Sprout in the final 100-meters to set a meet record in running 8:40.00. Sprout was less than a second back (8:40.73) as the two runners collapsed after the finish. Three Illinois runners were in that race. Tommy Brady of Maine South ran 9:11.62. Jack Roberts of Downers Grove North ran 9:26.07. Tyler Cushing of Bolingbrook did not have his best race of the year running 10:01.19.

Earlier in the evening, Lincoln-Way East’s Brett Gardner led the field through the first seven laps of the Boys Seeded 3200 Meter Run. He held on in the final lap to run a state leading 9:07.76 to finish fourth. Mathias Powell of Mahomet-Seymour stayed back in the pack for most of the race but moved up in the final kilometer of the race running a personal best of 9:10.13 to finish sixth.

There were Illinois runners that made some noise in Boys Rated 3200 Meter Run that took place Friday evening. Monticello’s Garrett Dixon broke a school record as he ran 9:15.31 to finish fifth in that race only three seconds behind race winner Dylan Schubert of Thompson Valley CO (9:12.16). Dillon Blake of Mundelein ran a personal best of 9:16.14 to finish eighth. Charlie Nevins of Whitney Young ran 9:33.89 in that race. He did that after losing his spike in the first lap of the race.

Marianne Mihas of Latin School had a busy Saturday competing in two events. She ran in the Girls Open 800 Meter Run winning her section (2:13.91) and finishing fourth overall. Olivia Schmitt of Lakes Community was also in the event and she ran a strong 2:13.83 to finish third overall. Mihas also competed in the Girls Invitational 1 Mile Run where she ran 5:17.26.

Schmitt also was involved in the Girls Seeded 3200 Meter Relay contested on Friday evening. Schmitt, along with teammates Rae Dwyer, Megan Knuettel, and Brooke Stromsland, ran 9:37.88 to finish second overall in that race. Stromsland also ran in the Girls Seeded 3200 Meter Run. The 2A defending state XC champion ran 10:45.76 to finish fifth just behind Whitney Young’s Ella Behrens who ran a 10:45.10 outdoor personal best.

Jones College Prep ran in the Boys Seeded 4x1600m Relay on Friday evening. The quartet of Ian Bacon, Ryan DeSantis, Anthony Maida, and AJ Fundator ran 18:14.92 to finish eighth overall.