Hart helps Glenbard West win team title in loaded sectional; Bieber, Brent shine in great races.

By Michael Newman

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Naperville, Ill – It looked as easy as 1-2-3 for Glenbard West standout distance runner Katelynne Hart when she finished each of her three distance races at Thursday night’s IHSA 3A Girls Sectional meet held at Naperville North. The seven-time state champion in cross country and track & field qualified in the three distance events by winning all three of the races in a span of little over two hours on a cool and windy evening in Naperville.

RESULTS | MEET VIDEO

The achievement left the crowd at this meet in awe but not surprised since Hart has been doing the incredible in the almost three years of running on the high-school level. It was in some ways a glorified time trial that had all-state runners in the field. Hart took the lead in each of the three races early on and never relinquished the lead.

“Ever since I was a freshman, this triple has always been on my mind,” Hart said. “This sectional and state are so competitive. I started thinking about it. It is just a new challenge for me. We will see how it goes.”

The name of the game in a sectional meet is to qualify to get to Charleston and next week’s IHSA State Meet. Hart met her first goal of the evening in winning the 3200 Meter Run. The field was loaded as seven runners qualified from this sectional all of them running under 11-minutes. The runner to push Hart in this race was Naperville North’s Alex Morris who positioned herself behind Hart at the start of the race. By the half-way point at 1600-meters, Hart had gone through in 5:05, Morris at 5:12. It was a workmanship effort by Hart as she was clicking off 77-78 second laps. On the sixth lap, Hart broke the race even more wide-open with a 75.9 lap. Morris, who would later run in the 1600 Meter Run, had a spot for state locked up and she started to conserve energy. Hart started looking around with 600-meters left checking to see where Morris was. When she noticed that the lead on Morris was over 100-meters, Hart shut down the pace. She only needed a 80 second final lap to cross the line with the win in 10:18.41.

Morris followed next in 10:43.21 in second. Laurel Moneysmith of Wheaton-Warrenville South led the pack passing Hinsdale Central’s McKenna Revord in the final 50-meters to capture third (10:48.92) with Revord fourth (10:49.52).

Hart did not have much time to relax after finishing her first race. She was back on the starting line 40-minutes later for her section of the 800 Meter Run where she would again be facing a quality field led by Erin Reidy of Downers Grove South and Claire Hill of Naperville North who had both ran 2:11 indoors. Hart again wasted no time in taking the lead going past 200-meters in 30.8 seconds with Hill leading the pack close behind. Hart went through 400-meters in 63.9. It was hard to tell that this junior had run a 3200 earlier. She looked fresh.

Hill was close behind. Lemont freshman Kaylie Politza was close by Hill’s side with Reidy a step behind.  Hart started opening a gap with 200-meters left as she passed 600-meters in 1:36.9. Hill had the race won as she approached the finish line. Her time was 2:11.99.

Reidy passed Hill and Politza in the final 40-meters to capture second (2:13.79). Hill edged Politza by two hundredths of a second to capture third (2:14.20 – 2:14.22). Audrey Allman of Glenbard West (2:15.96) and Hinsdale Central’s Bella Pisani (2:16.86) also qualified.

Hart had about 60-minutes to recover before she was scheduled to compete in the 1600 Meter Run. She showed she was ready for the challenge as she was the first runner to come out of the staging area to the starting line.

It was the same old Hart in the first three laps of the 1600. She charged to the lead and had a six second lead ahead of the pack at 800-meters going past that point in 2:24. By 1200-meters, she went past at 3:39 and looked to have the race won. There was action going on behind her as Hinsdale Central’s Emma Watcke and Willowbrook’s Victoria Palma broke away from the eight other runners in the pack.

Suddenly, Hart’s lead was not growing. It was shrinking.

Watcke made a concerted effort to chase down Hart. It looked like the unthinkable could happen as Hart’s lead continued to shrink heading into the final 100-meters.

Hart could sense that and made a charge towards the finish. Her third win of the night came with a 4:51.40 winning time. Watcke ran the final 400-meters in 70.8 to get close to Hart in running 4:54.91 to finish second. She was 19 seconds behind Hart the week before at the WSC-Silver Championships.

The next six runners qualified all within four seconds of each other. Naperville North’s Campbell Petersen lead the group finishing third (5:02.45).

“It felt like the 3200 Meter Run is a long-distance race and warmed me up for the 800. The competition in that race helped motivate me,” Hart added. “I felt a little tight in that 1600. I think because I pushed myself a lot in the 800. I also felt smooth in that 1600 so I was happy about that.”

Hart has put herself in position to become the second Girls distance runner to complete the distance triple in the IHSA State Track & Field Meet that begins in Charleston next Thursday. Kelly Curran of Bloomington Central Catholic completed the feat in the 1A State Meet in 2010. No runner in the “Big-Class” meet has come close. We will find out if that will be achieved by the Glenbard West junior next weekend.

Other Meet Notes

Coaches that were at this meet described the competition as a mini state meet. That showed not only in the distance events but the rest of the running events on the meet card. This meet was deep in talent and it showed in the results.

Glenbard West won the team title (95 points) advancing nine individuals and two relays to next week’s state meet. Naperville North was next with 91 points as they advanced ten individuals and three relays. Downers Grove North was impressive as they finished third (83 points) with five individuals and two relays qualifying.

If Hart was the spotlight athlete in this meet, then Downers Grove North’s Kimberly Brent and Naperville North’s Halle Bieber were not too far behind as they each qualified in four events.

Downers Grove North was in fourth when Brent took the baton on the anchor leg of the 400 Meter Relay. That did not last for long as she bolted past the field on her way to the win (48.88) ahead of Wheaton-Warrenville South and Wheaton North who both ran 49.09. It was the same story in the 100 Meter Dash. The Downers North senior seemed not to get the best of starts. By 50-meters, she had command of the race running 12.31 for the win ahead of Glenbard West’s Huda Hussaini (12.61).

The 800 Meter Relay was almost a duplicate of the 400 Meter Relay. Brent got the baton close to the lead entering the turn. Brent took the lead holding onto the win (1:44.50) with Wheaton North (1:44.68) and Naperville North (1:44.76) closing.

Bieber has found a new knitch in her track resume as she discovered that she could run the sprints, especially the 200 Meter Dash. Bieber has been a state class hurdler having won two state titles in the 300 Meter Hurdles. She qualified in both hurdle races on Thursday. It was close between Bieber and Bolingbrook’s Kayla Walters in the 100 Meter Hurdles. Bieber got off to a great start forcing Walters to chase after her. The Bolingbrook senior caught Bieber by the fifth hurdle and made the pass slightly on the eight hurdle. Walters held onto the win (14.43) just edging Bieber. (14.49).

Bieber was not scheduled to run in the 800 Meter Relay but an injury to one of their quartet gave her a chance to anchor for her team. Bieber got the baton in fifth and ran a sensational 24.1 anchor leg to get her team into a state qualifying spot.

Bieber and Walters again faced off in the 300 Meter Hurdles. It was Bieber who pulled away in this race. Her time of 44.97 was almost a second ahead of Walters (45.73) and Wheaton-Warrenville South’s Clare Hass (45.86) who both hit qualifying times.

The 200 Meter Dash set up the showdown between the sprinting veteran Brent and the Bieber the novice who “fell” into the event according to her coach Dan Iverson. It appeared that Brent had the advantage before the curve, but Bieber had made up the stagger. Bieber had the slight advantage with 40-meters to go but Brent made one more charge.

It was Bieber that won on the lean (24.97) just ahead of Brent (25.02). This was the first time that Bieber had run under 25-seconds. She is discovering that she is pretty good in this event as well as the hurdles.