Glenbard West junior runs 4:39.57 to set meet record and lower own personal best

Photo: Katelynne Hart looks at the clock as she approaches the finish line (Laura Duffy Photo)

By Michael Newman

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Chicago, Ill – While the High School elite races at Magis Miles were taking place on the St. Ignatius Prep track, there was a secluded parking lot by the finish line were a lone runner was doing her strides before the Elite races that would end the meet. Katelynne Hart was by herself alone in her thoughts thinking about the race that was to come. There was a gate that separated the lot from the track. Hart gazed with an emotionless onto the track to see what was happening. She was like a caged tiger ready to pounce on the starting line waiting for her moment to strike.

Hart made another forever moment at this meet Friday evening winning the Women’s Elite race for the third year in a row and shattering her own meet record in the process. Her time of 4:39.57 also set a new Illinois Girls High School All Time for the Distance breaking her old record of 4:44.63 by over five seconds. She was timed passing 1500-meters in 4:21.91 and 1600-meters in 4:38.00, both new Illinois All-time bests. Her mile time is ranked #2 nationally, her 1600 time is ranked #3 nationally, and her 1500-meter time is the fastest in the nation this year.

RESULTS | VIDEOS | PHOTOS

“This day worked out perfectly. I had to take two final exams in the morning,” Hart said. “It can be tough sometimes waiting all day for a race that happens at night. Taking the tests made the wait seem shorter.”

WATCH THE RACE HERE

It was almost a typical “Hartsian” type of race.

See Katelynne burst from the starting line after the gun.

See Katelynne take the lead within the first 100 meters.

See Katelynne run fast

See Katelynne win.

There were two high school runners in this race with Hart and Presley Miles of St. James Academy in Birmingham, Ala. The rest of the 11-runner field consisted of college runners and professional runners. Hart has had to do her own pacing in most of her races this year and in her two wins in this meet.

She company in the front with her when the gun went off. Anna Shields of Point Park University in Pittsburgh had had a great senior season which including national championships last week at the NAIA Championships in the 800 Meter Run and 1500 Meter Run. Her pace in this race defined the fast time and outcome for the Glenbard West junior.

The two runners separated themselves from the rest of the pack in the first 200-meters. Hart tucked herself right behind Shields as the wo passed the first 440 yards in 66.8. Hart has never gone that fast at a start of a race this year. The temperatures at race time in the mid-70’s were perfect for mile racing. Hart had said in early in her season that she would like to go under 2:13 sometime this year for 800-meters. Of course, she had accomplished that this season. She passed the half-way point with Shields in the race at 2:15.9 for 880 yards. Her fastest 1600 pace this year had been 2:19.

Hart still did not look winded.

The pace slowed the third lap as Shields and Hart passed 1320 yards (3/4 mile) in 3:28.1. The crowd was in a frenzy. They were seeing something special.

Hart tried to make a move with 300-meters left but Shields picked up the pace. Hart settled back in on the shoulder waiting for her moment to strike.

The two runners came off the final curve together. Hart put her head down and took off open up sizable lead within a matter of seconds. She crossed the line and let out a huge smile. She had sensed that she had met her goal of running under 4:40 but did not know by how much. When told of her time surrounding by friends and her family, she smiled again with a sigh of relief.

“I was a little nervous coming into this race. It is a different mindset after the triple. I did a lot of hard training the past two weeks,” Hart added. “I knew I was ready for a big race tonight. I was coming down the stretch and I could see the clock. I kept thinking if I could get under 4:40 that would be awesome.”

WATCH HART’S POST RACE INTERVIEW HERE

Hart grew her lead to five seconds on Shields in the final 100-meters. Shields shook her head after race after running 4:44.87 to finish second. She had run her best on this night but seemed to be in disbelief. As Hart’s Coach Paul Hass has said repeatedly over the past three years, “Katelynne does kind of have that effect on other runners.”

Hope Hoffman (née Schmelze), who was an All-American in the 3000-Meter Steeplechase at Northern Illinois University, and all-state runner at Wheaton-Warrenville South High School, showed a strong kick over the final 300-meters to finish in third (4;46.94).

Shilgalis gets his kicks in the mile

Thomas Shilgalis of Naperville Central had come off a busy past week where he anchored his team to a win the 3200 Meter Relay and then coming back to win the 800 Meter Run at the IHSA State Meet. His objective coming into this race was run fast while at the same time to have fun.

Shilgalis achieved both in the Men’s Elite Mile race where he was the only high school runner in the field. The future University of Michigan runner ran a personal best of 4:09.33 to finish seventh in this 13 runner field. Former Loyola University runner Sam Penzenstadler ran 4:06.57 to win the race ahead of Bradley University’s Michael Ward (4:06.78).

Shilgalis stayed in the middle of the pack for the first two laps of the race as the race leaders passed in 2:02. When the paced slowed to a 64 second quarter on the third lap, Shilgalis decided to take the lead on the curve just before 300-meters left. The field stayed with his as Penzenstadler, Ward, and Joe Coffey passed him with 200-meters left.

“I was excited. I treated it like any other race. I knew I could compete with these guys,” Shilgalis said. “I knew I had to make my move (in the final lap) like I did at Palatine (in April). I Just tried to make my move early to get ahead of those guys.”           

HIGH SCHOOL ELITE RACES

Latin School’s Ava Parekh took a chance in the second section of the High School Elite race. The freshman 1A state champion in the 3200 Meter Run pushed the pace early with the help of a pacesetter as she passed the first 440 yards in 70 seconds and the first 880 yards in 2:24 opening up a five second lead on a pack led by Hinsdale Central’s Emma Watcke, Latin’s Marianne Mihas, and Rosary’ Lianna Surtz.

Parekh was on her own for the second half of the race knowing she had to do her own work. The fast pace hurt her on the third lap as Parekh passed ¾ of a mile in 3:41. The pack was closing on Parekh led by Surtz breaking away going after her fellow freshman.

Parekh held her own the final lap of the race surging with 200-meters left. That was the difference as she won the race in a personal best 4:55.38. Mihas passed Surtz with 120-meters left. The two ran side-by side down the home stretch with Mihas getting second on the lean (4:57.05) ahead of Surtz (4:57.09). Downers Grove South’s Erin Reidy was the only other runner under five-minutes in this race. She moved from sixth entering the final lap to place fourth (4:59.08).

Rory Cavan of Glenbard West described his state race in the 3200 Meter Run as just one of those races. Cavan just missed the podium by one place. The confidence that he showed in most of his races appeared in the Boys High School Elite race. Cavan pulled away from the pack with 450-meters left in the race to run 4:12.98 to win by more than a second ahead of Lake Forest’s Ben Rosa (4:14.47).

The pace was fast as the pack led by former Neuqua Valley all-state runner (now at North Alleghany HS) Zach Kinne with Hersey’s Josh Methner, Cavan, and Rosa following. Kinne was coming off a win at the Pennsylvania State Meet running 9:01 to win the 3200 Meter Run. The foursome passed 880 yards in 2:06 with Wheaton-Warrenville South’s Sean Maison and York’s Ethan Kern leading the pack three seconds back.

Cavan made his move passing with 440 yards to go at 3:10.1. His final quarter was under 63 seconds.

Methner looked great throughout this race after winning the 3200 state last week crossing the line in a personal best 4:15.29 to finish third. Kinne finished fourth (4:18.29) just ahead of Seneca state champion Christopher Collet (4:18.59).

The first section of this race was noteworthy. York’s Michael Moriarty took the lead with 300-meters left in the race and pulled away to run 4:20.34 for the section win and sixth-place overall. York had three runners under 4:22 for the mile with Kern (4:21.11) and Daniel Klysh (4:21.26) who finished third in the section behind Glenbard West’s Will O’Brien (4:20.62). York has a team entered in the 4 x 1 Mile Relay at the New Balance Nationals beginning June 13 in Greensboro, North Carolina.

Other Meet Notes

One other meet record was set on Friday evening. Daniel Watcke took the lead in the final lap and held off Quintin Lowe to win the Middle School 1 Mile Run in a meet record 4:37.14. Lowe finished next in 4:38.17. Both will be watched in the next four years. Watcke will attend Hinsdale Central beginning this fall. Lowe is expected to attend Batavia.

Morgan Mackie of Queen of Saints Middle School in Chicago took the lead 600-metersa in the Girls Middle School race. Macke ran 5:16.32 for the win ahead of Anna Harden from Arlington Heights (5:25.58).

Jason Hoffman of Minooka had a busy 24 hours leading into his open race in this meet. The night before at Festival of Miles in St. Louis, the junior ran 1:54.63 to finish sixth in the 800 Meter Run. He did not get home until 2 AM. He did not show any tiredness in having the fastest open time in this meet. Hoffman passed Jones Prep’s Anthony Maida in the final 100-meters top win the final section in 4:24.42 just ahead of Maida (4:25.62) and Marist’s Thomas Leonard (4:27.30). Breena Shreeves of Knoxville stepped up to the mile for this meet and had the Girls fastest time of all the open runners (5:19.64).

There was no drama in the Girls Freshman 1 Mile Run Race. South Elgin XC All-state runner Naomi Ruff took the lead at the start in this small four runner field. She passed the halfway point in 2:26 on her way to the win in 5:10.93. Micah Wilson of St. Charles East was in control throughout the Boys freshman race taking the lead at the start and never giving it up. Wilson ran 4:36.09 for the win holding off New Trier’s Nick Falk (4:36.23) and Patrick Jamieson (4:36.67).