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Johnston, Miles surprise as Meet of Champions winners

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ILXCTF - Mike Newman   Sep 26th 2021, 12:08pm
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Johnston, Miles surprise as Meet of Champions winners

York pack dominates in Girls team win, New Trier edges Hinsdale Central, York in Boys team victory

 

By Michael Newman

[email protected]

 

Palatine, Ill. – It was one of those races that will change the rest of the season for Lake Zurich’s Brooke Johnston. The junior did not listen to the voices in her head. Instead, she came from more than 10 seconds behind in the final mile to catch Josephine Welin of Oak Park-River Forest in the final 400-meters to win the Girls Varsity race in the Palatine Invitational Meet of Champions Saturday morning at Deer Grove East Forest Preserve.

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“At that point (near 2-miles) one part of my head said I’ve got this. The other part was telling me that I was not sure,” Johnston said after her win. “You are feeling tired but wanted to pass the runner that was in front of me.”

Last minute entry Mary Grace Hegberg from St. Viator pushed the pace in the first mile along with Welin. The first move in the race came after the first mile when Welin made a surge to drop Hegberg. The second move came when Johnston passed Hegberg at 2-miles and then had a decision to make.

“At 2.25-miles, I heard a lot of people yelling you can get her,” Johnston added. “After I started to break that wall of yes I can do this, I just went all out. I stopped thinking about all of whether I was tired or not and just raced."

Johnston listened to the crowd cheering her on and started to close the gap on Welin at 2.25 miles. The final 400-meters of the race was who could out surge the other. Johnston made a surge and Welin would not allow her to pass. That happened a number of times. Finally with 175-meters left and the finish in line in site, Johnston made a definitive move that put her in the lead for good. She crossed the finish line in 16:53. She missed the course record set by Kaylee Flanigan in 2012 of 16:49. It was just a great performance given by Johnston.

Welin was next in 16:56. Then there was a gap before Hegberg crossed the line in third (17:19). Katherine Klimek was the first runner in for York as she ran 17:25 to place fourth. Evelyn Hett of Jones College Prep ran a huge personal best of 17:26 as she finished fifth.

Where the Girls Individual Varsity race was in doubt until the final 20 seconds of the race, the team race was the exact opposite. #1 York again showed why they are the top team in the state and one of the top squads in the nation. The Dukes scored a minimal 47 points to crush the rest of the competition in this race. Klimek led the York stampede that had a season’s best of only a 16 second split with their 5 scorers all in the top 16. Brooke Berger was the second runner in for York placing 9th. Then followed Katelyn Winton (11), Bria Bennis (13th), and Michaela Quinn (16th). Add in Maggie Owens (23) and they had 6 runners in the top 25. The had a tight pack throughout the race and moved just after the mile. No one was going to touch them on this day.

“We try to do all the little things from getting enough sleep to drinking a lot of water,” Klimek said. “In meets, we try to stay together in a pack. In practice, we work to get better in every workout.”

Assumption came from Louisville, Kentucky to Palatine for their annual trip to this meet. They responded big by finishing second with a distant 181 points. It was their best race of the season so far as they will race next Saturday at the Great American XC Festival in North Carolina. The Rockets were led by a 21st and 22nd place finish from Reagan Gilmore and Leah Penick. #12 Loyola Academy was next in third (221 points) paced by the 19th place finish from Morgan Mackie. #14 Maine South finished fourth paced by the 12th place finish from freshman Sofia Acuri. Catherine Sommerfeld finished 7th to help #10 Lyons Township finish fifth overall with 236 points. #3 Prospect finished seventh (309) without two of their top five runners. Cameron Kalaway was not in the varsity lineup. Neither was their top runner Lily Ginsburg who raced in and won the Girls Frosh-Soph race running 14:29 for 2.5 miles and winning by 68 seconds.

The Boys race that followed was just as exciting. Marcellus Mines of Joliet West was another last-minute entry into the meet. His response was a season making win in similar fashion as had Johnston had won her race. Mines burst away from the field in the final 200-meters to run a personal best of 14:40 to win this race. He was eight seconds off the course record that Josh Methner had set (14:32) in 2018.

“I just wanted to stay comfortable in that fist mile so that I would have enough in the tank at the end,” said Mines after his win. “I started speeding up getting into the front of the pack with 1200-meters left. I heard some coach yell “800-meters left” in the race. That was the point I took control of the race.”

If there was one runner that defined this race, it was Nick Falk’s persistence to push the pace from the beginning. The New Trier senior made small surges throughout the first mile of the race as Mines, Ethan Summer of York, Daniel Watcke of Hinsdale Central, Ryan Watts of Edwardsville, and Tim Neumann of Downers Grove South went along for the ride.

The pack started to stretch out in the second mile with Falk the work horse pushing the pace even faster. Watcke dropped off the lead pack and ended up finishing 11th overall. It was discovered after the race that he had missed several days of practice coming into this meet due to an illness. He still fought through this race to help his team.

Things started to heat up in the final mile with a first move by Neumann testing the rest of the pack if they would go with him. Falk responded on the try refusing to let go of the lead. The sophomore from Joliet West had the final say. Mines ran 4:16 for 1600-meters last spring on the track. His move at the end did not drop Falk. It was good enough to give him the win. Falk ran 14:42 to finish second. Summer was five seconds back as he ran 14:47 t finish third. Neumann, who finished 111 the week before in Peoria, rebounded by running 14:48 to finish fourth. Watts finished fifth in 14:54. This was his first real “all-out” effort this fall. Since an injury sidelined him last outdoor track season. Call it a Rustbuster race. He will be in the hunt as we get to the state series.

The team race had so many storylines at the conclusion. Hinsdale Central’s Watcke was sick. New Trier was missing one of their top five runners with Oscar Dueno-Alda not in their lineup due to illness. Eric Rutherford has been in York’s top five in their first two meets. He had a minor injury and was held out of this race.

Three of the five top ranked 3A teams in this field were separated by 14 points. #4 New Trier won the team title with 134 points led by Falk’s second-place finish.

“I am super proud of these guys,” Falk said after his race. “The guys picked it up without Oscar (Dueno-Alda) in our lineup. We feel we have a lot more to go in terms of fitness.”

The Trevians had a 78 second split on their top five runners. George Cahill was the team’s second runner as he finished in 16th. Patrick Jamieson was next (22nd) followed by Jack Moran (44th) and Blake Deger (55th). The split from Cahill to Deger was 39 seconds.

#5 Hinsdale Central finished second (146 points) behind the finish of Watcke. The Red Devils had 43 second split on their top five. Colby Revord had a good race as the team’ second runner placing 19th followed by Aden Bandukwala (34th), Abhinav Reddy (39th), and Jessie Gamboa (48th). #2 York finished just two points behind their conference rival with 148 points in third place. Summer led the way with his finish in third. Jeff Luka (13th), Garrett Schwan (20th), Colin Lewandowski (49th), and Payton Burk (68th) followed. The Dukes had a 79 second split on their top five runners. The split from Luka to Byrk was 48 seconds.

#10 Palatine ran well on their home course finishing fourth (169 points) led by Mason Krieg and his seventh-place finish. #18 Lake Zurich rebounded after their opening season race in Peoria to finish fifth (241 points) paced by the 14-15 finish from Danny Burns and Dylan Myers. #13 Hersey was close in sixth (246 points) led by Sean Safford’s top 10 finish of placing eighth.

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