Batavia went down to the wire in a battle for the team title with Bolingbrook at Saturday’s expanded Oswego East Invitational but came up three points short.
The Bulldogs entered the day’s final event — the 1,600 relay — trailing the Raiders by five points, 74-69. The Batavia quartet of juniors Hailey Plata, Alicia Grant and Audrey Jonke teamed with senior Taylor Stieve joined forces to win in 4:09.65 and add 10 points to their team’s total.
Bolingbrook, though, took second in 4:11.04 to earn eight team points and an 82-79 final.
“It was very exciting and I think some of the girls were aware of where we stood,” Batavia coach Justin Allison said.
“But for us, we look at it more from the standpoint of competing in every single event and seeing how we’re doing there. The team finish is what it is.”
Junior Miranda Rea gave Batavia it’s only other event win, taking the 800 in 2:27.29. But the Bulldogs competed, and scored, in plenty of events.
“We were expecting a top finish [from Rea] but I didn’t think first,” Allison said. “She went downstate last year with our 3,200 relay and has high expectations. She’s been improving all season.”
Rich South was third with 69 points. Host Oswego East, which got its lone win from the 800 relay team of Nicole Buado, Sade Akinfe, Sajela Harlow and Morgan Harris in 1:48.04, was sixth with 52 points. Rosary took eighth with 37.5.
“We went from six teams to 15 this year and had our hands full making sure everything was up and running,” Wolves coach Lisa Cook said. “It’s a different beast, but I thought it went well. We were out of third by one point and shuffled some people around to get a look at different relay combinations.”
Coach Vic Mead’s Royals got wins from the 3,200 relay team of Emily Bakala, Shea Vero, Emily Martin and Madison Ronzone, who then came back to win the 1,600 in 5:16.24.
The relay team won in 10:02.25, just four seconds off the state’s Class 2A qualifying mark and Ronzone was within 2.72 seconds of the standard in her individual event.
“Madison ran a great [1,600] race. That was her best time and every time she does that it’s a new school record,” Mead said.
“[Third runner] Emily put on a surge in the relay and [anchor] Madison pretty much ran her race. We got it by 40-50 meters. They’re doing pretty well.”
Martin and Vero then went 3-4 for Rosary in the 800.
Batavia got seconds from freshman sprinter Hannah Schlaman in the 100; Megan Zeddies in the pole vault; Catie Ross, Schlaman, Sam Bradle and Stieve in the 400 relay; and Megan Immundo, Hannah Ullberg, Natalie Mueller and Rea in the 3,200 relay. Dakota Roman added a third in the 1,600.
Morganne Jones took second in the high jump and Akinfe and Brooke Marshall went 2-3 in the long jump for Oswego East.
