No Neal, no problem. Even without standout Maya Neal, resting a tight Achilles and a sore foot, Neuqua Valley still won the Upstate Eight Valley portion of the conference meet. Kenna Lonergan went 5-5 in the high jump and won the 100 hurdles in 16.37 seconds, and Jazmine Mensah won the triple jump going 34-7.5. “It was one of the greatest team efforts we’ve seen,” Wildcats coach Gretchen Parejko said.
Last dance. Benet will be without two-thirds of its team for Friday’s Class 3A sectional at Downers South, with all but two seniors at prom. Freshman pole vaulter Ali Munson might be Benet’s best chance to qualify for state. But the emotional favorite could be senior Loren Riedy, seeded fourth in the high hurdles and top five in the 300s. “It will be an emotional night either way,” Benet coach Scott Brooks said.
The only one. Naperville North senior Stephanie Mueller is the answer to a DVC track and field history question. When West Aurora’s Emma Spagnola swept four events at last week’s conference meet, she left with 15 DVC titles in four years. The only girl to beat her? That would be Mueller, who beat out Spagnola in the 2013 DVC high jump competition.
