Schlenker under five; Watcke, Wells use kicks to win; Maison, Cushing repeat

Photo: It was just another day for Riley Wells as he kicked down another pack for the win

By Michael Newman

[email protected]

Batavia, Ill – The fieldhouse at Batavia High School was almost empty. A couple of athletes were still running around the track cooling down from their races. In the middle of the infield stood Batavia Girls Distance Coach Chad Hillman who was one of the creators of Batavia Distance Madness.

“There has got be a way to get more stands in here,” Hillman said. “There were so many people coming in. People were standing on in the hallway trying to get in.

RESULTS | VIDEOS

The fifth edition of Batavia Distance Madness was run in front of an overflow crowd. 32 races in total. Six championship races that had some of the top distance runners in Illinois racing on Batavia’s fast track. The races exceeded expectations. Six races that came down to finishing kicks to decide a winner.

Expectations were high for the Girls 1600 Meter Run where home town favorite Katrina Schlenker had wowed everyone that had seen her run. She was coming off a last week that included running 4:55 solo in a 1600 Meter Run race on this track and then came back two days later to run a 2:14 800-meters split at the Mustang Relays. The field was tough and included Erin Reidy of Downers Grove South and Claire Hill of Naperville North who had the top two times in the state for the 800 Meter Run.

From the gun, the Batavia freshman controlled the pace of this race. Hill was content to stay right behind along with Reidy and Katherine Olsen of DeKalb. They group passed the first 400-meters in 71.4, then 2:28.1 at 800-meters. The pace slowed down but no one wanted to take over the lead. Maybe it was that Schlenker would not let anyone pass her.

The pace continued to slow passing 1200-meters in 3:45.0. Hill was waiting to make her move. Reidy was trying to pass Olsen and finally did entering the final 400-meters.

Reidy made a move to close the gap on Schlenker who sensed someone was coming and picked up the pace. Reidy made one more move just before the bell lap with Hill on her side. The problem was, Schlenker had one more gear than the rest of the field. She closed in 70 seconds for the final 400-meters, 32.4 seconds for the final 200-meters crossing the line in 4:56.26. It was not the time she was hoping for, but she did get the win in a high stakes race.

“I was a little disappointed that I did not run faster because I ran faster with no one with me. This week I was really excited to race with some competition. I was just happy that I broke five minutes,” Schlenker said. “There were some expectations, but I wasn’t really feeling it. I’m still just a freshman and just really enjoying where I am in running. I’m still trying to figure everything out.”

Reidy made a charge in the final 50-meters to hold off Hill running a personal best of 4:58.42 with Hill at 4:58.56. The top eight runners were within eight seconds in this race. The top 11 finishers all achieved indoor personal bests. That’s saying a lot about how tough this field was. Lakes Community’s Brooke Stromsland was next at 5:01.48 with Olson right behind in 5:01.74. Samantha Poglitsch of Wheaton-Warrenville South finished sixth in 5:03.71 followed by St. Charles East’s Alice Abbott (5:03.80) and Isabelle Christiansen of Oswego (5:04.19).

Watcke kick blows away strong field in Girls 3200 Meter Run

The Illinois running community will need to start getting used to Hinsdale Central’s Emma Watcke. She is new to Illinois having moved with her family from Minister, Ohio to Hinsdale right after the cross-country season. Watcke is no stranger to the big race winning the Ohio D3 State Championship for 1600-meters the past two seasons. She had run 5:01 the week before for 1600-meters at North Central College. In this race, she was not mentioned as one of the favorites.

Naperville North’s Alex Morris and Campbell Petersen were two of the favorites in the Girls 3200 Meter Run. They announced their presence in the race taking control of the pace at the sound of the gun. Sarah Schmitt had run 10:34 the year before. With the two running 4:59 in that North Central race last week, they were fit for a run at the record.

Watcke was content to stay on their shoulders. She said afterwards she had no race strategy, but it did not show. Kailey Fox of Yorkville and Brenna Cohoon of Downers Grove South were a few strides back as the group went through 1600-meters in 5:16.

The pace slowed down the next 1200-meters. First an 81 second 400-meters followed by 82 seconds and then 83 seconds. Abby Lopez of Argo closed into the group with Fox as Cohoon started to drop back. Just before two laps to go in the race, Watcke made her move swing around Morris and Peterson and took off.

Even that was with 400-meters left, the move was significant enough that the crowd sensed that the Hinsdale junior was not coming back.

A 72 final 400-meters gave Watcke a five second personal best and the win (10:34.96) missing the meet record by a little more than three seconds.

“I really did not have a time expectation. I just wanted to hang in with all the competition and see how I could finish,” said Watcke. “I really did not have a plan today. I just went on how I felt.”

The next four runners were eight seconds back but within two seconds of each other. Petersen just passed Fox before the line (10:45.12) with Fox six hundredths of a second back. Then came Lopez with a personal best (10:46.35) followed by Morris (10:47.85). Cohoon (10:51.67) and Minooka’s Vivian Van Eck were next (10:59.41) all under 11-minutes

Here we go again in the Boys 3200 Meter Run

The finish was spectacular in last year’s race at this distance with Bolingbrook’s Tyler Cushing edging Oswego East’s Matt Blanco by two hundredths of a second for the win. Lincoln-Way Central’s Jared Kries had the top seed time but did not run. He was not on the line for the start. It left the race to come down to Cushing and Glenbard West’s Rory Cavan to do the pacing.

By 1600 meters, the two were on pace to break the 9:24 meet record by as they went by in 4:38.2. Cushing continued to push the pace with Cavan staying close joined by Naperville North’s Nick Trattner. In the final lap, the moves started to happen. Cavan passed Cushing coming off the first turn and excellerated. Cushing would not let go as he closed on Cavan as the two came off the final curve.

It was deja-vous.

Cushing moved to the outside hoping to catch the Glenbard senior. He did but in the last 10-meters. The two were both under the meet record with Cushing getting the win (9:18.06) with a larger margin of victory than he won with last year: seven hundredths of a second.

“When he moved in that final lap, I thought c---,” Cushing said right after the race. “I just wanted to stay close at the end.”

“I would have like to have finished in front of Tyler,” Cavan added who ran a personal best of 9:18.13. “All I know is that I gave it all I had.”

Trattner finished third (9:20.78) with Huntley’s Ian Geisler moving in the final laps to finish fourth (9:22.35). Lake Forest’s Nathan Schmitt also achieved a personal best by finishing fifth (9:22.53).

A deadly final move by Wells gives him the 800 Meter Run win.

Rockford Christian’s Riley Wells is the Illinois distance runner’s version of “Barney Stinson”. Just wait for it. Wells will find his way to win a race.

That was the case in Friday night’s 800 Meter Run. Wells learned his lesson in last year’s race getting boxed and not able to counter the move that race winner Charles Harders had finishing second less than a second back.

It looked like the same thing would happen in this year’s race. Minooka’s Jason Hoffman tried to stretch out the pace going through 400-meters in 59.4 seconds. Wells was in sixth going into the curve on the inside boxed from making his move.

The race was over…or was it?

You had to wait for it. When Wells can launch into his kick, it is a sight to treasure. On the back stretch with 150-meters left, the pack started to string out giving the two-time 1A state champion in this event room to get to the outside.

Uh oh!

Wells started to pick off runners on the curve. By the time he zinged off the curve to the final straight away, he had caught Hoffman, Batavia’s Joseph Knanishu, and Huntley’s Jadon Conroy. With a snap of his fingers, he was ahead crossing the line with the win (1:58.63). The crowd and runners were in disbelief. The “Mad Kicker” had struck again running the final 200-meters in 28.1 seconds. His coach Randy Moore stood near the finish area and smiled in wonder. His star pupil had just run another for another win in only a way that Wells could achieve.

“Last year I ran in Lane 3 and suffered,” Wells said. “ I wanted to run in Lane 1 today. I sacrificed some time. I just wanted to sit, wait and kick and that is what I did.”

Hoffman, who pushed the pace finished second (1:58.80) with an indoor personal best. Conroy (1:59.03), Knanishu (1:59.49), Huntley’s Chris Simek (1:59.63), and Minooka’s Jordan Freese (1:59.90) were next all under two-minutes.

Maison repeats as 1600 Meter Champion

It was the same strategy that Wheaton-Warrenville South’s Sean Maison used the week before at York waiting to make his move at the right moment. That changed up a little when Glenbard West’s Stephen Moody pushed the pace and started to gap the rest of the field. Maison, who likes to stay in the back early in races, decided he needed to get close to the front. He did not want Moody to escape him.

Moody went through 600-meters in 1:38 and slowed down a little passing 800-meters in 2:12 with the pack led by Maison getting closer.

With 500-meters left in the race, Maison took the lead from Moody, but he had company. St. Charles East’s Bennett Melone and Lake Forest’s Ben Rosa were close in striking distance. Melone took the lead with 300-meters left. He did not stretch that lead out as Maison was content to sit and wait.

In the final 150-meters left, Maison exploded away from the field never looking back. His back to back win in this meet was timed at 4:21.46. Rosa passed St. Charles East’s Charles Murphy just before the line to finish second (4:23.01) ahead of Murphy (4:23.50).

“Moody had a good gap and he is really strong. I just knew I had to close that gap,” said Maison. “I just really saved it for the last 200-meters. I just kicked it from there.”

Huber captures the Girls 800 Meter Run

Glenbrook South’s Lauren Hayes took the pace that no one wanted. As the pack in the championship section approached 600-meters in 1:48, six or seven runners were in position for the win.

It was Glenbard East’s Lauren Huber that had the final word.

The sophomore took the lead entering the first curve and accelerated the final lap. Willowbrook’s Victoria Palma came within meters of Huber in the last 75-meters of the race. Huber pulled away to capture the win (2:21.17) ahead of Palma (2:22.12) and Hayes (2:22.88). Huber’s final lap was timed in 32.4 seconds.