By Mike Clark
Courtney Burt didn’t want Young’s run to end.
So the Illinois State recruit did her part to help the Dolphins win their 11th straight Public League girls track title, 144-129 over runner-up Kenwood on May 9 at Hanson Stadium. Lane (120), South Shore (60) and Jones (32) rounded out the top five teams.
Burt won the triple jump with a leap of 39 feet, 9.25 inches and was third in the long jump at 17-2.75.
The individual win was meaningful for Burt, but the team title trumped it.
“…This year I’m a senior and you always want to end it on a high,” she said.
“Last year, we had so many good athletes, our whole team pretty much committed (to colleges). However, this year, they’re gone so I had, I guess, bigger shoes (to fill). So it feels really good that we were able to still win it.”
Young had two more champs. Senior Kayla Riepe took the 400 meters in 55.70 seconds and sophomore Jordyn Ellis cleared 5-5 to win the high jump.
But it was the Dolphins’ depth that made the difference.
“We feel we won’t always be strong in one area,” Young coach Phillip Wallace said. “So we just try to be as diverse as possible in all the event disciplines and today it paid off for us.”
And now the streak is at 11.
“It never gets old,” Wallace said. “Every year is a challenge. So we’re just happy that they executed at a high level and were able to pull it off.”
South Shore senior Jordan Hamb wrapped up a stellar Public League run, winning the long jump (17-10.25) and 100 hurdles (14.19), and finishing runner-up in the 100 (12.08) and the triple jump (39-2.25).
In the past three seasons, the Wisconsin recruit has won 12 Public League outdoor track medals and six titles.
“I’m not mad at all,” Hamb said, “I did 5.44 (meters) in the long jump, which could have been better. But that’s building back up to where I want it to be. Triple jump, I did 11.9 (meters) from behind the board, so that could have been really a 12.2. I’m not mad about that.
“Hurdles, it wasn’t my best. I’m kind of disappointed about that (time). But not really — I didn’t beat myself up about it because I redeemed myself in the 100. … It was a headwind, so that probably would have been more like an 11.9. … So overall I’m pretty proud.”
Jones senior Samaya Butler-Batista swept the short sprints with a pair of season-best times: 12.02 in the 100 and 25.38 in the 200.
The sprint community is tight-knit, she said.
“A lot of these girls are my close friends,” Butler-Batista said. “So I hang out with them in my personal life. Obviously it’s hard competing against your friends, but we all want to see each other succeed. So no matter who wins, we’re all kind of happy for each other.”
Kenwood sophomore Amber Nash ran on three winning relays: the sprint medley (season-best 1:51.00), the 4×100 (48.66) and the 4×200 (season-best 1:43.44).
“I think my team has done a great job and I’m very proud of us,” Nash said.
Lane had the day’s only meet record, as the 4×800 relay team of Sydney Van Aken, Kate Siffring, Hailey Skowlund and Josephine Zupko ran a 9:36.88.
Lane’s Ainsley Carter won the 800 in a personal-best 2:16.23 and ran on the winning 4×400 relay, which posted a season-best 4:05.08).
Also taking firsts were Lane’s Isabella Chapin in the 1,600 (5:10.74), Kenwood’s Kamdyn Redway in the 300 hurdles (44.88), Kennedy’s Viviana Tryfonopoulos in the 3,200 (11:15.32), Lake View’s Bilqis Gbadegesin in the discus (110-10) and Phillips’ Lillee Ingram in the shot put (33-8.5).
Photos by Ashley Harris/OSA
