Girls track and field: Batavia, St. Charles North off to good start at DuKane meet

The DuKane Conference girls track meet was a little late getting started due to the rainy weather.

That didn’t seem to bother Batavia and St. Charles North in the least.

Once the meet at Lake Park in Roselle got rolling, so did the Bulldogs and North Stars.

St. Charles North, with senior Reagan Sipla running anchor, took the opening event, the 3,200-meter relay, in the time of 9:51.09.

“(Sipla) brings a lot of toughness,” said North Stars coach Anthony Enright.

St. Charles North also had a winner in the shot put with junior Tosin Oshin.

For the Bulldogs, Avery Hacker was fastest of all in the 3200-meter run at 11:24.00; Isabelle Taylor (12.47 seconds) won the 100 meters; and Elizabeth Wende triumphed in the 400; and Abby Wirth was first place in the triple jump.

Batavia also came in first in the 800 relay.

In the team standings, Batavia held a slight lead over the North Stars with only a few events left to be contested. However, with more inclement weather moving into the area, at press time it was indicated that the tournament would be postponed and resumed on Friday.

For Wheaton Warrenville South senior Haylie Hinckley, it was a terrific finish and culmination of all of the hard work she’s put in over the years.

Hinckley (1.62 meters) won the high jump, and coach Kasey Alderman said that the title couldn’t have gone to a more deserving person.

“Haylie is just incredibly talented,” Alderman said. “She’s pretty fearless and is willing to go for whatever she wants.

“She’s a great teammate, and she’s always willing to go the extra mile.”

Hinckley is also a star gymnast (she does the all-around), and she’ll continue gymnastics when she enrolls at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire this fall.

The senior also said there is a possibility that “in the future” she can restart her track and field calling in college as well.

“This is very exciting,” said Hinckley, who earned her first conference high jump crown. “It’s a very special moment for me.”

She added that she didn’t take up track until she was a freshman at WW South, when she connected with coach Alderman.

“I was a gymnast, and I guess she saw something in me,” the senior said.

And now three years later, she’s atop the DuKane Conference as high jump champ.

“This really blows my mind,” she said, “because when I was a freshman, I would watch girls jump like 5-5. I thought I could never do that because of my stature (she stands 5-4).

“It was definitely a struggle, but (ultimately) I knew I could do it.”

Other winners of note included Sophia Dalrymple of Wheaton North in the 300 meters hurdles and Marley Andelman from St. Charles East in the 800.

Andelman also triumphed in the 1,600.

Geneva’s Alyssa Flotte, a freshman, was victorious in the 100 hurdles, teammate Reilly Day won the long jump, while Klara Volkova of host Lake Park took the discus.

Batavia also scored a victory in the 400 relay, in the time of 48.30, behind the team of Wende, Taylor, Madison Wilson and Mariah Wilson.

“This means the world to us,” said Wilson, a senior, of the relay victory. “I’m glad to be a part of it and glad to help out the team as much as I can.”