Negrete just dashing for 'BT'

CHARLESTON - The public address announcer was right, even though he was wrong, when announcing senior Angela Negrete as representing Bloom Trail before the girls' 100-meter hurdle state final.

She attends Bloom Trail High School, but, for over a decade, Bloom and Bloom Trail have had a combined athletic program, playing and running under the title of Bloom Township. Thus, the "BT" on the uniform.

Negrete managed to make herself known in the finals, finishing fifth in the field with a time of 15.10 seconds. That wasn't as fast as her season-best, a Southland-leading 14.60 clocking on May 7, but nobody was going to catch Waubonsie Valley's Shakeia Pinnick, who won the race in 14.27 seconds.

"I'm so mad at my start because I would have had a better chance of getting in the first four or three," Negrete said. "I always have a delayed reaction (to the starter's pistol). I guess the nerves just overpowered and I didn't get what I wanted.

"I was just trying not to get last (of the nine starters). I was seeded fifth, so I stayed fifth, and I'm happy about it."

Rebuilding next for H-F

Three-quarters of Homewood-Flossmoor's 400-meter relay team has graduated.

Only junior Jeronda Womack, the anchor on the Vikings' fourth-place squad at the state finals, will be returning. Seniors Chantel Hilliard, Casey Rodgers and Tyler Burke are headed to college.

They went out in style, taking fourth place in Class 3A, one-hundredth of a second behind second-place Hinsdale Central and third-place Evanston Township. Only the timing system could split the difference at the finish line.

"I'm not ashamed and not upset," Hilliard said. "We were pushing for first because we got second (at the Prep Top Times meet) in indoor season. But it's OK. Last year, we did horrible and dropped the baton. We had to come back and redeem ourselves."

It wasn't like they could forget it. Both Burke, who started the ill-fated handoff, and Hilliard, who couldn't grab it, had watched tape of the miscue several times.

"Our parents had it on tape," Hilliard said.

The Vikings might have hung on for second this year, behind winner Belleville West, if not for Womack's sudden hamstring pull. She was barely able to stumble the final 15 meters and cross the finish line. Remarkably, Womack, her leg heavily taped, was able to make it back onto the track less than two hours later and finished second in the 100 dash by one-hundredth of a second.

"It wasn't major," Womack said of the pulled hamstring. "It just hurt for a little bit."

Womack was third in the 100 in Tennessee last year and second in Illinois this year. The move was because her father is in the military. No move is on the horizon, so Womack plans to go for first as an H-F senior in 2010.

Lewis bids Rich South adieu

Jerika Lewis must have a strong back. She's carried the Rich South track program all the way to Charleston two years in a row.

Lewis qualified this year in the three sprint races, plus helped the Stars to the final in the 400 relay.

Alas, Lewis, one of the Southland's better sprinters, didn't come away with a Class 2A state title. The relay team finished sixth early in the finals. Lewis then went out on her own and finished eighth in the 100, third in the 400 and third in the 200. She had a hand in 20 of Rich South's 23 points. The Stars finished in a tie for 13th.

"I'm satisfied," Lewis said. "I did my best."

That included a personal-best time of 55.68 seconds in the 400. Richards' Marissa Golliday won the 400 with a personal-best (and 2A record) 54.85.

Tim Cronin can be reached at tcronin@southtownstar.com or (708) 633-5948.