Pride strides: Peace comes around in field events

They miss Delilah DiCrescenzo on the Queen of Peace track team.

The two-time Class AA state cross country finalist, with placings of second and third back when the millennium turned, is chasing an Olympic dream to qualify for the U.S. in the steeplechase, and the Pride doesn't have many fleet runners at any distance these days.

But there's hope in the field events. The Pride finished 11th in Saturday's Stagg Invitational thanks to the work of a trio of competitors, starting with Alex Werner. She finished fifth in both the shot put and the discus, whole Anna Dron collected a fifth-place showing in the high jump.

Queen of Peace's only point on the track came in the 1,600-meter relay, in which Samantha Cartwright, Jerri Maincryk, Jessica Risley and Michelle Knapcryk hung on to take sixth, just behind the host Chargers and just ahead of Tinley Park.

Leyden won the meet with 91 points, followed by St. Ignatius, which won the 300 meter dash in the person of Kasi Onuejekwe and the 3,200 relay, the team anchored by Mary McKenna.

Bremen girls solid in field

Saturday's Crete-Monee girls invitational found Bremen's girls team looking for speed on the track, but competing strongly in the field.

Stevana Vaughn appears to be a double threat. The sophomore finished second in the high jump, her best jump of 4 feet, 11 inches a tenth of an inch behind winner Brianna McCullor of T.F. North - a Class AA state qualifier in 2006 - and fourth in the triple jump, leaping 31 feet.

"She'd be good in just about any event," coach Larry Katterheinrich said. "She has physical ability and desire; wants to improve all the time. She's a good leader."

Mary Alarape of the Braves finished second to Jasmine Godfrey of Bloom Township in the discus, flinging the disk 77-2, a personal best, while Deaven Acox-Bouie was second to Bolingbrook's Avianea Glover in the shot put, with a top heave of 32-41/2.

The Braves' best finish in a running event was a tie for sixth in the 3,200-meter relay, partly because junior Page Galvin, Bremen's best distance runner, was on a college visit.

Rhone was all alone

To some, the De La Salle Meteors existed only on paper for a good part of the indoor seasons.

Early fast times were noted, but the Meteors weren't often seen in suburbia.

Until Saturday, that is, when Armand Rhone won the boys 400 at the Prep Top Times meet in Bloomington. Rhone outkicked the field with a time of 50.19 seconds, nearly a second better than runner-up Odane Nelson of Marshall.

Rhone also placed third in the 200, running in 22.34, behind winner DeMarcus Brooks (22.21) of Springfield South and Imani Carey (22.24) of Bloom Township.

Two other Meteors, Ahmad Evans (22.93) and Iman Matthews (23.66), were fifth and seventh, respectively, in the 200. And that trio was the heart of the order in the 800 relay, though the Meteors finished a distant ninth, more than four seconds behind the winning quartet of Springfield Lanphier.

Evans and Rhone first gained notice on President's Day, when they ran under 6.4 seconds in the 55-meter dash on the indoor track at De La Salle. Rhone also posted a 22.55 in the 200 and 50.21 in the 400 earlier in March. But those were the standout performances before Saturday. Running as well or better should bode well for the Meteors in outdoor competition.

TRACK COACHES: Please fax schedules and results to (708) 633-5999. E-mail track news to tcronin@southtownstar.com