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Gordon looks to next state meet
Updated: May 23, 2011 8:42PM
Lyons junior Lisa Gordon has appeared in the last three state cross country meets and has been able to match that streak for track and field.
But not all of her Class 3A state track meets have come in the 3,200-meter run. Gordon ran the state meet’s 3200 for the second time in three years Saturday.
The Western Springs resident finished 12th in the Class 3A finals in Charleston. Her time of 11:14.53 ranked second among West Suburban Conference competitors in the field while York sophomore Emma Fisher (11:12.34) was 10th. It should be a crowded field of returnees in next year’s state meet. Only two seniors finished among the top 12 behind champion Ariel Michalek (10:47.32), a junior from Oswego East.
“I was hoping to do better than I did,” Gordon said. “I was disappointed for my finish. I feel like I was training hard.”
Gordon was able to stay with the lead pack for the first mile, but couldn’t keep that pace.
After a regular season of running in poor spring weather, conditions were close to ideal for distance running at Eastern Illinois University despite a little wind and drizzle earlier in the day.
Gordon won’t forget the experience for a while.
“It was great. As a team we were closer than ever before,” Gordon said. “It was a fun weekend for all of us.”
Gordon’s appearance in the state meet in 2010 was limited to a fifth-place finish in the 3200 relay when Gordon was paired with an all-senior lineup of Emily Meingast, Alexa Adducci and Katherin Rehn.
Gordon was eighth in the state meet’s 3200 (11:00.58) as a freshman.
Gordon will have one more opportunity at topping Jane Simpson, who was the best 3200 finisher in school history in 2005 with a third-place finish. Gordon and Simpson are the school’s only place finishers in the event.
Gordon’s next focus is on cross country this fall.
“We could have a great year next year,” Gordon said. “We do not lose too many people.”
Over the summer, Gordon plans on training with her cross country teammates. Once school is out, the team practices at 6:30 a.m. each day while meeting at the South campus in Western Springs.
Junior Julie Dambra, who placed eighth last year in the 1600 relay, was the top finisher for Lyons in Saturday’s state meet. She took fourth in the 400 (57.61) to finish behind Young’s Raena Rhone (55.21), Carmel’s Megan Paul (56.70) and Downers South’s Tori Franklin (56.74). Among that group, only Paul would return as a senior next season.
Dambra joined Samantha Caffey as the only Lyons competitors to reach the 400 state final. Caffey also placed fourth in 1985.
Lyons’ only relay to reach the finals was the 3200 relay of Claire Johnson, Amy Bazzoni, Tess Saibert and Carly Rocco. That combination placed 11th (9:37.81).
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