Downers Grove North takes team title at Palatine Invite; Cary-Grove freshman sweeps distance double

PALATINE – The Palatine Invite brought out the best in girls track and field athletes Saturday afternoon under some pretty cool weather conditions.

Palatine senior Aisha Kazeem seized the moment by winning the 100-meter dash with a school record time of 12.29 seconds. Kazeem is the defending Class 3A state champion in the 300-meter hurdles, and she also won the 200-meter dash Saturday with a school record time of 25.08 seconds.

“I wasn’t even trying to get the school record, and I think I can break 12 seconds in the 100 and 25 seconds in the 200,“ said Kazeem, who did not compete in the hurdles events. “The goal is to break the state record in the 300 (hurdles), and I just have to go out fast and finish strong.”

“She (Kazeem) set two school records today, and she has six varsity outdoor school records (100/200/100 hurdles/300 hurdles/long jump/4x100),” said Palatine coach Kevin Conway, whose team will host the fabled Palatine Relays next weekend. “Today was about getting all of our athletes a chance to compete on a Saturday with unlimited entries for all events.”

Downers Grove North, winning five field events and four on the track, finished first with 202.5 points. Libertyville was second with 132.5.

In the field events, Downers Grove North teammates Caroline Phillip (4-11.75 in high jump), Anna Grapenthien (4.86 meters in long jump), Maya Nicholson (10.19 meters in triple jump), and Rylie Marshall (10.89 meters in shot put, 34.45 meters in discus) all took first place. DGN’s Ava Flynn was the 100-meter hurdles champion (16.25 seconds) while teammate Victoria Ingram (1:01.82) won the 400-meter run.

The Trojans’ 4x100 team of Allison Leach, Blake Weltler, Charlotte Stanton, and Victoria Ingram won in 50.17 seconds. Leach, Ruby Ann Kowalski, Shabella Denou, and Aniya Hubbard won the 4x200 in 1:49.76.

“I thought Anna Grapenthien had a great day. She is a freshman and she won the long jump and she took third in the 200,” said DGN coach Matt Maletich. “Victoria (Ingram) looked good in the quarter, and Rylie Marshall had a PR in the discus so she was excited about that.”

Wheeling got first-place finishes from Isabel Delgado (2:33.27) in the 800-meter run, and freshman Sierra Kuhlman (50.24 seconds) in the 300-meter hurdles. The Wildcats’ 4x400 team of Sofia Bierman, Carly Bierman, Janice Vivar, and Sheila Leon took first in 4:23.43. Wheeling junior state high jump qualifier Lindsay Kane is out for the season due to a torn ACL during the volleyball season.

“Isabel (Delgado) has been a joy to coach this season. She has put in a ton of work, and she loves running the relays as well,” said Wheeling coach Alex Brown. “She (Kuhlman) is a freshman, she’s been awesome, and she’s been dropping times like crazy in the 100 and 300 hurdles.”

Libertyville’s 4x800 squad of Violet Young, Caitlyn Griffith, Julia Abraham, and Julia Garrison took first in 10:41.78. The Wildcats also got a first place from Francesca Crovetti (2.90 meters) in the pole vault.

Cary-Grove freshman Alexandra Santoyo won both the 1,600 (5:35.61), and 3,200-meter runs (12:20.74). Many of the top distance runners where held out of the meet so they could compete in the powerful Palatine Distance Night on Saturday night.