Track and field is the most individual of sports. With the exception of relays, it’s one competitor against the others.
Relays are a big exception, as the Barrington girls track and field team will attest. Last Friday night the Fillies rode relay teams to their first Mid-Suburban League championship since 1996.
Barrington has turned track into a team sport. It had no individual champions, and its only first-place finishes came from the 3,200-meter relay, the 800-meter relay and the 1,600-meter relay. Coach Jody Gitelis saw her team score in every event and had more than one athlete score in nine events. Barrington set 17 personal records and needed every one as the squad edged Palatine 139.5 to 138.5.
“We didn’t win the meet by getting first places,” said weight specialist Lisa Collins, who was second in the shot put and discus. “We just worked our tails off everywhere and got whatever points we could get. We knew if we couldn’t get first, we’d have to get second.
“It really is about everyone else. I remember my freshman year, we lost conference by a half point. That was one of the most devastating things I’ve ever had to deal with. The difference was 8th place. Knowing that, we wanted to win our senior year. We would be in our best shape ever. We have 11 seniors and we knew we could do it. We had to think about each other and not let each other down.”
The MSL title came down to the final event, the 1,600-meter relay. Barrington held a one-point lead over Palatine, and the teams were expected to battle to the finish line. Seniors Jessica Radulski, Lindsey Wallner and Ryan Wolff gave Rebecca Poetz a lead, and she brought the Fillies home handily in first place.
“It was thrilling,” Collins said. “I actually was making sure our runners didn’t get [disqualified] for cutting in too soon. We were so excited. After they handed the baton to Poetz, we knew it was in the bag.”
The Barrington 3,200-meter relay team has the top time in the state, according to Illinois Top Times, with the 9:31.5 it ran in the league meet. Sophomore Erin Frommeyer, seniors Elisabeth and Laura Bunge and sophomore Christina Fiduccia ran an even-paced race. The 800-meter relay consisted of sophomore Lissy Smith, Wallner, Radulski and sophomore Tara Moser.
While everyone contributed to the championship effort, some Fillies had extraordinary evenings. Fiduccia was 4th in the 1,600 and 800 in addition to running on the winning relay. Wolf was second in the 400-meter run and anchored the 2nd place medley relay in addition to running on the winning 1,600 meter relay. Senior Rocky D’Amado was 5th in both the 100 and 200 meter dashes, 6th in the long jump and anchored the 2nd place 400-meter relay.
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Last year Barrington had a good season but Gitelis and the returning seniors were not satisfied. They came back in great shape and have competed well in every meet. The Fillies were third at the Homewood-Flossmoor Invitational, won the Hinsdale Central Invitational and Waukegan Invitation before taking third at the Palatine Relays. It’s been the season they had hoped for.
“Last year in May we talked about what we had coming back,” Gitelis said. “They needed to do the work in the off-season and the seniors came up with the quote: `We don’t need a motivational quote. We’re already motivated.’ That’s true.”
While it might look like Barrington has no individual standouts, that’s not the case. Collins, who was third in the Class AA discus last spring, is among the state leaders in the shot put and discus.
Although the discus is her specialty, her shot put effort Friday puts her on the list of state medal contenders. At the Mid-Suburban meet she smashed her personal record of 40-5 with a 42-3 3/4 throw but finished behind Palatine’s Erin Stein who had 43-0 1/4. Collins spun 126-3 in the discus, finishing second to Conant’s Stephanie Benight, who set a league record with a 137-7 effort.
“It was time, I guess,” said Collins of her shot put. “I had been training hard all year and have worked hard perfecting my spin since I started doing it in my sophomore year. It’s been a real disappointment. Last year was a disappointment. Being a two-event athlete is hard. Having to put as much effort into the discus, which I love, and the shot put, which I just recently acquired the knack for, is hard.
“It’s hard doing so well and taking 2nd place. I try not to let it get to me. I just go out and do my best, have fun. That’s all it is: have fun and if you do well, you do well. I like to do well and don’t like letting myself down.”
She doesn’t like to let her teammates down, either.