LP_052418

lockportlegend.com Sports
the Lockport Legend | May 24, 2018 | 47
fastbreak
Girls Track and Field
Youthful Porters compete at state meet
22nd Century Media File Photo
1st and 3
Lockport boys track
and field second at
sectional
1. Close competition
The Lockport boys
track and field team
finished second with
72 points at the
Class 3A Downers
Grove North Sectional.
The team
fell one point shy of
Romeoville.
2. Meyer marvel
Lockport’s John
Meyer had another
fine performance at
the sectional, qualifying
for state in both
shot put (68-feet-1
inch) and discus (181
feet).
3. Other qualifiers
The Porters also
qualified for state in
three other events.
Conor McCarthy
won the long jump
(22-feet-4.5-inches)
and was part of the
winning 800-meter
(1:28.71)
and 1,600-meter
(3:20.81) relay
teams that also
advanced.
LISTEN UP
Mostly
underclassmen
qualifiers gain
valuable experience
Erin Redmond
Freelance Reporter
The Porters may not be
bringing back any medals
from the state meet, but they
aren’t leaving empty-handed.
Lockport coach Joe
Kravitz said his young squad
— many of whom were making
the trip to the IHSA Class
3A state tournament for the
first time — are now armed
with invaluable experience.
“It was one of those meets
where we wanted to get
them some experience and
shoot for some [personal
records],” the Porters coach
said of the meet, held Thursday,
May 17, through Saturday,
May 19, at O’Brien
Field on the campus of Eastern
Illinois University in
Charleston. “They did the
best they could in potentially
getting to the finals. We fell a
little short on some of those,
but I think they really battled
as best they could, considering
the youth.”
Lockport freshman Josephine
Bober was the lone
representative of her squad
on the final day of competition.
She placed 27th in the
3,200-meter run with a time
of 11:55.88 — just shy of
her personal best of 11:37.58
“This is one of my best groups, and I’m hoping the very best
things for them at state.”
Tom Razo — LTHS boys track and field coach, after his team took second
at the Downers Grove North Sectional
she set at the May 10 Lockport
Sectional.
“This is one of those ‘chalk
it to experience’ [moments],”
Kravitz said. “... When she
started running, the weather
changed a little bit; it was a
little bit rainy. I think there’s
always nerves your first time
down here, but that’s the
great thing about doing it as
a freshman: You get so many
more opportunities to come
back and improve on what
you established down here
the first time.”
Junior Andi Hennessey
also had a strong showing
at state, coming within three
inches of making the finals.
The Porters’ pole vaulter
easily cleared the opening
height of 10 feet. She came
back just as strong in her
10-foot-6-inch jump, but she
was unable to clear the bar at
10-feet-9-inches to move on
to Saturday.
And while Sarah Gomez,
the lone senior competing
for Lockport, officially recorded
a scratch at state in
the high jump, Kravitz said
the result did not match the
effort.
“All of her jumps were
excellent attempts,” he said.
“It’s just small, tweaky things
that pushed the bar down.
The recorded effort is no
height, but it was much better
than what it shows on there.
It’s really tough; [5-feet-1-
inch] as an opening height is
really high and tough for a lot
of kids to hit that.”
Lockport’s 3,200-meter
Tune In
Lockport freshman Josephine Bober placed 27th in the 3,200-meter run with a time of
11:55.88 during the IHSA Class 3A state meet held Thursday, May 17 through Saturday,
May 19, at Eastern Illinois University in Charleston. 22nd Century Media File Photo
“I think we have a nice, young
group to continue pushing us forward
as time goes on.”
Joe Kravitz — LTHS girls track and field coach
relay team of junior Kate
Wojciewicz and sophomores
Madison Polinski,
Abbey Kozak and Anna Kozak
placed eighth in Heat
2 on Friday with a time of
9:45.09, less than 20 seconds
shy of the final qualifying
time in their heat.
Wojciewicz also competed
individually in the 800-meter
run on Friday, placing
Boys Track and Field
Ending at Eastern — Thursday, May 24 to Saturday,
May 26, at Eastern Illinois University
• The Porters look to get the first state trophy in
the history of the program when they compete
at state this weekend.
10th with a time of 2:24.30.
While a solid showing, it
wasn’t enough to bump her
into the finals.
Junior Jacqueline Mathius
rounded out the roster for
Lockport, competing in the
200-meter dash. She placed
eighth in the second heat of
the event on Friday with a
time of 26.47, about two seconds
off the final qualifying
Index
41 - Athlete of the Week
41 - This Week In
time in her heat.
Despite falling short of the
finals in most events, Kravitz
said he was pleased with the
team’s showing at state and
overall this season.
“I think every season that
we can continue to be able
to compete with the teams
in our conference and sectional
… those teams are
so strong,” he said. “I think
being able to compete with
them all the time just makes
us consistent and hungry to
achieve what they’re doing.
… I think we have a nice,
young group to continue
pushing us forward as time
goes on. I think we’re holding
steady in the direction
we want to go.”
FASTBREAK is compiled by Contributing Editor
Thomas Czaja, tom@homerhorizon.com.