LP_052319

46 | May 23, 2019 | the lockport legend sports
lockportlegend.com
LTHS led by Hennessey’s finish in Top 10 for pole vault
Jeff DeGraw
Freelance Reporter
The 47th IHSA Girls
Track and Field finals had
great weather, although
very windy, with temperatures
in the mid-80s, and
that translated to some
great performances by area
athletes last weekend.
Lockport was led by
the ninth-place finish in
the pole vault from Andi
Hennessey, as the senior
jumped 11 feet.
“I can’t complain about
this state meet at all, and
it’s very emotional,” Hennessey,
a senior, said. “I’ve
worked very hard to make
my senior year a good one,
and to place at state is just
amazing.”
The Porters 3,200 relay
of Kate Wojciewicz,
Madison Polinski, Abbey
Kozak and Anna Kozak
did not qualify for the finals,
and Polinski also
ran the 800 but did not
advance.
“Today didn’t go the
way we wanted, but it’s
always an accomplishment
when you qualify for
state,” Polinski, a junior,
said. “We were here, and
I’m sure there are plenty
who would trade places
with us. We are proud of
the fact that we qualified,
represented our school and
did the best we could on
this day.”
Providence Catholic junior
Sam Spencer won the
2A pole vault title with a
jump of 12-6. The Celtics
also received a fifth -place
performance from senior
Chelsea Wells in the triple
jump (37-5), and the 800
relay of Teresa Topolski,
Sara Kerfin, Kendall Dickason
and Sam Spencer was
ninth (1:46.32). That relay
ran a school record 1:43.91
in qualifying for the finals
last Friday.
“This is sort of a bittersweet
meet for me,” Wells,
a senior, said. “I placed
fifth last year, also, but I’m
proud of how this season
ended, because I was so
inconsistent this outdoor
season. It’s sad to see it
end, but it’s time. I’m going
to the University of
Wisconsin, but I’m done
with track.”
“It’s been a long season
with the weather we had,”
Kerfin said. “But we now
know we can run fast and
compete with all of these
teams in the relay. All of
our relay members are
back next year, and we
want to do this all over
again and get a better place
next year.”
Lincoln-Way East
placed eighth as a team
with 24 points and had five
All-State placers.
The Griffins had three
sixth-place individual performances,
with freshman
Marian Azeez in the long
jump (19-0), senior Taylor
Wright in the 400 (57.04)
and sophomore Katie
Sciarini in the 300 hurdles
(45.79).
The 1,600 relay of
Wright, Sciarini, Sophia
Barnard and Ibukun Ajifolokun
placed second
(3:55.53), and the 800
relay of Azeez, Barnard,
Wright and Ajifolokun
was sixth (1:42.70).
“This has been a great
meet for us,” Azeez said.
“Not everything went our
way, but we are young,
and we will certainly miss
Taylor [Wright] next year.
But we are excited to keep
the tradition of the Griffins
girls track and field going.”
“This experience was
something,” Sciarini
Lockport’s Kate Wojciewicz (left) receives the baton from teammate Abbey Kozak as
they compete in the Class 3A 3,200-meter relay in the Friday, May 17, preliminaries at
state. Douglas Cottle/PhotoNews Media
said. “I really wanted to
run better times, but this
really motivates you to
work hard for next year.
Lincoln-Way Central’s
Jess LiVigni tied for sixth
in the pole vault with an
11-0 effort.
“It was very cool and
fun to be here and compete,”
LiVigni said. “It’s
exciting to get to the podium,
and I’m sure everyone
will work hard to
get back, because I know
I will.”
The Knights Mackenzie
Brownrigg had a difficult
senior season. She missed
the cross country season
with an injury and never
thought it was possible to
make it back to Charleston.
She did, ran in the
1,600 meters and although
she did not qualify for the
finals, Brownrigg was satisfied
with just being back
at the state finals.
“I never dreamed that
in the fall I would be
able to qualify for the
state track finals and end
my career here on this
track,” Brownrigg said. “I
wrote ‘injury’ on my hand
to remind me of what I
have been through and
how hard I have worked
to make this happen. It
wouldn’t be possible
without my teammates,
and I’m so proud of everyone.
“In October when I
started running again, my
sole purpose was to get
back here. It wasn’t going
well, and then I quit
worrying about times, and
I knew I just had to trust
myself and what I was doing.
It wasn’t the senior
year anyone would want,
but I’m certainly proud of
what I accomplished.”
Central’s Merrigan Allen
placed 28th in the
3,200 meters (11:44.40).
“It was very hot out
there, and when you hit the
wind, it felt like you were
standing still,” Allen said.
“This is such an awesome
experience, and there is
such a great camaraderie
among the distance runners.
This is also so motivating
to get ready for
cross country.”