Neuqua Valley dominates on their way to team championship led by Samara Miller’s two individual wins

By Michael Newman

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Plainfield, Ill --- Maine South opened the eyes of most at the Plainfield North Fieldhouse at the beginning of the Plainfield North Girls Relays Friday evening. It was Neuqua Valley that closed the competition with a commanding team performance. The Lady Wildcats won four individual races and two relays on their way to winning team championship with a whopping 109 points. Host Plainfield North was a distant second with 57 points.

The night started with a bang in the 3200 Meter Relay and the first final event of the meet. It turned into a two team battle at the outset with Maine South taking the lead and holding off Plainfield North on the first two legs of the event. At the end of the second 800, Plainfield North’s Juliana Stogsdill took the lead away from Maine South’s Kalina Gardiner. It did not take Maine South long to take the lead back as their third runner Lexi Kachiroubas retook the lead from Plainfield North’s Megan Patton.

The race was over as soon as Maine South’s anchor Olivia Niziolek took the baton. She opened up a lead on Plainfield North’s anchor runner Valerie Som never looking back. Niziolek closed with a 2:18.1 anchor to give Maine South the win and the fastest time so far this season in the state (9:41.52). Plainfield North took second (9:50.86) holding off Neuqua Valley who was more than two seconds behind.

Niziolek was also involved in the most exciting race of the evening. The Maine South sophomore grabbed the lead early in the 1600 Meter Run with a pack of six runners right behind her led by Meagan Biddle (Hoffman Estates HS). The pack went through the first 400 in 80 seconds with the pace seeming to waver. That is when Biddle took over. She pushed the pace the next half mile but only dropping a handful of athletes. Niziolek, Cailtlin Horn (Neuqua Valley HS, Naperville) and Rachael Lau (Plainfield North HS) were among the runners staying close.

Just as Biddle passed the 1200 in 4:02, it was Niziolek that broke from the pack taking the lead and forcing the pace to speed up. Biddle did not waver staying close to the shoulder of Niziolek. Just before the bell lap, Biddle jumped to the lead and making a definitive pick up clinching the race for her. The senior closed in a 72 second final 400 crossing the line in 5:14.70. Niziolek was more than two seconds behind in second (5:17.27) with Horn another second back (5:18.80).

It was a great double by Biddle. An hour earlier, she anchored Hoffman Estates to the win in the Distance Medley Relay covering her 1600 Meter leg in 5:17.9. Hoffman Estates winning time of 12:58.96 established a new school indoor record.

There was no let down for Samara Miller (Neuqua Valley HS, Naperville) a week after she ran two great races at the University of Kentucky High School Invitational. Pushed by her teammate Tashee Hargrave, Miller won the 400 (58.47) with Hargrave half a second back (58.96). Miller came back to win the 200 Meter Dash unchallenged running 26.46 and winning by more than a second ahead of Melanie Olsen (Providence Catholic HS, New Lenox).

If Maine South’s time in the 3200 Relay was impressive, Neuqua Valley came close to that at the end of the meet in the 1600 Meter Relay. Tashee Hargrave closed the door on the rest of the teams in her section of the race with a scintillating 57.2 opening leg opening up a nine second lead ahead of the rest of the pack. The race was basically over. Strong legs by Lizzy McCadd, Mikenna Robinson, and Miller who had less than 15 minutes of rest after her 200 race gave Neuqua the win. The 4:05.73 won the race by nineteen seconds ahead of Plainfield North. The time is one of the fastest so far this season in the state. It is even more impressive if you consider it was done on a 180 Meter Track.

Neuqua Valley also received a win from their 800 Meter Relay (1:52.89). Kenna Lonergan picked up a win for Neuqua Valley in the 55 Hurdles (8.95) just ahead of teammate Autumn Richmond. Grace Merritt was Neuqua’s other individual event winner in the Shot Put (37-5).

Joliet West was impressive taking three of the first four spots in the 55 Meter Dash. Kristine Bourg ran 7.25 to win ahead of teammate Melzina Johnson and Neuqua Valley’s Tashee Hargrave.