DGN frosh-soph story vs. Glenbard West, Palatine, Crete-Monee

After her first two indoor meets in her first season on the Downers Grove North girls track team, sophomore Megan Scantlen has detected a pattern to her jumping.

“Usually I get better as I go along. My first jump usually isn’t that good, but I build up confidence and it gets longer,” Scantlen said.

So far, Scantlen is off to a great start. On Saturday, she added two more first-place finishes on the frosh-soph level in the long jump (14 feet-5 inches) and triple jump (30-9) to help the Trojans win their four-team home meet.

Downers North scored 76 points to edge conference rival Glenbard West (70 points), followed closely by Palatine (63) and Crete-Monee (24).

Also winning events for the Trojans were Margaret Schaub (400-meter run in 1:10.6), Rachel Krusenoski (800 in 2:40.5) and the 4-lap relay of Mackenzie Cady, Hannah Henry, Aysia James and Lily Kollker (1:36.0).

In the season opener Feb. 9 at Glenbard West, Scantlen also won long and triple jump and finished second in high jump.

“So far, she’s gotten four firsts and a second. She’s a real find for us,” Downers North coach Tim McDonald said. “I think she’s going to get better and better as she kind of learns it more and more.”

Scantlen competed in long and triple jump at Herrick Middle School but last year played softball. She has been a two-year member of the cross country team.

“That helped as far as the decision to do track. A lot of the girls who do cross country do track,” Scantlen said. “I like it. It keeps you in shape and I find jumping to be fun. And (I like) just the team atmosphere.”

She was able to share her jumping success with teammates Saturday. Wendy Goes was second in long jump (14-2 1/2) and Kollker was second in triple jump (28-6 1/2). Mercedes Gonzalez and Kollker both cleared 4-2 to finish 2-3 in high jump.

All entries were allowed four jumps. Entering the final round of long jump, Scantlen actually trailed Goes with a 14-2.

“I know trying to beat Wendy (pushed me), even though we’re on the same team, just the competition,” Scantlen said. “And I try to build up and do better for my last one. It basically has more pressure, and I feel like the pressure makes me jump better.”

The triple jump victory sweeter since it was the first time Scantlen surpassed 30 feet. That also came on her last attempt after a 29-10 on her third.

“I think I sort of let it rip,” Scantlen said. “I feel like I’m better at triple, but I feel as I get better at long jump, it makes my triple jump better. I want to get first at the sophomore conference meet in long and triple. I want to keep improving.”

The 4-lap relay also was impressive, beating second-place Palatine by a full two seconds. Last week, the Trojans and opponents Glenbard West and Glenbard East all were disqualified for making handoffs outside the legal zone on the first exchange.

Schaub also won her 400 by two full seconds to lead a 1-2-3 Downers North sweep with Arianna Calleja (1:12.6) and Shannon Koegel (1:13.3).

Schaub earlier tied for second in the 300 (47.5). The freshman cross country runner, who soon will be adding 800s to her list of events, soon should be sprinting even faster.

“We just have to convince her that it’s not a cross country race, the 300, and that it’s just a full sprint and to go for it from the beginning,” McDonald said. “She just puts the hammer down the last stretch. If she would just go after it from the beginning, I think her times would just plummet.”

Krusenoski, who won the 800 by .5, made her season debut after battling some foot issues that affected the end of her cross country season.

“She put herself in position right away and then kind of hung on and gave herself a chance to kick (and win),” McDonald said.

The 1,600 relay with Henry, Schaub, Sara Arnquist and Fiona Kelly nearly won, losing to Glenbard West in a pick at the finish. Both teams received times of 4:47.1.

Mackenzie Cady was among a three-way tied for second in the 55 (8.2). Also finishing third were Aysia James (55 hurdles in 10.8) and Olivia Vander Leest (3,200 in 13:50.2) and the 3,200 relay of Kelly, Janna Murphy, Alexandra Hohnsen and Shannon Kennedy (11:03.9).

Like some of her teammates, Scantlen got off to a rough start adjusting to the new season. Scantlen stuck with it, though, and felt that once she initially got down the hop, skip and jump sequence of the triple jump, it’s been all uphill ever since.

“Our jumps coach (Matt Maletich) has said she just kind of is naturally going forward all of the time,” McDonald said. “You see a triple jumper who you think could be good, and they kind of hit the board and go too high and it kind of kills all of their momentum as opposed to staying low and covering more distance if you try and equalize your phases. She’s more pretty much that boom, boom, boom. She gets off the ground enough to keep herself hovering and then she never has that phrase where she just kills all of her momentum.”

Frosh-soph results
At DOWNERS GROVE NORTH 76, Glenbard West 70, Palatine 63, Crete-Monee 24

3,200 relay: 1. Palatine 10:41.3, 2. Glenbard West 10:47.9, 3. Downers North (Fiona Kelly, Janna Murphy, Alexandra Hohnsen, Shannon Kennedy) 11:03.9, 4. Crete-Monee 11:57.3

300: 1. Salafatinos (GW) 45.9, 2T. Margaret Schaub (DGN) and Winans (GW) 47.5, 4. Wilson (P) 47.6, 5. Murray (GW) 47.6

3,200: 1. Yosif (P) 12:22.9, 2. Arduino (GW) 13:46.7, 3. Olivia Vander Leest (DGN) 13:50.2, 4. Kochert (GW) 14:16.1

55 hurdles: 1. M. Cunningham (P) 10.4, 2. Burt (GW) 10.5, 3. Aysia James (DGN) 10.8, 4. Harboonsong (GW) 11.3, 5. Heyler (P) 12.0

55: 1. Nix (P) 8.0, 2T. Mackenzie Cady (DGN), Paterakis (GW) and Craig (CM) 8.2, 5. Mashall (CM) 8.3

800: 1. Rachel Krusenoski (DGN) 2:40.5, 2. O’Brien (P) 2:41.0, 3. Shaver (GW) 2:41.7, 4. Winter (GW) 2:42.2, 5. Silveira (P) 2:49.0

4-lap relay: 1. Downers North (Cady, Hannah Henry, James, Lily Kollker) 1:36.0, 2. Palatine 1:38.0, 3. Glenbard West 1:39.3, 4. Crete-Monee 1:39.5

400: 1. Schaub (DGN) 1:10.6, 2. Arianna Calleja (DGN) 1:12.6, 3. Shannon Koegel (DGN) 1:13.3, 4. Fizer (CM) 1:15.2, 5. Filippelli (GW) 1:15.2

1,600: 1. Kieliszewski (P) 5:39.2, 2. Ozog (GW) 5:43.4, 3. Quinroga (P) 5:48.2, 4. Ocock (P) 5:48.5, 5. Beach (P) 5:48.8

200: 1. Salafatinos (GW) 28.7, 2. Carter (GW) 29.4, 3. Winans (GW) 29.9, 4. Wilson (P) 30.3, 5. Asselmeier (GW) 30.7

1,600 relay: 1. Glenbard West 4:47.1, 2. Downers North (Henry, Schaub, Sara Arnquist, Kelly) 4:47.1, 3. Crete-Monee 4:51.3, 4. Palatine 4:53.4

High jump: 1. Marshall (CM) 4-4, 2. Mercedes Gonzalez (DGN) 4-2, 3. Kollker (DGN) 4-2, 4T. Goes (DGN) and Wilkert (GW) 4-0

Long jump: 1. Megan Scantlen (DGN) 14-5, 2. Wendy Goes (DGN) 14-2 1/2, 3. Bieta (P) 13-5, 4. Recker (P) 13-0, 5. Ramirez (GW) 11-7

Triple jump: 1. Scantlen (DGN) 30-9, 2. Kollker (DGN) 28-6 1/2, 3. Kiker (GW) 27-2 1/2, 4. Aubrey (GW) 26-4, 5. Gonzalez (DGN) 24-6

Shot put: 1. Hights (CM) 27-6, 2. Rodrigues (CM) 26-1, 3. Powers (P) 24-6, 4. Erin Dunphy (DGN) 23-6, 5. Dau (GW) 23-6

Pole vault: 1. Cunningham (P) 4-9