DGN vs. Jacobs/Plainfield North

Micah Pfotenhauer is entering her senior year hoping to be a varsity regular for the Downers Grove North girls cross country team.

In the season opener Aug. 29, Pfotenhauer was among the frontrunners.

While Downers North sophomore Grace Maletich battled for first with Jacobs all-state junior Lauren Van Vlierbergen, Pfotenhauer was the No. 3 team finisher in sixth place as the Trojans defeated Jacobs 25-31 and Plainfield North 18-43 on their home course at Greene Valley Forest Preserve.

Pfotenhauer ran at the Class 3A state meet as a freshman and sophomore, when she was the team’s No. 2 finisher in 96th place, but she was disappointed with her junior season.

”I had a rough year last year so I’ve just been working really hard over the summer and it feels really god to be back,” Pfotenhauer said. “I just ran but it felt really good. I just kept my eye on the person in front of me and kept going.

”I think a lot of the problem with last year was I kind of had a few bad races and then mentally I was doubting myself and I didn’t know if I could do it. It helps me a lot this year to know that I’m up there and I can run like that.”

Maletich ran stride for stride most of the race with Van Vlierbergen, seventh at state last year, before Van Vlierbergen pulled away in the home stretch to prevail 18:29 to 18:32.

The Trojans’ next five finishers were seniors. Meghan Bonfield was a solid third (19:37), 11 seconds ahead of Jacobs’ No. 2 finisher. Pfotenhauer ran 20:05 while Stephanie Urbancik (20:23) and Katie Portman (20:25) were eighth and ninth and Sandra Di Pauli 11th (20:41). Junior Olivia Vander Leest was 16th (21:27) and juniors Zayna Jan (18th, 22:02) and Jenna Murphy (19th, 22:13) also were among the top 20. 

”I was pleased for Grace (running so well) for her confidence,” Downers North coach Tim McDonald said. “Micah ran a heck of a race. She’s in such a different place mentally than where she was a year ago. She really worked hard and kind of was real disciplined about everything in her life this summer and it’s paying off now. And certainly (for Portman), that’s one of her best all-time races. She’s never been a varsity scorer before.”

In addition, the frosh-soph won easily, 15-45 over Jacobs and 15-48 over Plainfield North by taking the first six places, including race champion Maci Schaub (21:08).

Sophomore Kaitlyn Bonfield, expected to be among the Trojans’ top varsity runners, sat out to rest a shin injury but is expected to compete at Fenton’s Earlybird Invitational Saturday.

”We’re in a good spot. Six out of the seven kids that’ll run varsity (at Fenton) got a race under their belts,” McDonald said. “We would have like to have seen Kaitlyn in her first varsity race (this season), but at the same time she’s healthy, she feels good.

”I thought both groups did a really good job of competing and historically we’ve not had our best meets here. I thought this was our best we’ve had in years. We used to have talk of how we hate this course. Never a word. We just came and ran and we competed the whole day.”

Pfotenhauer is in a much better place this season physically but also mentally. She’s trying to have more fun as a senior, although she has the added responsibility of being among four team captains.

“(My race) felt awesome. I was really happy with it,” Pfotenhauer said. “I’m not exactly sure what happened (last season). I think it was just a lot overtraining and I was tired out, stressed out from being a junior because it’s a lot of tough stuff with academics and everything. This year, it’s kind of like my last chance so I just want to give it all I have and go out there and try my best.”

Maletich also was excited about her race, especially after an injury-affected 2012 that kept her from achieving her potential. She bounced back in track to qualify for state in the 1,600-meter run and then joined the 3,200 relay for an all-state finish.

”I was able to run with (Van Vlierbergen), who got top-10 in state so that was a lot of fun. She beat me on the stretch, but it was pretty good still,” Maletich said. ”I was just trying to stick with her as long as I could. That was kind of my goal, and I was able to do that until the end. It was just the last little bit that started to get hard, but I felt really good during the race.”

”This is the first time Grace has had a stretch of time to really train. She’s healthy and this is the kid we knew we had when she came as a freshman,” McDonald said. “They ran 18:30 on a hot day for 3.0 miles. For early season, that’s not a bad time for your first meet of the year. To be with (Van Vlierbergen) and at this stage and not get her pulling away, that’s a good sign for Grace.”

There was little drama in the frosh-soph race, other than what order the Trojans’ frontrunners might finish.

Schaub led throughout the race and ran 21:08, which would have been in contention for 15th in the varsity race. Freshman Hannah Thomas was second (21:19), and sophomore Fiona Kelly (21:35) also broke 22:00 for third, followed by sophomores Angela Budach (22:09) and freshmen Brigid Miller (22:21) and Emma Moravec (22:23). Emma Doak (23:02), Gina Kowalewicz (23:05) and Meghan Kelly (23:07) were ninth through 11th.

In last year’s season opener, Schaub won the open race at the Fenton Invite in 20:59.

”As soon as I took the lead in the beginning, I was like, ‘I can do this.’ The second first race, first place (again),” Schaub said.

”It was really hot and I went out fast but it was hard to keep a good pace up since I wasn’t really running with anyone. At the end I had a lot of energy left so I just kicked it all the way and that was a good ending for me.”

Schaub said she did receive a bit of a lift from Thomas, who ran with Kelly throughout most of the first part of the race.

”It was fun during the race just to know that Fiona and Maci were there,” Thomas said. “I think that we worked really well together. Fiona was a huge help. She was awesome. (Now) I want to push myself more.”

Schaub also enjoyed success in track but she was hindered by a hip injury that has healed. She recently rolled her ankle slightly when she stepped on Kaitlyn Bonfield’s shoe.

”It’s better now and I’m feeling good. I’m a little bit sore but definitely this is the best I’ve felt in a long time,” Schaub said.

Kelly felt like she could have performed better but just pushing herself along, especially in the heat, was an encouraging sign.

”I was kind of zoning, not really myself today. I definitely could have gone faster. I’m just going to use this meet as motivation to get better and better,” Kelly said. ”(I’ve learned) just don’t get to that mental state that you can’t do it. When you have that mental state of you can’t do it, then it’s 10 times harder than if you say that you can just run.”

- by Bill Stone