UPDATED Story: West Aurora Stampede (all levels)

Downers Grove North senior Katie Portman isn’t satisfied only with working her way up to the varsity lineup for the first time this season.

She’s also is a National Merit semifinalist and an accomplished violinist and piano player. This summer, she will accompany the school orchestra on its exchange program trip to Europe that is made every four years with a music school in Germany.

”I thrive when I’m busy. When I don’t have much going on, I just don’t do as well in anything,” Portman said. “It motivates me when I have lots going on to do it all, I guess. It’s hard, but I’ve always had everything going on so that’s just kind of how I roll.”
 
Portman continues to contribute more for the Trojans this fall. On Saturday, Oct. 12, she was the team’s No. 3 finisher at the West Aurora Stampede at Marmion Military Academy.

Sophomore Kaitlyn Bonfield (19:18.3) and freshman Emma Moravec (19:22.8) were sixth and eighth in the 3.1-mile race for the Trojans. 

Portman was 25th (20:04.4), just ahead of senior Meghan Bonfield (32nd, 20:10.5) and sophomore Angela Budach (34th, 20:11.3), followed by senior Stephanie Urbancik (46th, 20:27.2), junior Jenna Murphy (50th, 20:34.9) senior Micah Pfotenhauer (55th, 20:38.8) and juniors Rachel Krusenoski (59th, 20:43.5) and Olivia Vander Leest (78th, 21:17.7) in her varsity debut.

The Trojans (97 points) were third behind Neuqua Valley (59) and Wheaton Warrenville South (89) and just ahead of Sandburg (109) and Fremd (114).

Portman also was a top-five finisher for the Trojans in their 27-30 dual loss to Hinsdale Central Thursday, Oct. 10, at Katherine Legge Memorial Park.

”It’s fun to wear the white (competition) jerseys and be able to say I’m on varsity,” Portman said. “I’m very glad to be on varsity and it’s hard to believe. No one in my family is very athletic.” 

Sophomore Grace Maletich, the Trojans’ No. 1 runner, did not compete Saturday or Thursday but is expected back for the West Suburban Conference Silver Division Meet Saturday, Oct. 19, at Proviso West. 

While the Stampede was Maletich’s second meet back from an injury last year, these are the only races she’s missed so far this season. Downers North coach Tim McDonald said Maletich rested a slight Achilles injury, working out at the school’s swimming pool prior to the invite. 

”Even when I run, it’s not that bad, but we’re just wanting to make sure (I’m ready for conference), but I can run,” Maletich said. “I am so excited for next week. I’m just going to go out there and do great.”

Kaitlyn Bonfield was the Trojans’ top finisher at the Stampede for the second year in a row. She led a pack of four finishers that came in a five-second span behind the top-five runners. 

”I’m kind of used to (not having Maletich from last year), but I definitely miss her being there because she helps me a lot,” Bonfield said. “I try and stay with her for the races, but I know she should be better for conference and that’s when we need her the most.” 

Fremd junior Ayako Higuchi (18:26.3) dominated Saturday’s race with Neuqua senior Claire Costelloe (18:40.4) second. Neuqua’s No. 2 finisher, Julia Pena (19:04.6), was fifth.

This actually was a much different scenario from 2012, when Bonfield was fourth in 18:41.3. The three runners that finished ahead of her did not compete Saturday.

At the mile mark Saturday, Bonfield was second behind Higuchi and Costelloe.

”My legs were a little sore from Thursday. I was hoping I could stay with (Pena) because they’re one of our competitors for sectionals, but hopefully I’ll improve for sectionals and I can stay with her and beat her,” Bonfield said. 

”There’s been a lot of times where I was by myself so I tried to push up to the next group, but a lot of times the group behind me would catch up so I would just try and use that pack.”

Moravec was part of the trail pack, just 4.5 seconds behind Bonfield. Moravec was 1.1 seconds from seventh and .9 ahead of ninth. 

The additional .1 of a mile could have fazed Moravec, but she used it to her benefit. A strong finish carried Moravec into eighth after she was 14th at the mile and just shy of the top 10 after two miles.

“I went really fast on the (final) downhill and just from there tried to keep the momentum going,” Moravec said. “I was kind of unsure of when to start sprinting at the end, but once I saw the finish, I just blew.

”As this season comes towards the end, I’ve been better at being really consistent so it’s about the same time as all of my other races plus 20 seconds for the extra tenth of a mile. Hopefully it’ll be better for conference.”

Consistency continues to be a keyword for the Trojans. Their order of finish continues to fluctuate, but this season they have the depth to produce a solid result.

While underclassmen are the team’s frontrunners, the success of the No. 3-4-5 positions very well could come down to seniors, especially with the recent loss of freshman Hannah Thomas to a foot injury.

”I’ve told the seniors, ‘Hey, it’s going to come down to you. This doesn’t work if you don’t run well,’ ” McDonald said. “We have to have one of them run really well, and that’s assuming Angela (Budach) keeps getting better.”

Portman has commented about the additional pressure of competing for the varsity as opposed to the junior varsity in 2012. Portman, who has played the violin since she was 3 or 4 years old, said perfecting her music is a different kind of challenge. 

”There are no weekly meets or anything like that. You don’t really have that team aspect,” Portman said. “Music and running are both great outlets for stress, but sort of in different ways. I never really have a race or competition for violin so that element isn’t really there. Also running season ends, but violin never ends.” 

Budach also has risen to the challenge in her first cross country season, especially now that she’s healthy again. She worked her way into the No. 5 team spot and the top 40 by the second mile Saturday and moved up another five places along with Meghan Bonfield. 

”I didn’t have the best start, but the rest of the race I was able to gain a lot of ground. I was able to pass a lot of people,” Budach said. “I realized that I was cutting on my stride the week before. When I opened it back up, I was able to go a lot faster and able to dig in with the uphills.”

Budach was promoted after being the Trojans’ top finisher in the frosh-soph race Thursday. She ran varsity at the Richard Spring Invitational Sept. 21 in Peoria but soon came down with ear and sinus infections that sidelined her for a week.

”I woke up during Peoria, and I was sick, too,” Budach said. “My shins are a lot better and I don’t feel sick anymore so I can run really well.”

In the dual with Hinsdale Central, Kaitlyn Bonfield (18:47) for 3.0 miles finished second to Hinsdale Central freshman Alexa Haff (17:52), who has won all but one of the races she’s participated in this fall. 

Meghan Bonfield (19:05) and Moravec (19:13) were fifth and sixth. Urbancik (19:37), Portman (19:46), Murphy (19:53) and Pfotenhauer (20:00) were eighth through 11th.

Portman probably would have had a better time if not for some misfortune on the course as she was side by side a Hinsdale Central runner.

”I just tripped on (tree) roots. I got up and finished the race, but I lost my momentum,” said Portman, one of the taller runners on the team.

“During the warmup, I started to fall, but I caught myself and I was like, ‘I better be careful here,’ and then during the race, the last lap, I fell, but I was fine. I didn’t twist or sprain anything. I just scraped my leg a little and kept on. Although I am kind of far from the ground, it wasn’t that bad.”

Frosh-soph race

Good races weren’t good enough for Downers Grove North sophomore Maci Schaub and freshman Gina Kowalewicz Saturday, Oct. 10, in the frosh-soph girls race of the West Aurora Stampede at Marmion Military Academy.

As Kowalewicz reached the big hill near the end of the first mile, she decided to put herself among the frontrunners.

”It was mainly going up the hill. I don’t know. Something about the hill made me move up,” Kowalewicz said. “I thought it’d be a lot harder than it was to stay up with the top 10, but actually it wasn’t. It felt like a good, comfortable pace.”

As they reached the finish line, Kowalewicz still was battling among the top 10, and Schaub was just in front of her earning fifth place in the 3.1-mile race.

Schaub (20:40.9) and Kowalewicz (20:42.6), who ended up 10th, both earned medals for top-10 finishes.

Schaub was 16.8 seconds from fourth but first among a group of fifth through 12th that was separated by just 3.4 seconds. Schaub finished just .3 ahead of Neuqua Valley freshman Meghna Vijayan.

“I had to really kick it in the end because (Vijayan) was trying to cut me off right at the very end and I just beat her,” Schaub said. “I passed a lot of people (at the end). I was like in 10th the whole time. It was really close.”

Freshman Brigid Miller was 20th (21:01.7), followed by a close pack of sophomore Fiona Kelly (26th, 21:17.0) and freshmen Emma Rotz (21:21.8) and Abby Pfeiffer (21:22.3). Arianna Calleja (67th, 22:32.9), Lauren Isenman (74th, 22:46.4) and Becky Donnelly (92nd, 23:22.6) also finished among the top 100.

The Trojans finished a strong third (81 points) behind Wheaton Warrenville South (54) and Neuqua Valley (71).

”On the frosh-soph level, they ran a really good race,” Downers North coach Tim McDonald said. “(Schaub) kicked. She took fifth. It was really a great race for Gina Kowalewicz. If she was a little bit faster in her kick, she was only two seconds behind Maci.”

For Schaub, time wasn’t the biggest factor in her race Saturday. She wanted to compete the way she knew she could but felt she hadn’t recently.

”I knew I wasn’t going to (get a personal record) because it’s a little bit longer, but I told myself I wanted to be in the race and I wanted to just race for myself so I could prove that I still had it basically. I went out and did that,” Schaub said.

”Last night, I was really focused and I just kept telling myself, ‘You’re going to do well,’ because I don’t want to have a negative attitude. That always ruins me. Now I’m really focused on getting it.”

McDonald previous had praised Kowalewicz’s effort in the Oct. 3 dual at Glenbard West as a breakthrough race.

Kowalewicz feels as though she took another step forward Saturday. Kowalewicz was 1.5 seconds ahead of 11th place to claim the last medal, yet was just .7 from seventh and 1.7 seconds from Schaub.

”I think so because I was up there with Maci,” Kowalewicz said. “I think I’ve definitely tapped into my full potential, close to it. It was definitely a good race. I didn’t think I was going to be in the top 10 at the beginning of the race, but I’m glad it worked out the way it did.”

The Trojans could have had another top-10 contender in sophomore Angela Budach, but she was promoted to the varsity race. Budach was the team’s top finisher in the 22-33 dual loss at Hinsdale Central Thursday, Oct. 10, taking third and missing first place by three seconds. The Trojans also beat Proviso West 15-50.

In Budach’s absence, McDonald praised Rotz and Pfeiffer for stepping up to fill the roles as the team’s No. 5 and 6 finishers.

”It was nice to pace each other and that felt good,” Rotz said.

”I had a good start and I liked the big hill. That was fun, just keeping up with everyone. I hope to take the time (I ran Saturday) and hopefully improve a lot. I want to keep going with Abby because she’s a really good runner.”

In the dual with Hinsdale Central, Budach covered the 3.0 miles in 20:47 and was part of a sprint to the finish in which first through fourth was separated by four seconds. Kelly (20:27) and Schaub (20:28), Miller (20:31) and Kowalewicz (20:40) were sixth through ninth, and Calleja (22:02) and Rotz (22:11) were 13th and 14th.

The Trojans compete at the West Suburban Conference Silver Division Meet Saturday, Oct. 19, at Proviso West. The overall standings are a 50-50 combination of regular-season dual and Silver Meet standings. Downers North’s frosh-soph had a 2-4 dual record, beating Proviso West and Oak Park-River Forest.

”Conference is next week so I want to come in with the same attitude,” Schaub said.

Open race

After having some distance running experience in her past, Downers Grove North junior Shannon Kennedy took the plunge and has joined cross country for the first time.

”I’m enjoying it a lot. I’ve always done summer running so I’ve gotten used to the mileage, but definitely the pace has picked up (for racing) so that’s been different,” Kennedy said. “It’s a good challenge to try and test myself.”

On Saturday, Oct. 10, Kennedy took another step forward as she finished a team-best 12th in the open girls race at the West Aurora Stampede at Marmion Military Academy.

Kennedy covered the 3.1 miles in 21:06.9 and missed a top-10 medal by 8.1 seconds.

Senior Sandra Di Pauli (16th, 21:18.4) also finished among the top 20 after a blistering start, followed by Sydney Wagner (26th, 21:46.3), Rachel Schuetz (37th, 22:08.3), Alex Hohnsen (39th, 22:11.1), Alyssa Blashill (62nd, 22:56.6) and Olivia Matheu (69th, 23:07.1).

The Trojans (123 points) were third behind Downers Grove South (30) and St. Charles East (34) and 10 points ahead of fourth-place Sandburg.

Kennedy played volleyball her first fall seasons at Downers North but tried track for the first time as a sophomore. This was the first summer in which she did not have to juggle summer volleyball and running commitments.

In cross country, Kennedy has been a top-seven finisher for the Trojans on the junior varsity level. Several of the Trojans she usually has finished behind were either used for the varsity race Saturday, such as senior Micah Pfotenhauer and juniors Jenna Murphy, Olivia Vander Leest and Rachel Krusenoski, or did not compete.

Kennedy’s fastest time was the open girls race at the Richard Spring Invite in Peoria, in which she covered the 3.0 miles at Detweiller Park in 20:18. She was 16th overall and the Trojans’ No. 5 finisher behind Murphy, junior Zayna Jan, Krusenoski and Vander Leest.

”I (got a personal record) there, but this race felt really good,” Kennedy said. “Although it wasn’t my best time, I think strategically it was probably one of my better races.”

And Kennedy didn’t have to worry most of the race of being a frontrunner. Trying to heed Downers North coach Tim McDonald’s words about starting out strong, Di Pauli went out quickly and actually held second place at the early stages of the race. 

”I had Sandra there for most of the race. I had her to kind of go off of and then it was just trying to work on my finish,” Kennedy said.

This was a new experience for Di Pauli and other returnees. Last year, many of them competed in a quadrangular meet at Addison Trail instead of the Stampede and the course has been refigured since 2011.

For Saturday, the Trojans’ starting box was on the far left.

"(McDonald) told us to get out because we might get squeezed in, and we also had to shoot out farther,” Di Pauli said. “I started out fast, but I wish I would have gone out a little slower because I burned out there at the end. It wasn’t my best race. I was hurting. My hip hurt a little bit. It was an all right race.”

Wagner is enjoying her most successful of three cross country seasons. Wagner said the past two years she usually ran in races with a friend who had a slower pace, but she did not return this season.

”I’ve kind of found out why shouldn’t I just run with the people that are faster than I have been? That’s been working well for me,” Wagner said.

As usual, Wagner went out with Schuetz and Hohnsen Saturday before gradually progressing in the field.

“We all sprint in the beginning, but I usually just decide to look for the other girls ahead of me, which is usually Shannon Kennedy,” Wagner said. “I usually try to keep her in my sights so I have to speed up to get her. I could see her with the turns (of the course). That helped to motivate me more.”

The Trojans compete at the West Suburban Conference Silver Division Meet Saturday, Oct. 19, at Proviso West.

The final overall standings are a 50-50 combination of regular-season and Silver Meet results. With a full lineup, the junior varsity (4-2 in duals) should be in contention for the title with Hinsdale Central (6-0) and Lyons Township (5-1).

”We have to stay with them and go after it,” Di Pauli said. “We have a bunch of good girls. We’ll all just run together in our group and I think we’ll do really well for conference.”  

On Thursday, Oct. 10, the Trojans lost 25-30 at Hinsdale Central while beating Proviso West 15-50. Jan was third (20:01 for 3.0 miles), Vander Leest (20:07), Krusenoski (20:08) and Di Pauli (20:21) were fifth through seventh, Kennedy (20:50) was ninth and Wagner (21:38), Schuetz (21:39), Alexa Treichel (21:51) and Blashill (20:56) were 11th through 14th.

-- by Bill Stone