Story: DGN at Hinsdale Central Sectional

Senior Meghan Bonfield embodied the Downers Grove North girls cross country team’s all-out spirit to try to qualify for the Class 3A state meet at the Hinsdale Central Sectional Saturday, Nov. 2.

”I wasn’t having my best race, but I didn’t want to give up,” Bonfield said. “Even though I wasn’t racing my best, I really tried to kick it in and pass as many people as I could because I knew that it would matter and I knew that our other girls in the front, every other girl was doing the same thing.

”I didn’t know if we were going to qualify so I was just scared and trying to pass people.”

After being projected throughout the season as being on the bubble of getting the necessary top-five sectional finish to advance to state, the Trojans gave their best efforts possible – even down to the final yards of the 2.95-mile race at Katherine Legge Memorial Park.

It proved to be enough.

The Trojans pulled out the fifth and final spot by five points to return to state for after a one-year absence following three state team trips from 2009 to 2011.

Lockport (62 points), Downers Grove South (95), Hinsdale Central (103) and Neuqua Valley (121) pulled out the first four places while the Trojans (129) edged Lyons Township (134) for the last berth after finishing behind LT in their previous four head-to-head meetings, including the last two meets.

Sophomore Grace Maletich took sixth (17:47.15) to earn a top-10 award. Sophomore Kaitlyn Bonfield was 15th (18:08.29) and freshman Emma Moravec (29th, 18:33.39) also finished among the top 30, followed by senior Katie Portman (39th, 18:49.30), sophomore Angela Budach (45th, 18:58.89), Meghan Bonfield (49th, 19:02.39) and senior Stephanie Urbancik (77th, 19:41.55).

Maletich, Kaitlyn Bonfield and Meghan Bonfield are the only returnees from last year’s sectional lineup. Saturday’s other four runners are first-time varsity runners or first-time team members.

”We knew at the end of the race we ran great and if it was good enough, it was good enough and if it wasn’t, we could still hang our hat that it was a good race,” Downers North coach Tim McDonald said.

”We stepped up at the right moment. I said to the kids (at practice) Thursday, ‘I love the temperament of this group all week. On paper right now, we’re sixth. Everybody’s going to tell you that, but we just have to squeeze down a little bit more.’ ”

The 3A state meet is at 1 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 9, at Peoria’s Detweiller Park, where the Trojans competed at the Richard Spring Invite Sept. 21. The Downers North boys team will compete in the 3A boys race at 2 p.m. Awards for both 3A races are at 3 p.m. at the park.

Meghan Bonfield is the only runner among Saturday’s lineup who previously has competed at the state cross country meet as part of the Trojans’ last two team qualifiers. She, Maletich and Urbancik have competed at the girls track state meet in May.
 
Last season, the Trojans finished eighth at the Marist Sectional (224 points), 82 points behind fifth-place LT, and had no individual qualifiers for the seven highest finishers not among the five advancing teams.

”It’s awesome because last year we didn’t qualify and this year we did and it’s just great because it’s our senior year and it’s our last race and I’m so excited to go to state again,” Meghan Bonfield said.

”We were all really focused at practice (this week). No one was goofing off. Everyone was just really focused this whole week on having a goal and achieving it and I think we all did that today.”
 
There are 25 teams and 35 individual competitors in the 3A girls state field. Top-three teams earn trophies and the top 25 finishers achieve all-state status.

The agonizing part about sectionals is that the team results, and consequently the last of the individual qualifiers, are not official until at least 20 minutes after the race.

As the Trojans began their cool down after Saturday’s race knowing they gave a great performance but unaware of their ultimate fate.

”It was a little tense, just waiting. We were all happy because we knew that we had done a really great race,” Portman said. “We were just crossing our fingers. All three of the coaches (McDonald, Liz Tumpach and Bruce Ritter) said that it was down to the single digits of who was going to make it and who wasn’t.”

”Before we knew, (McDonald) was like, ‘I don’t care what the results are. You guys ran like the best team race ever,’ ” Meghan Bonfield said. “Even if we didn’t qualify, we would have been upset but we would have remembered this season, not only that we didn’t make it to state but remembered all of the races and how hard we worked.” 

The work truly came down to the final moments of the sectional. At the one-mile mark, the Trojans’ raw team score was 145 points, trailing LT (127) and Neuqua (130). At roughly the halfway point, the Trojans (165) still trailed LT (130) and Neuqua (139) significantly.

By the end, LT’s top five finishers were 3-22-32-35-46. While LT senior Lexy Rudofski was third, the Trojans’ No. 2-3-5 finishers each placed higher than the Lions’ corresponding finisher. Had the Trojans and Lions tied for fifth place, both teams would have advanced.

“(Our girls) kicked. In the last stretch, a couple of them picked up kids in the last uphill,” McDonald said. ”I thought we were beating them kid for kid with the exception of (our No. 1 finishers). It was close.”

”Angela really came on at the end and passed a lot of people. She was a sprinter in track so she has the leg speed,” Ritter added. “(Budach) had a big meet for us. Katie Portman had a nice race. That was a solid race for her. They were really close together and that made a difference.”

Downers North and Neuqua Valley also were the only top-six visiting teams to have competed at KLM during the regular season. The usual 3.0-mile course in the Trojans’ Oct. 10 dual meet with the Red Devils, however, was shortened because of flooding in one corner of the park.

“Our kids run well on this course, all of the time, even back in the old days,” Ritter said. “We tried to convince them (again beforehand). This is a good course for us.”

At the mile, Meghan Bonfield and Budach were 48th and 49th in 6:15 and Portman 52nd in 6:16, all just behind LT’s No. 6 runner. Near the halfway point, Portman and Budach were 42nd and 47th, but now within range of LT’s No. 4-5 runners, who were just behind Moravec.

Budach ran a personal best with a final burst. She edged LT’s No. 5 finisher at the finish by .67 and was within range of Portman by 9.59 seconds.

”I knew I had to pass that one girl from LT because she was their fifth runner. It was so close. I was able to do it, which was good,” said Budach.

”I won’t lie. I did not know (Budach still) was there,” Portman said with a laugh. “I was pretty out of it that last stretch. I hoped that she was there, but I didn’t know.”

This is the first time LT hasn’t qualified for state as a team since 1998. The Lions were one place ahead of the Trojans when they were fourth at the West Suburban Conference Silver Division Meet Oct. 19 and LT Regional Oct. 26 by 12 and 15 points, respectively. The sectional almost was even tougher but Sandburg (9th, 211) was highly rated until senior and 2012 all-stater Carly Krull was injured for the rest of the season.

”We could have easily been on the other side. It’s too bad when you’re sitting there like LT. In another sectional, they have no problem (advancing),” McDonald said. “We said, ‘There’s a chance we can finish fourth and run great at the regional.’ When we left, I said, ‘We had a better race than we had (at the Silver Meet). We’ve got to be a little bit better (at sectionals) and maybe we’ve got a shot.’ ”

Had the Trojans not qualified as a team, Maletich and Kaitlyn Bonfield still would have advanced to state as individual qualifiers. Saturday’s last three individuals finished behind Bonfield with Oswego East senior Michelle Borycki (23rd, 18:25.11) being the cutoff.

Kaitlyn Bonfield was the Trojans’ top finisher at the 2012 sectional and 19th overall, but she missed the last individual state berth by one place and 1.4 seconds.

”I think everyone was just running for each other because we all just wanted to make it,” said Kaitlyn Bonfield, Meghan’s sister. “A lot of the people said, ‘Run for the seniors. It’s their last year,’ so we all just ran for our team. I’m really excited to run with all of the seniors because they impact this team so much. I’m just excited to be there with them for their last state meet.”

The Trojans entered sectionals in a much better place physically and mentally than in 2012. The team was ravaged by injuries last season and although Maletich competed in the postseason, she was far from her best after sitting out most of the season recovering from a pulled stomach muscle.

Maletich has proven herself as an all-state candidate from the start of this season but her confidence was a little shaken after being hampered by an Achilles injury late in the season and was disappointed in finishing 14th at the West Suburban Conference Silver Division Meet and 11th at the LT Regional Oct. 26.

On Saturday, Maletich was arguably one of the biggest keys to the team’s success. Like usual, she was with the frontrunners at the mile (11th in 5:53) with Kaitlyn Bonfield close behind (15th in 5:59) and near the halfway point Maletich was up to fifth with Bonfield 15th.

Unlike her last two races, Maletich then maintained her spot.
 
”The past few races haven’t been great but to come out here, sectionals, when it matters and to run a great race really feels good,” Maletich said. “I was just trying to stay positive throughout the race and that helped. I went out slower the first mile so that helped definitely.”

Moravec, the only freshman in the lineup, has been the team’s No. 3 finisher at the Silver Meet (18th) and regionals (12th) after making her varsity debut in the second major invitational Sept. 14 at Lake Park.

“I am really, really excited to go to state. It’s going to be so fun. I had dreams, but I didn’t really expect it freshman year,” Moravec said. “I think just as a team we’ve been getting tighter and tighter each week. I think that we’ve run for each other.”

Budach has joined Moravec among the team’s most improved runners. Budach’s late surge has been aided by consistent training after she was sidelined by bronchitis and an ear and sinus infection soon after her race in Peoria, which marked her debut with the varsity.

“It was really good to get back from after being sick because I had a week off from practice that kind of threw off my routine,” Budach said. “I was able to build constantly.”

Urbancik has achieved three all-state performances with the 3,200-meter relay in track, where top-nine finishers are all-state medalists. Track entries qualify for state by event with top-two sectional finishes or by achieving qualifying standards at the sectionals.

”Honestly, this is like the best thing ever. Making it in track is a lot different because you’re a lot more individualized, but this way we made it as a team and I’m just so happy I can’t even explain,” Urbancik said.

”I’m really glad that I got to be a part of the varsity seven this year. The six other runners out there today with me are like my heroes because I wouldn’t be going without them.”

Portman joked that when the Trojans competed at KLM last month, she tripped on a tree root and fell during the race. After opting not to run with the postseason team because of her obligations to the speech team, Portman is ecstatic to finish her cross country career by competing at state.

”It’s awesome. I never thought that I would get here freshman year. I never could have dreamed that this would happen so it’s really exciting,” Portman said.

“It’s been a little stressful (trying to qualify) but I think this is such a tight group that at least I didn’t really think of it as, ‘The seniors need to make it and everyone else has another year.’ It was working hard for the team.”

Saturday’s accomplishment was even sweeter because the Downers North boys team finished second in the proceeding boys sectional race. The boys earned their first state team berth since 2010, when they pulled out fifth at the Lockport Sectional in Will Kupisch’s final season as head coach. That year, the Downers North girls finished 10th at state and the boys were 18th.

”I remember my freshman year, the boys were in our position, not sure if they were going to make it and then they did. It’s like a huge thing and I think we’re going to have a lot of celebrating,” Meghan Bonfield said.

”This one, we were not ranked (to qualify) going into it so we had something to work for whereas for track we’re usually ranked better. Freshman year, we were almost guaranteed to make it because we were ranked really well. I felt like this year we actually really earned it. We really worked hard for it and achieved it. It’s much different of a feeling this year.”

-- by Bill Stone