Chicago SunTimes

Hinsdale Central bags first title

November 5, 2006
BY TINA AKOURIS Staff Reporter

PEORIA -- Hinsdale Central never had won a girls cross-country state trophy.
The Red Devils finally brought one home Saturday for their first state championship.

Hinsdale Central won the Class AA team title at Detweiller Park with 123 points, ahead of Barrington (203) and Benet (218).

''It's nice to have your first [trophy] being first,'' Hinsdale Central coach Mark McCabe said. ''It was the first time Elaine [Kuckertz] has been our top runner all year, and she was one of the ones who really stepped up.''

Scorers for Hinsdale Central were sophomores Kuckertz, Lauren Zumbach and Roey Hines, junior Emily Cleary and senior Gina Kapusta.

''This is a much easier course than what we've been running on the past two weeks,'' Kuckertz said. ''That may have helped. And we've been preparing for this the whole season.''

Peoria Notre Dame junior Caitlin Comfort became the first upperclassman since 2002 to win a state title. Wheaton North's Samantha Polock was a senior when she won in 2002.

Comfort's winning time of 16 minutes, 47 seconds broke the Class AA record of 16:48 set by Streamwood's Paulina Garcia in 2003.

Sandburg junior Kristin Sutherland was second at 16:52, and Lockport sophomore Janna Mitsos was third at 16:56.

''I just wanted to get out and stay with the lead pack,'' Sutherland said. ''I think if I stayed with Caitlin, I would have beaten her because it looked like she slowed down.''

Comfort, who ran on her home course, had a seven-second lead over Sutherland just past the mile mark. At two miles, Comfort led Sutherland and Mitsos by almost nine seconds.

In Class A, Carthage senior Katelyn Bastert easily won her fourth consecutive state title in 16:49, making her and Wheeling's Dana Miroballi (1984-87) the only runners to win four in a row.<

Bastert's time was a Class A record, breaking the mark of 16:50.

''It was a relief to have the season over,'' Bastert said. ''I didn't even imagine winning one or making it to state [as a freshman], so this is very surprising. I think it shocked me as much as my family and friends.''

The highest Chicago-area finisher was Aurora Christian junior Ann Schuette, who was fourth in 17:50.

Aurora Christian was sixth in the team standings with 215 points.

''I was definitely hoping for a top-five finish [individually] because my coaches thought that would be a possibility,'' Schuette said. ''Last year, I had two stress fractures [in each ankle], and it was hard to run with that. So it was nice to come in and have a healed body.''

takouris@suntimes.com

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