WHEATON NORTH INVITATIONAL

Hynes, Hinsdale Central girls finish ahead of the pack

By Alan Sutton
Tribune staff reporter

September 29, 2007, 8:30 PM CDT

CLizzy Hynes of St. Charles East is an accomplished distance runner. She took sixth in the 2006 Class AA state cross-country final and finished third in the 1,600 meters at May's state track finals.

But consider this warning: Don't put the junior on your fantasy stair-climbing team.

Two days after state track, Hynes said she "just fell going up the stairs." She suffered a bone contusion that limited her training over the summer.

Nothing, however, hindered Hynes in Saturday's 29-team Wheaton North Invitational. She won the championship flight in 17 minutes 46 seconds over the 3.05-mile course at Wheaton's Northside Park.

"With a half-mile to go, I got a ton of confidence and started to pull away," said Hynes, who was second in this meet last season. "It was a great experience to win a meet I hadn't won before."

Hinsdale Central's Elaine Kuckertz ran five seconds behind Hynes. That runner-up finish assured the Red Devils of the team title, which ended Naperville North's four-year winning streak.

Ranked No. 1 in the area in the preseason, the 2006 Class AA state champion Red Devils finished with 20 points to Stagg's 27 and Wheaton North's 28.

The only Hinsdale Central winner was Emily Cleary in the fourth flight. But Roey Hines, Lauren Zumbach, Katie Kummkerer, Niamh McCarthy and Hailey Krzyston all had top-five finishes for Central.

Stagg's Annette Glaz, Wheaton North's Kelsey Tharnstrom and Naperville Central's Shelby Pealer finished out the top five in the championship flight.

asutton@tribune.com

Copyright © 2007, The Chicago Tribune 

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