Track and field: Geneva girls, boys sweep VanDeveer titles

Kristin Higgins displayed a different side to her athletic ability Saturday afternoon.

The Geneva junior has been a rock-solid three-year high jumper for the Vikings' girls track and field team.

Higgins broke her own record at the Mike VanDeveer Invitational with a career-best effort of 5 feet, 6 inches.

Moving to the track, Higgins swept the 100- and 300-meter hurdles to propel the Vikings to the team title with 161 points.

St. Charles North edged Palatine by a pair of points for runner-up status; Dundee-Crown, Burlington Central, Larkin, Chicago Northside and Rockford Jefferson rounded out the eight-team field in Geneva.

"I have been working really hard lately," Higgins said. "During the indoor season, my approaches (in the high jump) were not really good at the time. Coming outside makes a big difference. (In the hurdles) because it's pretty warm out, it helps a lot to keep my muscles warm."

Geneva coach Peter Raak was ecstatic to see Higgins discard an inconsistent indoor campaign.

"It's nice to see (Higgins) have such a nice start to the outdoor season," Raak said. "She is surprisingly strong, she is surprisingly fast. The fact she is tall and has phenomenal technique in the high jump shows."

The Vikings also picked up wins from Ndidi Ukaobasi in the 100 dash (12.68 seconds) and McKenzie Altmayer at 800 meters (2:20.41).

Collette Malovany and Molly McQueeny were cornerstones to the Vikings' three relay triumphs.

Hannah Schilb and Audrey Ernst are the St. Charles North female version of Superman and Batman.

The former scored points like a pinball machine; the latter was equally brilliant.

Schilb was in a different league in winning the triple and long jumps with respective efforts of 38 feet, 2 inches and 18-0.

The Iowa-bound star was runner-up at 100 and 400 meters to account for 36 points.

"It was a good day," Schilb said. "I was one-and-done in the triple jump (in terms of attempts) to focus on my other events."

Ernst was a solitary figure in the 3,200 run in a dominant performance of 10:55.59.

The sophomore was edged by fellow returning all-state miler Kelly O'Brien of Palatine at 1,600 meters.

"This is my first time running the 2-mile (outside)," Ernst said. "It's definitely a lot different from the mile - and what I'm used to."

Dundee-Crown junior Paige Gieseke transitioned to track after a neck injury ended her soccer career.

"Track was definitely an alternate to (soccer)," said Gieseke, the lone runner to eclipse 60 seconds at 400 meters. "There is no contact. I had some really good competition (in the 400)."

Gieseke was also runner-up to Schilb in both horizontal jumps.

The Chargers' Audrey Schmatz and Tarrah Kamp picked up wins in 200 dash and shot put, respectively.

"The last meet I couldn't feel my feet in the 200," Schmatz said. "My favorite place to pass people is right on the curve."

Katie Kreczmer was the sole Burlington Central winner; the senior won the shot put by two inches.

Boys meet: Justin Toarmina and Ryan Skibinski will be playing college football next fall.

But the duo also provided corroborating evidence of the long-standing nexus between the gridiron and track and field on Saturday afternoon in Geneva.

"They go hand-in-hand with each other," Toarmina said.

In photo finishes at the Mike Vandeveer Invitational at both 100 and 200 meters, the Geneva teammates bested each other by one-hundredth of a second to earn individual sprint titles.

Toarmina, headed to Minnesota State, won the 100 dash in 11.03 seconds; the Dayton-bound Skibinski captured the penultimate event in 22.54.

"One of the coaches said that iron sharpens iron - and we really like that," said Skibinski. "We compete in everything."

"(Geneva football) coach (Rob) Wicinski always says that track makes you faster," said Toarmina, the only double winner on the afternoon with his victory in the long jump. "A lot of kids think track is just another sport. Track trains you for other sports. (Skibinski and I) are going to be going back-and-forth with each other. It's going to be a really fun year."

The Vikings won their home invite with ease by scoring 184 points in Geneva.

St. Charles North was a distant second, followed by Burlington Central, West Chicago, Dundee-Crown, Chicago Northside and Larkin.

Brian Kuehl and Robert Glass had individual track wins for Geneva in the 800 run and 110 high hurdles.

High-jumper Scott Creger and shot-putter John Boenzi were the Geneva titlists in the field.

As peculiar as the dash results between the two Geneva sprinters were, St. Charles North athletes Sam Ambrogio and Cam Wright could offer compelling arguments for one-upmanship.

Ambrogio, a junior, had one last attempt in the discus.

"I threw 156 (feet) and change," Ambrogio.

The effort exceeded his career best by 30 feet.

"That is nuts," St. Charles North coach Kevin Harrington said. "That kid is so much better than he was a year ago."

"It just flew," Ambrogio said. "This is my second season (in track). It is still fairly new to me."

Wright, meanwhile, defeated reigning all-state Burlington Central pole vaulter Jared Trupp on criteria to win the event at 14 feet.

"Last year I was only jumping 10 feet," Wright said. "I was actually looking up to (Trupp)."

St. Charles North senior Michael Boone edged West Chicago junior Danny McComb to win the 1,600 run.

The North Stars also swept the two shortest sprint relays.

Burlington triple jumper Dionte Smith showed his all-state form in dominating the triple jump.

"I didn't jump what I wanted to jump, but it was better," Smith said. "I just need to train harder in the weight room."

Dundee-Crown won the two longer relays for its twin titles.

- Kevin McGavin