It’s been seven years since Downers Grove South girls track coach Egle Staisiunaite walked off the Eastern Illinois University track as a state champion in the 100- and 300-meter hurdles.
And though she’s competed throughout the world, including as a member of the Lithuanian Olympic team, the memories of a weekend trip to Charleston, Ill., are fresh in her mind.
“It’s nothing but positive memories,” Staisiunaite said. “It was a long journey for me from freshman year to my junior year, never having won anything at state, but getting better each year. I was driven by not performing well at state, and that made me work harder. That’s what drives me, to just keep going and keep going. If you’re going to keep going, you’re going to succeed.”
It’s a philosophy she’s been trying to drive home in her two years at the helm of the Mustangs’ girls track program, for whom the results also have been nothing but positive. Downers South won its 10th consecutive West Suburban Gold meet two weeks ago and capped its season by nipping Hinsdale Central by two points to win its own sectional May 16.
More Top Picks Best Apple Watch Bands
“At the sectional, anything can happen,” Staisiunaite said. “You don’t put a team together to score points; you put a team together to get as many downstate as possible.
“We didn’t expect to win it, to be honest. Looking at the results as they were posted throughout the night, we were in first, then dropped to second, then back in first. Then we were thinking, ‘Hey, we might do this.’ It was a fun meet, just because it was so unexpected.”
The Mustangs qualified 10 girls for this weekend’s state meet. Two girls qualified in multiple events, including sophomore Shaliyah Dixon-Tucker in the 100-meter hurdles and the 800 relay. Freshman teammates Kiera James, Nicole Muccianti, Sonja Renowden and Soren Umali and junior Rachel Petro will join Dixon-Tucker in the relay, with two of the runners serving as alternates.
Also advancing are sophomore Michaela Hackbarth in the 800 and 400, senior Haley Albers and junior Abby Kargol in the 3,200 and junior Amanda Thate in the 1,600.
Staisiunaite said she expects top performances from all athletes, but Hackbarth and Dixon-Tucker appear to have the best chance to bring home medals. Hackbarth’s 2-minute, 14.45-second finish at the sectional was the third-fastest qualifying time in the state. Dixon-Tucker’s 15.29 finish in the 110 hurdles is among the state’s top 15.
“As a team, I don’t think we’re going to score a lot of points because there are a lot of teams more represented in many events,” Staisiunaite said. “We don’t have anyone in the field events, just sprint and distance. But we still expect the best out of the girls, and hopefully we’ll have some finalists and medals.”