More Top Picks Colored Overlays Vs Tinted Glasses Pros And Cons
In their first season on the New Trier girls track and field team, juniors Alex Cook and Johanna Glaaser have already established themselves as two of the Trevians’ best athletes, according to coach Bob Spagnoli.
And each of them has a legitimate shot at qualifying for the Class 3A state meet when they compete on Thursday, May 14, at the Loyola Sectional.
“It happens once in a while,” Spagnoli said of securing a surprise star athlete. “It doesn’t happen every year. But you might catch lightning in a bottle. This year, we happen to have two tremendous kids who came out for the team.”
At the Central Suburban South meet on Thursday, May 7, Cook and Glaaser combined to help score 48 points as New Trier took the conference championship with 193 points on its home track in Winnetka.
Cook won the long jump with a mark of 16 feet, 11.5 inches, was second in the 200 meters (26.89 seconds) and third in the 100 (13.43). She joined Glaaser on the 4×100 relay team that finished second in 50.03.
For her part, Glaaser also competed on the second-place 4×200 relay team (1:48.14) and the second-place 4×400 relay team (4:08.10).
“I always wanted to join the track team, but I didn’t think it was something I could do,” said Cook, a serious volleyball player who was on New Trier’s varsity team in the fall.
A hockey player most of her life and for three seasons at New Trier, Glaaser said she thought that coming out for the track and field team could make her better on the ice.
“It seemed like fun,” she said. “I wanted to try something new, and spring is pretty slow for hockey.”
But Glaaser, a sprinter, said she didn’t enjoy her first experience on the track.
“A coach threw me into the 400, thought it would be my race,” Glaaser said. “I hated it. Absolutely hated it. It’s the longest race a sprinter runs, and I was exhausted. But I had no idea what to expect.”
Despite their reservations about the sport, Cook and Glaaser said they have no regrets about coming out for the track and field team. Both said they are looking forward to trying to earn a trip to the state meet at Eastern Illinois.
Spagnoli said on Monday, May 11, that Cook will compete in the 4×100, 4×200, 4×400 and long jump at the sectional, while Glaaser is entered in the 4×200 and 4×400.
“It’s so amazing to have an opportunity to run at such a big meet,” Glaaser said of the sectional. “Never in a million years did I think I would get this chance. I thought I would fly under the radar this year.”
Twitter: @harnesspreps
More Top Picks Heater