A year ago, Argo’s Abby Lopez was a freshman getting ready to play varsity basketball. Her future didn’t include running cross country.
Things can change a lot in a year.
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“I’m a full-time runner now,” she said.
And a sectional champion.
Lopez raced to first place in a field of 139 runners Saturday at the Class 3A Hinsdale Central Sectional, which included two of the top 2016 state meet teams and one All-Stater.
Lopez covered the Katherine Legge Park course in 17 minutes, 48.43 seconds. Hinsdale Central’s Grace McCabe was second (18:09.09) and Lyons’ Emily Henkel, a 2016 All-Stater, was third at 18:15.80.
“I just went out and ran,” Lopez said. “Just keep calm, run my race because I know I’m a good runner. Even if I don’t get first place, I’ll come back year after year and try again.”
This fall, Lopez had to come back from a nagging injury. She suffered a hip flexor strain in September after she won the T.F. South Rich Dust Invitational and didn’t compete again until the South Suburban Red Meet two weeks ago.
“To be honest, I was very worried,” Lopez said. “I didn’t know if I could come back after the injury. I thought I was getting out of shape severely. I would cross train, but my hope was very down. But then I changed that to a positive mindset.”
She won the conference meet and the Lyons Regional before adding the sectional title to her credit.
Not bad for someone who just started running in June to get in shape for a different sport.
“I didn’t know I was going to do cross country,” Lopez said. “I wasn’t thinking about cross country. I was just trying to get in shape for basketball.”
Why cross country instead of basketball?
“I felt free when I was running,” Lopez said. “I just loved it.”
Lopez was one of seven runners at the Hinsdale sectional to qualify as an individual for the state meet Saturday in Peoria. Marist freshman Cece Light (seventh, 18:33.41) also will be running at Detweiller Park.
Sandburg standout: The last time senior Dylan Jacobs raced at Katherine Legge Park, he suffered a pulled hamstring that sidelined him for the 2015 state meet.
Not this time. Jacobs led from start to finish Saturday and won the sectional title (14:39.17) over Lyons senior Danny Kilrea (14:47.57).
“It feels good to get through the race,” Jacobs said. “We came here a couple times in practice. It kind of felt good to go over that, just know I can do it.
“It’s no big deal, in the race not to think about it. I was just really focused on the race, going out and helping my team get the least amount of points as possible.”
Sandburg coach John O’Malley liked what he saw in the race between Jacobs and Kilrea, both state title contenders.
“He was great, very confident, very loose,” O’Malley said. “Didn’t want to worry about Danny at all. Just said ‘I’m going to go run my race,’ which is what the plan was and will be.”
Sandburg placed fifth to earn the final team qualifying spot for the state meet. The first four teams were Downers Grove North, Lyons, Hinsdale Central and Downers South.
Around the area: Lockport and Lincoln-Way Central qualified their girls and boys teams for the 3A state meet out of the Granite City Sectional. Lockport will be in the boys state final as a team for the first time since 2009. Illiana Christian senior Austin Ohm raced to the Class 2A Wheaton Academy Sectional title (15:30). Second-place Illiana and fifth-place Marist advanced to the state meet.
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Tim Tierney is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.