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player ready...Evanston’s Enyaeva Michelin plans to erase her 117th-place finish at last year’s Class 3A girls cross country state meet from memory, and she got off on the right foot on Saturday.
Michelin placed second at this year’s Lake Park Sectional in Roselle, finishing only behind defending state champion Katelynne Hart of Glenbard West.
“Everything today was just in preparation for a bigger meet next week,” Michelin said on Saturday. “The goal today was just to go out hard and qualify, so I’m satisfied.”
Michelin battled shin injuries at last year’s state finals at Detweiller Park in Peoria but the North Carolina-bound senior is healthy as she heads downstate.
She finished in 16 minutes, 54.64 seconds at Lake Park in sub-40 degree temperatures.
“Breaking 17 (minutes) in this kind of weather is pretty good,” Michelin said. “It’s supposed to be a bit warmer next week down at Detweiller.
“This was a great day for me last year because it was my first qualification for the state meet. So today was a good day, just like last year. The big difference this year is not just my physical health but also how I feel mentally. This year I’ve been tapering and feeling good.”
Maine South girls
The Maine South girls’ jubilant screaming at the Class 3A Lake Park cross country sectional on Saturday was understandable: The Hawks are headed downstate.
“We walked away thinking we didn’t make it because we didn’t run particularly well,” Hawks coach Jeff Downing said. “But it turned out that we did just enough to squeak it out.”
Maine South placed fifth and was the final team at the sectional to qualify for state, edging out sixth-place Oak Park-River Forest by nine team points.
Leading the way was senior Olivia Niziolek, who placed fifth with a time of 17 minutes, 23.15 seconds. Fellow senior Kathleen Glockner finished 33rd with a time of 18:45.57 and the Hawks had sub-20 minute finishes from senior Amanda Walbert; juniors Carley Bomrad, Lauren May and Klaudia Wachnik; and sophomore Keeley Flynn.
Niziolek placed 12th at state last season and her time on Saturday was a season’s best.
“It’s the sectional so this is the day to race fast, if you’re going to race fast,” she said. “So I was happy that I was able to perform the way I needed to today.”
Niziolek’s personal best is 17:02 and she’s hoping that the atmosphere at the state finals will help her beat that time.
“At state I always run way faster. It’s higher competition and I thrive off of that type of stuff,” Niziolek said. “State is the meet you’ve been working all season for and you want to go out with a bang, especially as a senior. It’s super exciting to go.”
Niles North boys
During the Class 3A boys cross country sectional race at Lake Park, Niles North’s Conor Perreault knew at the 2-mile mark he was in a good place.
“I got out well the first 300 or 400 meters but it was really when I hit the 2-mile (mark) under 10 minutes that I knew I had it today,” Perreault said on Saturday. “From there, I just wanted to get through it for 5 more minutes because at that point I know I’m in the position I need to be.”
Perreault qualified for the state meet last season but he battled pneumonia during the state final and placed 80th.
Perreault finished in eighth place in Roselle with a time of 14 minutes, 56.15 seconds — the first time this season he has run under 15 minutes.
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“I’ve felt for a while like I’ve been ready to break 15 but for whatever reasons I haven’t done it,” Perreault said. “Today I finally got under 15 and I’m going downstate, which is what I really wanted. And if feels like I’ve got a few more seconds in me.”
Gary Larsen is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
Twitter @Pioneer_Press