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Schools

Glenbard West Girls' Track Team Sets Sights High

With four returning all-state athletes and a large senior class, the Glenbard West girls' track team is looking to the state meet but first hoping to win conference at home.

After years of being the overachieving underdog, the girls' track team is on the verge of enjoying its best season in decades.

On March 18, the Hilltoppers captured the indoor West Suburban Conference Silver Division Meet for the first time in the meet’s 24-year history.

“Finally winning and proving to other teams in our conference--who I think sometimes underestimate how good we are--was really exciting and well deserved for sure.” said senior Bridget Flanagan.

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Flanagan annually sprints from girls' basketball into the start of the track season. Flanagan has her goals set on the state competition this year after already competing at the state-level three times and earning all-state homors in 2010.

“Coming here, it’s just like home. You have everyone here for you and it’s just like a great experience,” Flanagan said. “It doesn’t need to be a meet. It could be a practice and you’re just happy to be here and I think that’s an experience that not everyone gets. Especially as seniors, we’re knowing it’s our last year and soaking it in.”

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This year should be even better as the Hilltoppers return seven athletes who competed at last year’s state meet: Kathryn Pickett; Bridget Flanagan; and juniors Kinn Badger, Maddie Nagle, Caroline Maloney, senior; Sarah Dau, and sophomore; Emma Reifel.

This crew made the school record books this fall when they contributed to the program's best cross country season since 1997, and that success has followed them into this spring season. 

The Hilltoppers made a quick start outdoors, winning the eight-team Mustang Invite at Downers Grove South (124) for the first time in recent memory. They then went on to beat out the rest of the competition at the indoor Silver Meet. The Hilltoppers’ 125 points put them  ahead of Lyons Township (84) and host York (82) and Hinsdale Central (82), the defending 3A state champion and five-time defending indoor Silver champion.

“The fact that it was the first time ever says something right there because we’ve had good teams in the past,” said Kelly Hass, Glenbard West’s head coach. “We’re one of the smallest schools in [Class] 3A schools in the state, quite frankly, and being the smallest school in the conference, that says something right there about their work ethic. It was quite thrilling.”

The Hilltoppers’ are setting their sights on making history. This year, Pickett is going for all-state performances in four events: hurdles, long jump and the 400 relay and the triple jump. 

“I’m aiming high,” Pickett said with a smile.

Besides Pickett, Nell Shields--a 1996 graduate and two-time state champion--is the only other athlete in school history with three individual all-state performances.

The Hilltoppers’ next chance to prove themselves comes Saturday at Duchon Field for their annual home Sue Pariseau Invite, one of the state’s premier regular-season meets.

Last year, Glenbard West tied for second with York (109 points) behind Hinsdale Central (163). In 2003, the Hilltoppers were third with 117 points, just 9.5 points behind champion Hinsdale Central. So coming away with a first place trophy is what the team hopes to accomplish this Saturday.

“That’s on the to-do list for sure,” Flanagan said. “Conference on our own turf. It just gives us more of a reason, I guess, than we already have. We want to win conference for ourselves and on our home track.”


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