BELLEVILLE • First, the Belleville West Girls Track Invitational had to be postponed from Friday to Monday, because of weather. Then, three teams dropped out to slice the field to 12 and some of those teams decided against bringing a full contingent of athletes because of multiple events this week.
Still, it mattered little to Edwardsville, which came away with the team title scoring 105 points - just enough to edge second-place Belleville East (104 points).
"I think it was time for us to win one," junior Danielle Bohannon said. "We'd been working really hard and it was nice to come away with a title."
Bohannon was part of the winning 3,200-relay team that also included Bailey McGuire, Victoria Vegher and Lori Cashdollar that got the Tigers off to a quick start. The quartet ran a 10:00.16.
"O'Fallon is so good at everything," McGuire said. "To beat them is something we can build on."
O'Fallon finished third in the team standings with 83.5 points. The Panthers were followed by Triad (75.5), Freeburg (65.5), Alton (65), Belleville West (62, Granite City (45), Centralia (40), Marion (23), Collinsville (15.5) and Mascoutah (12.5).
Other top finishers for the Tigers were senior Lizzie Lynn, who won the 3,200 in 11:57.57, and senior Autumn Harris took the 100 hurdles 15.32.
This is the first time Harris has run the event since she was in junior high.
"I'm going to college (Kentucky Wesleyan) for volleyball," Harris said. "And this is my last year, so I wanted to do something different. It's always been my favorite race and I feel like I'm doing well so far." The 15.32 clocking was her best mark of the season.
The Tigers had no other first-place finishers, but their depth helped secure the title.
"It goes to show every single point counts," Edwardsville girls coach MiKala Thompkins said. "The girls came out and showed what they can do."
Alton junior LaJarvia Brown won three events. She took the long jump in 19-00.5, which set a school record and broke the meet record. She also took the triple jump with a leap of 39-09.50 and she won the 300 hurdles in 46.23.
The Redbirds will be in Carrollton tomorrow, but Brown won't do any of her jumps or the hurdles. She will run in the 400-relay and compete in the pole vault.
Brown laughed and said, "Yeah, I'm going to try it. I hate the back-to-back meets they kill my legs, so this way I can still try and help without doing my jumps."
Second place went to East, which was led by first-place finishes from Tamar Mosby in the high jump (5-2) and the winning 400 relay team of Ciara Gresham, Sidne' Williamson, Maronjanie Jones and Miyah Dorsey (48.96). East also took the 800 relay with a team of Eriel Lewis, Mosby, Jones and Gresham 1:47.69 and won the 1,600 relay with Jones, Mosby, Dorsey and Williamson (4:09.01).
Williamson also won the 200 meter race in 24.98.
O'Fallon took third, but didn't have an overall winner. The Panthers, however, didn't bring their frontline runners to rest up for the rest of the week.
"It gave us a good chance to give some other kids a chance to compete," O'Fallon girls coach Neil James said. "We have some seniors and some juniors that are really close to the varsity level and this chance to compete is something that could move them forward. We didn't get any firsts, but overall we were really pleased."
Abby Carney earned a second in the triple jump with a 35-02. Rachel Russel was second in the 3,200 (12:10.17). Also, the 800-relay team of Deidra Murray. Dartrenetta Holman, Alexis Acoff and Victoria Pugh was second with 1:49.54 and Sarh Duffy was second in the 1,600 with a 5:41.27.
