AT A GLANCE
Conference Upstate Eight
Coach Beth Emody
2008 results One relay, one individual state qualifier
Home track Millennium Field, 701 Schaumburg Road, Streamwood
Top returners
Sam Salinas sr.
Alyssa Schneider so.
Kristen Schneider sr.
Promising newcomers
Janessa Baker fr.
Taylor Crawford fr.
Becca Cronin sr.
Nicole Romack sr.
Krsytol Smith fr.
NEXT MEET
April 24 at Carlson Anderson Classic (@ Batavia), 4:30 p.m.
KEY MEETS
April 24 at Carlson Anderson Classic
May 1 at Conant
May 7 at Upstate Eight Conference meet (@ Neuqua Valley)
May 15 at Class 3A Streamwood sectional
OUTLOOK
The Hawks are young (mostly freshmen and sophomores on the team) but they have something they haven’t had before — depth.
Last season there was about 65 kids on the team. This spring head coach Beth Emody has more than 100 in her flock.
Leading the way are Sam Salinas, Alyssa Schneider and Kristen Schneider, who ran at state last year as part of the 4 x 800-meter relay, with Alyssa Schneider also in the 1,600.
That is the extent of returning state-meet experience but the Hawks have youthful enthusiasm and a willingness to learn.
“We have a lot of good young talent,” the coach said. “(But) we’re struggling a bit because we have to teach them so many things.”
“You see improvement a lot quicker because they listen,” Emody added. “They learn and don’t have a lot of bad habits to break.”
Senior Becca Cronin is new to track (she picked it over soccer). In the recent Downers Grove South invite she made it to the finals of the 100 and 200 dashes, taking sixth in the 100. She was third in the 300 hurdles (48.7) and second in the triple jump (34 feet, 8 inches).
“She’s had a huge impact for our team right away,” Emody said.
Freshmen Janessa Baker and Taylor Crawford should bolster depth in distance events while Krystol Smith has been improving in the 400.
“On the distance side of things we’re coming off a pretty decent cross country season,” Emody said. “Even though a lot (cross country girls) are freshmen, they seem to get it.”
Despite the youth, improving up to the sectional meet and then qualifying for state are the two main goals within the program.
“We’re so young, I don’t know if most of them understand how hard it is,” Emody said. “But we always talk about it because we want it to be the culture of our team.”
