No pain, no gain was taken to a whole new level for Annette Eichenberger.

Or would it be no gain, no pain?

The West Chicago sophomore chopped 30 seconds off her previous best time in winning the 800-meter run at Friday’s DuPage Valley Conference meet at Wheaton North, then needed to be escorted to a golf cart near the finish line.

“My legs just gave out,” Eichenberger said after edging Wheaton North freshman Alexa Reinecke at the line for the DVC title. “They started spasming. My hips and legs hurt.”

In clocking a personal-best 2:18.37 (Reinecke ran in 2:18.43), Eichenberger has already run under the state qualifying time. Just don’t ask her how she won the thing.

“The last 100 were a blur,” Eichenberger said. “All I know is I was going to stick with (Reinecke) and go all out.”

Eichenberger, was joined on the winner’s stand by Karlie Becker, who won the 400, also set a school record with her 800 time, which came on the heels of a tumultuous 10 days.

“I got hurt at a meet (Tuesday, April 22) and I was out for a while,” she said. “(Wednesday and Thursday) were my first two days back. I wasn’t sure how this race was going to go.”

Things went well for Eichenberger and they certainly worked out well for Becker in her first DVC meet.

The freshman accounted for nearly half of West Chicago’s 34 points.

First came her title in the 400, where she edged West Aurora’s Markesha Davis at the line and clocked a time of 59.73 seconds, followed by a fourth-place time of 26.59 seconds in the 200.

“I have high expectations, but my goal was to PR,” Becker said of her 400 race. “I just broke 60 seconds and got first.

“It was a little intimidating being a freshman out there with seven other girls, but it’s a great feeling being a freshman on varsity and being first in conference.”

The Wildcats picked up more points in field events as Rachel Jefferson took second in the triple jump (34 feet, 9 inches) and Kristen Johnson placed fifth in the shot put (36-4 1/2).

DVC team scores
1. Naperville North                        115
2. West Aurora                                 98
3. Wheaton Warrenville South    90.5
6. Wheaton North                            58
7. West Chicago                              34