THE JOURNAL & TOPICS NEWSPAPERS | FRIDAY, MAY 9, 2008

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Prospect, South Seek Out Big Sectionals

By DWIGHT ESAU

Journal Sports

Maine South contended for a girls track conference championship this spring, and Prospect won its conference.

Now, the Lady Hawks and Knights will take their talent to the next level - IHSA sectionals this weekend.

Journal-area teams are at three sectionals at Palatine, York, and St. Charles North today. Preliminary events start at 4 or 4:30 p.m. at all sites.

Maine South lost to Evanston in the Central Suburban-South last week, but the Hawks boast a lot of depth and hope to advance several runners to the state finals in downstate Charleston on May 16-17. The Hawks, which are exceptionally strong in the field events, are at York in Elmhurst tonight, along with more than a dozen Chicago schools and area rivals Maine West, Elk Grove, Leyden, and Maine East.

Field event prelims begin at 4:30 and 5 p.m., and running prelims start at 6 p.m.

Prospect takes its Mid Suburban-East title to Palatine, where they will join Hersey, St. Viator, Glenbrook South, Rolling Meadows, Niles West, and Wheeling, plus about a dozen other area teams. Prelims begin at Palatine at 4:30 p.m.

Conant is the lone area entrant at St. Charles North, where Mid Suburban League champion Barrington is a strong favorite to qualify many athletes to state.

To make it to state, athletes must finish first or second in an event at a sectional, or equal or surpass pre-set qualifying standards for time and distance.

Conant's sprint relay teams are expected to do well at St. Charles North, and Wheeling's Amber Stack is a favorite in the distance races at Palatine.