Amazing Finish for Geneva Girls Relay Teams in Kane Invite

Liza Tauscher does not run the 3,200-meter relay very often. But the Geneva senior was thrust into the third slot at the Kane County Girls Track and Field Invitational on Friday night in Streamwood.

Returning all-state 800 runner Taylor Wickware was in sixth place when Tauscher received the baton for the second leg.

"So I'm watching (Wickware) and I'm thinking to myself, 'OK, now I'm in fourth place, now I'm in third place, now I'm in second, Oh, my goodness, we're in first place," the Kansas-bound Tauscher said. "This is my last 800 for me in high school. I was thinking, 'I really hope I can keep this lead.' "

Tauscher lost the lead only to regain it down the stretch, enabling anchor leg Rachel Hammond to secure the first of the 12 running events in the 15-team field.

Geneva, behind Miami of Ohio-bound Wickware, the individual champion at 400 meters who also anchored the Vikings' 1,600 relay to runner-up status, was second with 72 points.

"I was pleasantly surprised by our performance," Hammond said.

The Vikings bettered league rivals St. Charles East (third), St. Charles North (eighth) and Batavia (ninth); the schools will convene at the same location on Thursday for the inaugural Upstate Eight Conference River Division championship.

For Wickware, sixth in state at 800 meters last spring in Class 3A, the rationale behind running the second leg was not that puzzling.

"(The coaches and I) wanted to put together a strategic race," Wickware said. Megan Brady ran the opening leg for the Vikings' all-senior championship quartet.

Tauscher is typically the Vikings' mainstay in the 3,200-meter run, but Tess Ehrhardt revised the role with unpredictable results.

Trailing West Aurora senior Elisha Meyle for virtually the entire eight laps, Ehrhardt catapulted past Meyle over the closing 100 meters to win in 11 minutes, 20.73 seconds.

"I was really scared going (into the race)," Ehrhardt said. "This is the first time I've ever run a two-mile before outdoors. I had no idea how to run it."

Wickware and Ehrhardt had the lone gold medals for Geneva, but the squad was able to place in several events to duplicate its team result from a year ago.

Katie Costello and Aimee Dappas both placed in the 100 dash, with the latter also securing sixth in the 100-meter hurdles. Kathryn Adelman was fifth at 800 meters, and the three sprint relays all placed.

In the field, newcomer Ashley Santos was third in the triple jump, a mere three-quarters of an inch behind eventual champion Brooke Patterson (Kaneland). Emma Anderson (high jump), Kailie Briza (long jump) and Megan Malone (shot put) scored points in the field as well.

Senior Erin Kluck lost to St. Charles North senior Meridith Beird for pole vault supremacy.

"I guess I can't complain too much," Kluck said. "I was hoping to do better as always."

West Aurora defended its team title with 64 points. 

"They're an amazing team," Wickware said of the Blackhawks.