JACKIE JOYNER-KERSEE RELAYS
  
From left:  Johanna Dibuz leads in the 3200m. relay, Lauren Orris wins the discus. and Laura Schweikert helps the 1600 Medley earn a place. Click link for article in E. St. Louis newspaper.
http://www.bnd.com/sports/story/717646.html

After taking a 300-mile drive, the Pirates displayed strong depth and good balance to win the 40-team Jackie Joyner-Kersee Relays in East St. Louis on April 4^th.  The meet featured 2008 State Champion E. St. Louis and several times State Champs Evanston and Morgan Park.  Top five scores:
PALATINE                             91.5

E. ST. LOUIS                          81.5

MAHOMET-SEYMOUR        50

WHITNEY YOUNG               45

BELLEVILLE WEST              41
Click for complete results and scores courtesy of Dyestat

Exactly half of Palatine’s points were scored in the field.  Lauren Orris and Lindsey Weinberg were leaders in the field as each earned a 1^st place.  Orris won the discus with a throw over 125’ and Weinberg won the pole vault at 9’.  Martha Shepard threw 42-10 in the shot put to place 2^nd behind last years’ State Champ.  Katie MacFabe placed 5^th in both the shot and discus.  Robin Anderson earned a 3^rd in the high jump and Meg Harahan placed 4^th in the pole vault.

Runners provided the other half of the scoring.  The 3200 m. relay of Becca Sund, Johanna Dibuz, Ruth Allen, and Tory Wright led the entire race in earning gold.  Sarah McIntosh was passed at the start of the last lap as she was nipped in the 3200.  She placed 2^nd in 11:21, as Elizabeth O’Brien, in her varsity debut, placed 5^th.  Earning the silver medal was the Distance Medley Relay of Tory Wright, Meg Harahan, Kristal Pitts, and Becca Sund.  The shuttle hurdle team of Meghan Flanagan, Robin Anderson, Morgan Quinnett, and Valere Guertin earned the bronze medal. Ruth Allen anchored the 1600 m. Medley of Laura Schweikert, Val Bach, and Morgan Quinnett to 4^th place.  Allen, also, anchored the 1600 m. Relay to 5^th.  The relay of Quinnett, Schweikert, Pitts, and Allen ran a fine 4:08.8.

The FRESHMEN team had only four members, but managed to placed 5^th as a team.  Emily Schulte made up 80 meters on the anchor as the 3200 m. relay won the gold.  She ran with Molly Higgins, Laura Kluk, and Marlena Ruthe.  Ruthe came back with her own great kick to win the 1600 meters in 5:33, as Schulte placed 3rd.  Laura Kluk, in her first attempt at triple jump, placed 2^nd at 31-2.  she, also, placed 4^th in the high jump.  The four freshmen finished the day by placing 6^th in the 1600 m. relay.

A highlight of the trip was meeting the world's greatest female athlete, Jackie Joyner-Kersee and seeing 2008 Olympic Gold Medalist Dawn Harper and her gold medal.  The team heard an excellent motivational talk from the two athletes.