Downers Grove South Girls Track & Field Wins 8th Straight Conference Championship

The girls track & field team took home a West Suburban Gold conference championship Friday. 

It was the eighth straight conference championship for the team. 

DGS was the clear winner with 169 points, crushing second-place Hinsdale South with 105 points. Willowbrook took third with 101 points. The West Suburban Gold conference consists of seven teams. 

Senior Rebecca Stearns led the Mustang effort with three individual conference titles in 100-meter hurdles, 300-meter hurdles and the 800-meter run. She also ran a leg on the winning 4x400-meter relay team. 

The Mustangs came home first in both the 4x400-meter relay (Mueller, Clinnin, Raven Wilson, Stearns) and the 4X800-meter relay (Blake Mueller, Katrina Friedrich, Amy Rotunno, Kelly Clinnin).  

DGS showed some distance dominance as the team swept the top spots in every distance race.  Junior Katie Strelau took top honors in the 3200-meter run with Senior Cara Wicklein finishing second. Freshman Amanda Thate won the 1600-meter run with her sister Senior Jacquelyn Thate taking second. Stearn's victory in the 800-meter run was followed closely by Senior Maddie Cahill’s third place finish. 

Junior Sprinter Samantha Baeten had a stellar night, finishing second in both the 100-meter and 200-meter dashes to Willowbrook’s all-state sprinter Cheriese Porter. Baeten’s 100-meter dash time of 12.60 was a new school record. Baeten added a third place finish in the 400-meter dash.  

In the field, Junior Kayla Ewing led the way with third place finishes in both the long jump and the high jump while Senior Vera Lestina took 1st place in the pole vault.

The Frosh/Soph team came up just short in a close battle with Morton for the lower level title. Morton won the meet with 169 points while DGS scored 157.  F/S conference champions were Freshman Abby Kargol in the 3200-meter run, Sophomore Meaghan Bosman in both the 800-meter and 1600-meter runs, Sophomore Grace Prete in the triple jump, Sophomore Kim Donner in the pole vault and the 4x800-meter relay team of Sophomore Hannah Anderson, Freshman Anna Soriano, Sophomore Erin Gentile and Freshman Mary Beine.

The Mustangs compete next on Thursday at the IHSA Sectional meet at .

Editor's note: Results were provided by DGS Girls Track & Field Coach Doug Plunkett.