• Reprints

Metea Valley's Joe Stewart leads from gun to finish Saturday at the West Chicago regional. His brother Matt finished second, although the Mustangs did not advance as a team. | Mary Beth Nolan~For Sun-Times Media

ARTICLE EXTRAS

View Gallery

Updated: October 23, 2011 2:37AM

Metea Valley twins Joe and Matt Stewart have run stride-for-stride for most of their running careers, and Saturday they made sure that would continue for at least one more week.

Competing at the West Chicago Class 3A regional at Reed-Keppler Park, the Stewarts took the top two spots in the boys’ race and while the Mustangs didn’t advance as a team to next week’s Wheaton North Sectional, the pair grabbed the first two individual qualifying spots.

Joe Stewart took the lead early and ran the race pretty much alone, covering the 3-mile course in 15:16, while Matt Stewart was second in 15:39 and West Aurora junior Omar Gomez took third in 15:33.

“We have been preparing for this race all year and it was a long effort that is finally finished,” Joe Stewart said. “I gradually picked it up after the first half-mile, I really wanted it (Saturday).”

This will mark the third straight year the twins have advanced to the sectional, but they hope to continue their pairing at the state meet in Peoria with their sights set on possibly earning all-state honors.

“We’ve tried to stay together most of the season so it was nice to finish one-two,” said Matt Stewart. “When you are in the (starting) box at sectionals it is good to know someone and I’m glad I have at least one more race with my brother.”

Metea Valley scored 168 points to finish eighth, just 14 points behind Naperville Central for the final advancing team spot, and East Aurora was 10th with 266 points and did not advance.

Four local teams did, however, with West Aurora scoring 72 points to place third, Batavia (107 points) finished fourth and Waubonsie Valley (140) sixth.

In the girls’ race, Amanda Fox of Naperville Central won in 17:07 for a dominating 58-second win over runner-up Maria McDaniel of Naperville North. Lauren Lindholm was the top finisher for Metea Valley, placing third in 18:06.

Naperville North scored 46 points to squeak past Wheaton Warrenville South (48 points) to win the team title. Metea Valley (125) finished fifth, while Batavia (149) and West Aurora (157) placed sixth and seventh to advance as teams.

Waubonsie Valley was eighth with 197 points, and had four runners advance individually. Ashley Bruner placed 19th in 18:48 for the top individual spot, while Kristina Chapman (28th place), Lauren Newmeyer (37th) and Elizabeth Sapoznik (51st) will also represent the Warriors next weekend.