Adewale suffers hamstring injury
Friday, May 7 2010 - -Adewale suffers hamstring injury
(Mary Beth Nolan/For Sun-Times Media)
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White TextST. CHARLES -- On a night when the weather took a turn with the shift of the wind, dropping the temperatures dramatically, so too did the fortunes of the Waubonsie Valley girls track team.
Winning took a backseat to concern for one of their own midway through the finals of Thursday's Upstate Eight Conference Meet.
Junior standout Ayo Adewale had already run a leg of the Warriors' winning 400 relay and taken first in the 100 hurdles when lined up for the lead leg of the 800 relay that her team was expected to win.
It didn't happen, as Adewale had to pull up midway through her 200 meters with an apparent hamstring injury.
It put a damper on things for the Warriors, who would finish second to meet champ St. Charles East (124.25 points). Waubonsie Valley had 89.25 and edged Bartlett for third by a point. Neuqua Valley was fifth with 73.25 and East Aurora, which got two firsts and a fourth from the three athletes it had entered, finished eighth with 25 points.
"It all depends on the point swing," Waubonsie coach Dave Gowing said of the injury's impact, since Adewale was also favored to win the 300 hurdles. "Either way, St. Charles East ran a great meet. That's a great team."
The Warriors' focus is now on next week's Plainfield Central sectional.
"It's a big week, we've gotta have her back," said Gowing. "We'll have her get in to see our trainer right away and see how she is. I'm hoping it's warm (next week). Then, going over the hurdles will be the next question."
Adewale was joined by Dasha Patton and Moriyike Akinosun and Morloke Akinosun on the 400 relay that was a mere .5 of a second off the pace they ran last year to take seventh at the state meet.
"We did have good handoffs today," said Morloke Akinosun, who also won the 100-meter dash (12.22) and 200 (25.14). I'm happy Ayo got her 100 hurdles win, but we need her next week."
Patton, who won the triple jump and took second to East's Jasmine Shipp in the long jump, said, "Ayo would have gotten first in the 300 hurdles without a doubt. She's a threat to win state."
East Aurora coach William Anderson was pleased with the results of his small squad. Shipp also took sixth in the triple jump after recording a personal best 17-1.75 in the long jump. The Tomcats also got a win from Virginia Handley in the pole vault (10-6) and a less-than-100 percent Priscilla Miranda took fourth in the 800.
"I finally started believing him," Shipp said of Anderson. "He's been telling me to stop looking down while running (her approach) in the long jump, that it was slowing me down."
Handley, a junior, is making great strides after just taking up the pole vault a year ago this month.
"She's a very talented athlete," said Anderson. "She's also a 400-meter runner and she's strong. With her, it's more mental.
"The goal is to get all three down state. They're all close." UEC Girls Track Meet