Mustangs head to Top Times meet in 8 events!
On Saturday, March 24, the DGS girls track & field team will compete at the Illinois Top Times meet. This meet (held at Illinois Wesleyan University) serves as the unofficial indoor state meet in Illinois. The top 12-15 athletes in each event are invited to compete in the final indoor meet of the season. The Mustangs were fortunate to have 6 individuals and 2 relay teams invited to compete.
Maddie Manganiello (Sr) was invited to compete in the long jump. Maddie struggled somewhat at the beginning of this season to regain her all-state form, But she has shown great resilience, and her jump at conference of 17′ 7″ was a huge boost in the right direction. Maddie is seeded 11th out of 13 jumpers, and expects to move up the list with an improved season best.
The DGS distance crew has had many outstanding performances during the indoor portion of the season that have earned multiple invitations to this prestigious meet. Brenna Cohoon (So) has a season best time of 11:10.65 in the 3200m run and is seeded 8th among the talented field of 15. Brenna is fresh off an all-state season in cross country and could challenge for a top 5 finish on Saturday.
The Mustangs had two athletes invited to compete in the 800m run. Both Kelley Hackbarth (Sr) and Becky Versaskas (Jr) will race among a loaded field of 12 runners. Kelley has competed as part of a relay at Top Times before, but her 800m time of 2:19.81 earned her first opportunity in an individual event. Becky’s time of 2:20.73 earned her a chance to compete in the 800m for the 3rd year in a row.
We also have two athletes competing in the 1600m run. Erin Riedy (So) is seeded 5th with her indoor school record time of 5:05.76. Kennedy Warden (So) completes the talented 15-person field with her time of 5:13.17. Both Erin and Kennedy expect to improve on their times and seed places. The favorite in the event is Katelynne Hart (Glenbard West) who recently won the HS mile national championship in New York.
DGS will compete in two relays on Saturday. The 4x800m relay team consists of Becky Versaskas (Jr), Kelley Hackbarth (Sr), Rebecca Diddia (Fr), and Erin Reidy (So). The Mustangs winning time from the Mustang Relays meet of 9:25.32 is seeded 1st among 12 relay teams. This team is definitely capable of breaking the DGS indoor school record of 9:23.10 or even challenging the meet record of 9:18.8. The 4x400m relay team will look very similar to the 4×800 with Becky Versaskas (Jr), Kelley Hackbarth (Sr), Alisha Macas (Jr), and Erin Reidy (So) all taking part. Their season best time of 4:07.15 gives the Mustangs the #7 seed among the 12 relay teams competing.
Illinois Top Times Schedule of Events
Class 3A Girls & Boys Meet Program
All of these athletes and those not competing will begin the outdoor portion of the season at home on Wed, April 4th. DGS will host the Mustang Invitational on Saturday, April 7th.
