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Girls Track: Maine South’s Ropski reels relays a pair of state berths
Maine South's Emma Ropski passed Loyola's anchor to secure 2nd place in the 4x400 meter relay at the Niles West Girls Track Sectional on Thursday, May 10, 2012 in Skokie. | Joel Lerner~Sun-Times Media
Updated: June 29, 2012 8:23AM
Emma Ropski took the baton for the final leg of the 4x400-meter relay last week at the Niles West Sectional trailing two other teams.
Knowing automatic qualifying for the state meet required at least a second-place finish, the Maine South junior motored around the track to pass one girl.
Ropski was too far behind to catch Evanston, but the Hawks will take runner-up in 4:03.75 because that earned them a trip to Charleston this weekend.
“That’s what we hoped for,” Maine South coach Jeff Downing said of Ropski’s anchor run. “If the other three keep it close, we feel like she can run like that for us.”
Anna Kinell, Olivia Cattau and Kristina Grandi set the stage for Ropski in the 4x400.
Ropski also helped the Hawks advance to the state meet in the 4x800 relay. Maine South took third, but the foursome’s time of 9:34.52 eclipsed the state cut.
Rospki was joined by Austen Beaugureau, Anna Kinell and Megan Lemersal.
Lemersal also earned a spot at O’Brien Stadium by running 5:10.2 in the 1,600. Emily Leonard advanced in the 3,200 (11:00.85), and Cattau qualified in the 300 low hurdles (46.81).
“We are heavy on distance, but that’s what we knew we could do,” Downing said. “That’s who we are right now.”
