When the dust settled, the girls track team came out on top in the North Shore Conference Indoor Championships at Whitefish Bay High School on Thursday, March 26, . With high expectations coming into the meet, the girls expected nothing but success.

The girls’ success came from quality finishes throughout the meet. The distance runners competed at a very high level and had a lot of success. Zanelle Willemse, freshman, finished first in the 3200 meter run, while Katie Wegmann, sophomore, finished second in the 1600 meter run and Allie Levin, sophomore, finished third. “Placing well in this meet really shows how my hard work this winter is starting to pay off,” Levin said. The team of Willemse, Anna Kreynin, junior, Anna Keller, junior and Bella Stechschulte, senior, finished fourth in the 4×800 meter run.

The sprinters also provided high finishes to add to the team’s success. Grace Karegeannes, sophomore, won both the 200 meter dash and the 400 meter dash, and the team of Ellie Trau, junior, Alex Burns, junior, Allison Fochs, junior and Nia Feaster, senior, finished second in the 4×160 meter dash. The 4×400 meter dash team of Carolyn Rossman, junior, Ellie Hetrick, junior, Trau and Feaster finished third.

Competitors in the field events earned points as well, with Cali Weigert, junior, placing fifth in the shot-put. Additionally, Natalie Ceelen, freshman, placed third in the long jump and Feaster attained a gold medal by placing first.

With Whitefish Bay being the returning indoor champions, the girls knew they would have to compete at their best level. The team took the challenge and conquered it. “Being conference champions as a team made the meet even better,”Karegeannes said.

The team hopes to move forward into the outdoor season with this kind of success. “Wins like this really motivate all of the girls to keep working harder and getting better,” Trau said. If the team does improve, big things could be in the girls future.