Sophomore Zoe Solberg placed second in the 100-meter dash with a personal-best time of 13.59 seconds to lead the Trinity High School track and field team to a sixth-place finish at the Riverside-Brookfield Relays April 8 with 29 points.
Apart from Solberg, the Blazers’ best individual showings came from freshman Molly McGreal, third in the 1,600 meters (personal-best 5:39.47) and senior Ella Miller, who was third in the 3,200 (12:55.64).
Trinity also fared well with several relays. The Blazers were runner-up in the sprint medley as Solberg, sophomore Julia Valaika, senior Myla Roy and senior Amanda McGreal combined for a time of 2:02.26.
The 1,600 relay of Amanda McGreal, Roy, Valaika, and senior Jasmine Arzuaga took third in 4:32.42, while the 3,200 relay of the Molly and Amanda McGreal, Roy and Arzuaga took fourth in 10:44.49.
“Overall, we were pleased with our performances,” said Trinity coach Johann Gonzalez. “We had a couple of hiccups, but having come off spring break and being in the middle of Easter break, all things considered we should be excited about what to expect the next couple of weeks.”
Gonzalez said the versatility developed among some of his athletes during the indoor season could prove valuable this spring.
“The team has experienced great success these last couple of years, and the expectations are high again,” he said. “The thing that stood out the most was having athletes step out of their comfort zone and compete in events they’ve never done before.”
Trinity qualified the 1,600 and 3,200 relays for last year’s IHSA Class 2A state meet. Arzuaga, Amanda McGreal, senior Laura Murphy, Roy, and Valaika, who were on those relays, are all back.
Arzuaga, a University of St. Thomas commit, made the Girls Catholic Athletic Conference all-conference cross-country team last fall.
“Myla flies under the radar but has been a big reason we’ve been successful in track,” Gonzalez said. “Jasmine is looking to bounce back from indoor conference but is ready to take the next step.”
Molly McGreal is coming off a strong cross-country debut in which she qualified for the Class 2A state meet. She kept that momentum going in the indoor track season, when she broke the school’s freshman records in the 1,600 and 3,200 and helped break the varsity 1,600 relay indoor record.
“Molly and Amanda are having their last season together and both are off to a great start,” Gonzalez said.
The strong performances by Solberg and Valaika at Riverside-Brookfield don’t come as a surprise to Gonzalez, who has high hopes for the sophomore duo.
“They’re our top sprinters and both will be in three relays looking to break the school records in those respective events,” he said.
