Sacred Heart-Griffin soccer, volleyball, basketball stars merge for track title hopes
Bill Welt
They each come from different backgrounds.
Some play soccer while others pursue basketball or volleyball. But they all bring a competitive edge to the Sacred Heart-Griffin girls track and field team — and their camaraderie is second to none.
That is unequivocally put on display in the 4x400-meter relay, which soared to second place in the Class 2A state finals last season.
Although they graduated Sterling Scarlette, the Cyclones still champion the 4x400 as one of their crown jewels, led by senior Maggie Fleischli, and boasted first place at the indoor Illinois Top Times meet in 4 minutes, 7.96 seconds near the end of March.
Sophomore lead runner Antonette Bartletti and junior Macie Rolf also return while Antonette’s older sister, Maria, joins the fold in her first year of track.
“This group is just so amazing,” Antonette said. “I love to run with them. They’re so fun — practices, track meets, everything is so fun. And being the lead runner and getting the lead for the team is such an honor.”
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City champs
Fleischli could shoulder just about any role on the hardwood, whether that be controlling the ball, scoring or rebounding. She was named to the State Journal-Register's all-area girls basketball team for a third straight season with 9.5 points and 5.2 rebounds per game.
She also nabbed first place in the individual 400-meter dash at the Central State Eight Conference meet at Memorial Stadium last week. She raced 1:00.5 and nudged out favorite Rachel Ogunleye of Normal U-High — much to her own surprise.
Fleischli described the win as a confidence boost, not just for herself but also the rest of the team. The 4x4 relay placed second just behind East St. Louis in 3:58.51 at the Bethalto Civic Memorial Sectional this week, well ahead of the 4:13.85 state qualifying mark.
“I want to do big things at state with our 4x4 team,” said Fleischli, who will pivot toward academics at the University of Kentucky. “That just means everything to me right now and what I’m focusing on. That means a lot to me and everyone else.”
Last week, Fleischli and the Cyclones achieved the school’s first outright city track title for either boys or girls. They won a share of the city title with Springfield High last season.
They celebrated with some ice cream the following day.
“That was a big moment for us,” Rolf said. “It was so exciting because last year we tied with Springfield. We knew that we could actually win it as a team and get that first.”
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Busy spring
Rolf and junior teammate Sophia Paul also shine in the hurdles. Rolf won the 300-meter event, while Paul claimed the 100s at the city meet.
The latter transferred from Chatham Glenwood with her twin sister, Olivia, last year and took 10th place in the 100 hurdles at the 2A state meet in Charleston.
“She definitely pushes me as a competitor,” said Rolf, who furnished 221 kills and 220 digs as a top contributor on the volleyball team this past fall. “I feel like we also cheer each other on, though. It’s not like me versus her. It’s for SHG.”
Sophia and Olivia Paul also simultaneously participate on the girls soccer team over the spring, along with junior Ava Hancock. The Pauls specifically assist the back line, which posted shutout victories over Normal U-High and Williamsville on the same week as the city and CS8 meets.
Sophia recalled last year competing in the state track preliminaries before squaring off against Pleasant Plains in the girls soccer sectional finals later that day.
Both teams are forging a good run once again.
“It’s definitely hard every day,” Sophia said. “We go from track from 3 o’clock to 4 and then soccer from 4 to 6. I get home late every day and it’s definitely hard, but I manage it pretty well.”
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The Cyclones may brandish a small roster for track, but that just seems to be an even bigger bonus.
“It’s not a very big group,” Fleischli said at the CS8 meet. “I don’t know how many are here today — 10, 12 or something like that — but we’re all so close. You see us. We all cheer for each other every single race.
“We’re not a very big team, so it means a lot to have your teammates who are so close with you cheering you on when you need it.”
Everybody’s putting in the work and effort, Rolf said.
“I think it’s very helpful because we all know we’re super competitive, so the whole team wants to win and we’re all pushing each other in practice because of it,” Rolf said.