With the first meet just around the corner, LFHS girls’ Track & Field began practicing on Monday, February 9th. Despite the frigid weather, the scouts are starting strong: lifting, sprint drills, hurdles, and more.
The first meet will be at Lakes Community High School on February 20th, an invite quad, to kick off the season. As well on February 21st, the Antioch invite at Lakes Community High School. Many high schools are invited: McHenry, Crystal Lake South, Grayslake (Central), Harvard HP/DHS, Huntley, Lake Forest, Lake Zurich, Lakes Community, Libertyville, Maine East, Zion, Mundelein, Niles North, Prairie Ridge, Richmond Burton, Schaumburg, St. Viator, Vernon Hills, Warren Township, Woodstock, Antioch Community.
“I think the team will be super successful this year. Although we lost many of the main athletes from last year, we have a lot of new people and coaches who bring a lot of potential for the team,” said track athlete Hannah Dressel.
Along with the loss of many former seniors, there has been an addition of coaches, including Mr. Mann, a former sprint coach and now jump coach.
“I am excited. I have a lot to learn, but I love to learn, and Coach Clegg and Coach Naughton are two of the best resources available to a young coach. It will be a lot of fun to work with a new group of athletes, too,” said Mann.
In addition, school counselor Mrs. Tengler is joining the team as a sprinter/short-distance coach. Her ideas for this season show her true expectations and show that she is ready to push the team.
“Heading into this season, my expectation is to see ‘personal bests’ across the board, not just on the stopwatch, but in character. I’m looking for relentless effort, a commitment to getting 1% better every day, and an enjoyment of the process,” said Tengler. If we focus on pushing our individual limits and celebrating each other’s growth, the results will take care of themselves on and off the track.”
“It’s a long season, and the goal is steady improvement. I also learned that each athlete handles the pressure of competing differently, and it’s important for me as a coach to understand,” said Coach Mann. “We had a lot of fantastic seniors last year, so we will definitely need people to step up. That said, we’ve only been practicing for a week, and don’t have our full roster of athletes yet, with a number of people finishing the winter season. So it is a little early to say at this point who those people will be.”
According to the 2026 IHSA state qualifying standards, the state qualifying times are set to be 12.58 100m 26.34 200m, 1.00.75 400m, 2.19.53 800m, 5:11.78 1600m, 11:49.92 3200m, 16.46 100HH, 49.72 300 LH, 50.35 4x100m relay, 1:48.14 4x200m relay, 4:13.85 4x400m relay, 10:14.34 4x800m relay, 1.57m high jump, 3.25m pole vault, 5.46m long jump, 11.17m triple jump, 12.54m shot put and 35.20m discus.
“Our primary goal this season is for every athlete to consistently out-compete their ‘yesterday-self’. While medals are a great bonus, the real victory is found in the athlete’s PRs, striving to be 1% better every single day.” Coach Tengler says, “I’m bringing a philosophy of mine to track that I’ve always used when coaching dance: after a performance or run-through, I’d ask my athletes to give me just 1% more the next time.”
Portia LeGrand is just one of the influential people on the team. Being the only state qualifier last season as a freshman, she has set a high standard for the next few years. Her current PR’s from the 2025 season are 58.82 for the 400m and 27.42 for the 200m. With her qualifying PR times, Portial LeGrand is predicted to head to state for the second year in a row as just a sophomore.
“I think a lot of the events this year have a chance at making it to state since everyone has been working really hard in the off-season,” says former state qualifier Portia LeGrand. “Personally, during the offseason, I do lifting, runs on my own, and for the high school, I do cross country and basketball.
“Our conference is stacked with a lot of talented teams, and Lake Zurich is definitely one to beat. We look at our tough opponents as opportunities to push ourselves rather than obstacles,” said Tengler.“Facing that level of competition forces us to find the extra 1% effort and grit that we strive for every day. We’re excited for the challenge because this type of competition is what turns a standard practice into a personal best.”
