By Michael Newman, ILXCTF.com Editor

[email protected]

Here are highlights from the IHSA 1A Sectional Meets that took place from May 10 to May 12.

May 12 – Chester

Nashville scored 105 points to win the sectional team title ahead of host Chester (95.5 points). Six athletes advanced to Charleston in the Triple Jump led by the win from Lebanon’s Casey Berberich (34-9.5). She also jumped 16-6 to win the Long Jump.

Chester’s Morgan Atchison won the 100 Meter Hurdles (15.34) and the 300 Meter Hurdles (45.57).

May 11 – IC Catholic Prep @ Hanson Stadium, Chicago

Luther North could be a team to watch in the Class 1A team title hunt as they scored 121 points to win the sectional title ahead of IC Catholic Prep (102 points). Kayla Armstrong and Natasha Bernett both won two individual running events to help Luther North to that win.

Bernett swept the hurdle events running 15.71 to win the 100 Hurdles and 47.59 to win the 300 Hurdles. She also jumped 35-2.25 to win the Triple Jump. Kayla Armstrong won the 400 Meter Dash (59.77) and the 200 Meter Dash (25.98). Jada Williams won the 100 Meter Dash (12.44) ahead of Armstrong. Williams also finished third in the 400 Meter Dash and second in the 200 Meter Dash. The trio was also a part of the 400 Meter Relay that ran 51.07 for the win.

May 10 – Fairfield

Tarynn Mays won three individual events to help DuQuoin win the sectional title with 148 points. Christopher High School finished second (105 points). Mays won both the Long Jump (17-8) and the Triple Jump (35-7). Mays then went to the track to win the 100 Meter Dash (12.69). DuQuoin qualified 11 (8 individuals/3 relays) to Charleston next week.

May 11 – Bureau Valley

Bureau Valley won the sectional title with 66 points just barely ahead of Milledgeville (64 points), Amboy (62 points), Rock Island Alleman (58 points), and Fulton (57 points).

This sectional was full of great performances. The best might have belonged to the triple win in the sprints by Milledgeville’s Rebecca Waite. The junior started by running 12.51 to win the 100 Meter Dash. She followed that up by winning the 400 Meter Dash (59.21) and the 200 Meter Dash (25.97).

Numbers were the name of the game as 26 athletes qualified in the six field events contested. Chloe Lindeman of Fulton threw a personal best of 47-5 to win the Shot Put where 6 athletes qualified for the state meet. Six also qualified in the Discus as Riverdale’s Hope Jackson threw 130-8 for the event win. The big performance belonged to Rock Island Alleman sophomore Kiah O’Neal who cleared a 1A state best and second best in the state 5-9 to win the High Jump.

Haley Weidner of Bureau Valley also captured two wins as she won the 3200 Meter Run 11:34.47 by 27-seconds, and 5:28.71 to win the 1600 Meter Run.

May 11 – Newton

Anna Sophia Keller of St. Anthony kept her streak alive for never losing a sectional race as she captured two sectional titles at this meet. Keller ran the second fastest time in the state (10:26.76) in which she won by more than two minutes. Keller came back to run 5:00.19 to win the 1600 Meter Run by 49-seconds.

Teutopolis scored 126.43 points to win the team title ahead of Newton (88.43 points) and St. Anthony (77 points).

May 12 – Oregon

St. Edward’s Bella Uscila showed she maybe one of the hottest 1A sprinters in the state as she picked up a pair of wins ahead of 1A defending state champion Courtney Sockwell of Rockford Lutheran. The two sprint races were extremely close making next weekend’s races ones to anticipate. Uscila won the 100 Meter Dash (12.45) by just seven hundredths of a second ahead of Sockwell (12.52). It was even closer in the 200 Meter Dash as the margin was only one hundredth of a second between the two with Uscila again winning (25.68 – 25.69).

Stockton’s Emily Offenheiser was queen of the weight events in this sectional as she threw 42-4.5 to win the Shot Put and had a 137-10 effort to win the Discus. Oregon’s Abigail Hopkins also picked up two wins on her home track. The sophomore won the 100 Meter Hurdles (16.60) and the 300 Meter Hurdles (48.67) just four hundredths of a second ahead of Winnebago’s Sam Heavlin (48.71). 

Winnebago won the sectional title with 105 points. Oregon (82 points) and Dakota (50 points) finished second and third.

May 11 – Orion

Mercer County won the sectional team title 74 to 70 ahead of host Orion. Stark County and Knoxville scored 66 points to tie for third. Kenzie Baker helped Mercer County to the win as she won the 100 Meter Dash (12.76) by just two hundredths of a second ahead of Farmington’s Jordan Peckham, and the 200 Meter Dash (26.53).

There were some fast 1A relay times in his sectional.  Knoxville went under 10-minutes as they ran 9:51.12 to win the 3200 Meter Relay. Ryan Block, who ran in the relay, came back to win the 1600 Meter Run (5:28.26). Mercer County, with Baker anchoring, ran 50.75 to win the 400 Meter Relay. Rockridge won the 800 Meter Relay (1:48.72) by more than a second. Stark County won the 1600 Meter Relay (4:11.57) just 16 hundredths of a second ahead of Rockridge.

Orion’s Danielle Taets won both the 100 Meter Hurdles (15.14) and the 300 Meter Hurdles (47.81).

May 11 – Paxton-Buckley-Loda

Clifton Central scored 84 points to win the sectional title behind wins in the 3200 Meter Relay (10:22.58) and the 1600 Meter Relay (4:12.49). Emery Podowicz helped her team’s cause by running 45.84 to win the 300 Hurdles by almost five seconds.

Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley’s Delanie Dykes won the 800 Meter Run (2:30.88) and came right back to win the 400 Meter Dash (1:01.26). Katie Kidwell of Watseka won both the Long Jump (17-4.5) and the Triple Jump (34-3). Fisher’s Alayna Slater won the 100 Hurdles (15.24) and qualified for the state by finishing second in the Triple Jump and 300 Meter Hurdles.

May 10 – Rushville Industry

Pleasant Plains qualified seven individuals and all four relays for next week’s state meet in winning this sectional with 106 points. Liberty scored 91 points to finish second. There were two athletes that won two individual events. Chandler Hayden of Pittsfield was a double winner in the weight-events. The sophomore threw 40-9.5 to win the Shot Put as well as throwing 123-3 to win the Discus. Katelynn Robbins of Liberty was the other double winner. The sophomore ran 11:29.01 to win the 3200 Meter Run ahead of Pleasant Plains’ Caroline Jachino (11:42.19). Robbins other win came in the 1600 Meter Run (5:22.42) finishing eight seconds ahead of Jachino (5:30.35).

May 12 – Seneca

Seneca won their own sectional with 176 points. Chicago Christian finished second with 132 points. The Irish qualified ten individuals and all four of their relays to next weekend’s state meet. Cora Wilkinson won the 300 Meter Hurdles (48.67) as well as the Triple Jump (35-4.5). Seneca won three of the four relays running 52.48 in the 400 Meter Relay, 1:51.93 in the 800 Meter Relay, and 4:11.23 in the 1600 Meter Relay. Chicago Christian ran 9:57.72 to win the 3200 Meter Relay eight seconds ahead of Seneca.

Daly Galloway of Dwight was successful in her distance double running 11:14.65 to win the 3200 Meter Run and 5:13.77 to win the 1600 Meter Run. Audrey Harrod of Hinckley-Big Rock had a great double running 2:18.68 to win the 800 Meter Run as well as winning the 400 Meter Dash (1:00.56). Harrod also qualified in the 200 Meter Dash finishing second behind Chicago Christian’s Rylei Jackson (26.94) by a tenth of a second.

May 11 – Shelbyville

Two of the top 1A teams in the state faced off in this sectional with St. Teresa taking the sectional title 100 to 90 ahead of Warrensburg-Latham. St. Teresa qualified eight individuals and one relay to next week’s state meet at Eastern Illinois University. Warrensburg-Latham will travel to the big blue oval with seven individuals and two relays.

DaeLin Switzer led St. Teresa with three individual wins. She cleared 5-5 to win the High Jump then went on to win the 100 Meter Hurdles (15.66) and the 300 Hurdles (48.29).

Williamsburg-Latham could have the advantage next weekend. Six-time state champion Kathleen Young won both the Shot Put (48-1.5) and the Discus (152-0). Her teammate Taylor George won the 100 Meter Dash (12.61) and the 200 Meter Dash (25.47). George was also a part of Warrensburg Latham’s winning 400 Meter Relay (50.58) and the 800 Meter Relay (1:46.14).

Claudia Magnussen of Pana will be a runner to watch next weekend in Charleston. The senior won both the 3200 Meter Run (11:04.56) by 38 seconds and the 1600 Meter Run (5:13.53) by 24 seconds.

May 12 – St. Joseph-Ogden

St. Joseph-Ogden put themselves in good-position for next weekend’s state meet qualifying 14 (10 individuals/4 relays) in winning their own sectional with 164 points. St. Thomas More scored 87 points to finish second. The Lady Spartans won the 400 Meter Relay (49.90), the 800 Meter Relay (1:49.07), and the 1600 Meter Relay (4:14.77). They finished second in the 3200 Meter Relay (10:19.22) behind St. Thomas More’s 10:16.62 winning time.

Parker Francisco qualified in three individual events for St. Joseph-Ogden. She won the 100 Hurdles (15.36), finished second behind teammate Zea Maroon in the 300 Meter Hurdles, and finished second in the Triple Jump behind Argenta-Oreana’s Maddie Meyer.

There were three athletes that won multiple individual events in this meet. Lucy Lux-Rulon won the Long Jump (16-5) and the High Jump (5-3). Lux-Rulon’s teammate Marguerite Hendrickson won the 800 Meter Run (2:24.89) ahead of defending 1A state champion Arielle Summitt of Urbana University by a second (2:25.99). Hendricksen came right back to win the 400 Meter Dash (1:00.65). St. Joseph-Ogden’s Frankie Izard won the 100 Meter Dash (12.56) and the 200 Meter Dash (26.62).

May 11 – Staunton

Litchfield won the sectional title scoring 86 points and ahead of second-place New Berlin by 17-points. Auburn’s Ellie Canady won the Shot Put (37-3) and then the Discus (121-8). Kyra Huber of Hillsboro was the meet’s other double winner as she won the 100 Meter Dash (12.84) and the 200 Meter Dash (26.58).

The 800 Meter Run was close as Carlinville sophomore Rachel Olroyd ran 2:22.77 for the win with Maddy Eck of Springfield Lutheran (2:23.28) and Alexis Thorne of Litchfield (2:24.37) close behind. Jackie Eck of Springfield Lutheran won a close race in the 1600 Meter Run (5:27.57) with Thorne less than a half a second behind (5:27.85).

May 11 - Tremont

El Paso-Gridley edged host Tremont 82 to 75 for the sectional title. Freshman Anna Heffren of Lewistown ran 11:34.55 to win the 3200 Meter Run and ran 5:15.82 to win the 1600 Meter Run just ahead of Chelsea Pawlak’s 5:17.22 time. Pawlak earlier in the meet helped Deer Creek-Mackinaw to a win in the 3200 Meter Relay (10:00.11) and then won the 800 Meter Run (2:20.92).

Seven Hicks of Peoria Heights could be a surprise next week at state. The freshman ran 12.36 to win the 100 Meter Dash and 25.47 to win the 200 Meter Dash in this sectional.