By Michael Newman

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Here are the ILXCTF Illinois Girls Athletes of the Year in the three classifications in the Sprint and Hurdles Events. Congratulations to all the athletes that were recognized for these honors.

3A Girls

Whitney Young’s Amira Young embraced the underdog role when she arrived in Charleston to compete at the IHSA State Championships during her prep career. What history will recognize is that Young left Charleston with three 3A State Titles in the 100 Meter Dash. Only Alexandra Anderson and Shakedia Jones, who won four state titles in that distance, are ahead of Young but not by that much. Young, who will attend the University of Minnesota this fall, had a strong senior campaign winning titles at state in the 100 and 200 Meter Dash as well as anchoring Whitney Young to the 3A state title in the 1600 Meter Relay.

Dajour Miles of West Aurora was considered having won her second 3A state title in the 400 Meter Dash. Ameia Wilson of Danville looked strong in her junior year finishing second in the 100 Meter Dash and third in the 200 Meter Dash at the 3A state meet. Wilson ended her season with the state’s fastest time in the state (11.59) coming at the Texas Relays. Halle Bieber of Naperville North won her second straight 3A state championship in the 300 Meter Hurdles as well as finishing second in the 100 Hurdles behind state champion Kaylah McCall of Homewood-Flossmoor.

Congratulations to Amira Young, a senior at Whitney Young Academy in Chicago, as the ILXCTF Illinois 3A Girls Sprints/Hurdles Athlete of the Year.

2A Girls

It came down to two athletes that were considered in this category in this classification. Tina Martin of Decatur Eisenhower dominated the sprints at the IHSA State Meet winning both the 100 and the 200 Meter Dash. Imani Carothers of Brooks College Prep stepped into the record books by winning her fourth straight state title in the 100 Meter Hurdles. She is the first athlete in Illinois Girls Prep history to achieve that.

Martin’s numbers were strong, but she did not start to compete until her conference meet. Carothers’ performances were invincible. She did not get the state record that she wanted in the State Finals, but the future University of Georgia student-athlete was winning her races by close to a second in most of her races.

Congratulations to Imani Carothers, a senior at Brooks College Prep in Chicago, as the 2018 ILXCTF Illinois 2A Girls Sprints/Hurdles Athlete of the Year.

1A Girls

There was not one athlete that stood out in this classification during the regular season. When leaving Charleston after the 1A Girls State Championships, it was Seven Hicks that was one everyone’s minds.

The sophomore from Peoria Heights High School was in command in the sprints. She edged Farmington’s Jordan Peckham by seven hundredths of a second to win in the 100 Meter Dash. Hicks came back to win the 200 Meter Dash ahead of St. Teresa’s DaeLin Switzer by two tenths of a second.

Switzer was considered in this category with her third-place finish in the 100 Hurdles, win in the 300 Hurdles, and her performance in the 200 Meter Dash. It was Hicks with her two individual wins in the sprints that caught our eye.

Congratulations to Seven Hicks, a sophomore from Peoria Heights High School in Peoria Heights, as the 2018 ILXCTF Illinois 1A Girls Sprints/Hurdles Athlete of the Year.

Photo: Amira Young (center) on her way to a third straight 3A state title in the 100 Meter Dash (Laura Duffy Photo)