By Michael Newman

[email protected]

3A GIRLS

It is hard not to select Katelynne Hart of Glenbard West in this category for the third year in a row. The junior once again went undefeated against Illinois competition during the season including increasing her state championship total to 10 this past May. Hart became the first Girls’ athlete in the large school classification (Class 2A or 3A) to win the 3200 Meter Run, 1600 Meter Run, and 800 Meter Run in a single state meet. She was in a class by herself again this spring maybe more so than any other season before. We will discuss more of Hart’s accomplishments in future articles.

Acknowledgements need to go out to three other Class 3A distance athletes.

Katrina Schlenker of Batavia did not finish the season the way she wanted to when she failed to qualify for the finals of the 1600 Meter Run at the IHSA State Meet. She did run the second fastest in the state when she ran 4:51.36 to win the 1600 Meter Run ahead of a loaded field in April at Distance Night in Palatine. We can’t wait to see what Schlenker will accomplish over the next three years.

If it was not Hart on top of the distance categories this spring, it would have been Alex Morris of Naperville North. Morris, who will attend the University of North Carolina this fall, ran the second fastest time in the state (10:25.95) for 3200-meters and had one of the top 10 times in the state for 1600-meters. What will be missed in the state and on the Naperville North campus was her quiet leadership, her competitive nature on the track, and her sportsmanship afterwards.

Another athlete to keep an eye on next spring will be Erin Reidy of Downers Grove South. Reidy, a junior, earned all-state honors in the 3200 Meter Relay and finishing third in the 800 Meter Run at the state meet Reidy also ran the fastest time in the state when she ran 2:10.53 to win the 800 Meter Run at the Midwest Distance Classic.

Congratulations to Katelynne Hart of Glenbard West High School as the 2019 ILXCTF.com 3A Girls Distance Event Athlete of the Year.

2A GIRLS

There were three different individual winners at this past IHSA 2A Girls State Championships in the distance events.

Payne Turney of Clinton controlled the 800 Meter Run both indoors and outdoors. She won both that event and the 1600 Meter Run at the Illinois Top Times Championships in March. Outdoors, she won the state championship for the two-lap race ahead of the rest of the pack by four seconds.

Maybe the comeback story of the year in this classification came from Tolono Unity’s Jordan Harmon. It was a memorable state meet for Harmon as she came from behind to win the state title for 3200-meters and then earned all-state honors by finishing ninth in the 1600 Meter Run. The emotion showed in her after winning the 3200 Meter Run. An injury kept her out of the 2018 State Meet. At that time, she did not think she would make another tour of the “Big Blue Oval.” Yet she did and look what she accomplished.

Lianna Surtz of Rosary High School stepped into the spotlight last fall when she finished second in the IHSA 2A State Cross Country Meet and then qualified for the Nike Cross Nationals. The freshman missed most of her track season due to injury. When she stepped back on the track, Surtz was tough to beat. She controlled the 1600 Meter Run in Charleston leading from the gun and winning by two seconds. That margin of victory was not indicative of that race. Surtz also ran 4:57.09 to finish third in the 1 Mile Run at Magis Miles.

Turney’s only “blemish” on her record this past season at 800-meters was when she ran 2:16.33 to finish sixth at Distance Night in Palatine. Against 2A competition, she was nearly untouchable in that distance. That gave her the edge ahead of Surtz, Harmon, and Lydia Roller of Staunton in this category.

Congratulations to Payne Turney of Clinton High School as the 2019 ILXCTF.com 2A Girls Distance Event Athlete of the Year.

1A GIRLS

You could not go wrong with choosing a Latin School athlete in this category. But which runner: Ava Parekh or Marianne Mihas?

The two teammates dominated at the state meet winning all three individual distance events at the 1A Girls State Track and Field Championships. Mihas and Parekh helped Latin School finish second in the 1A team competition in Charleston.

Parekh had a banner freshman season. She easily won the 3200 Meter Run at state. Parekh ran the third fastest time during the season (10:27.35) in her sectional qualifying meet. She also finished third for 1600-meters at Distance Night in Palatine behind two other great freshmen Katrina Schlenker of Batavia and indoor 800-meters National Champion Roisin Willis of Stevens Point WI High School. Parekh also won the 2-Mile Run and 1-Mile Run at the New Balance Outdoor Nationals in the freshman division.

Mihas exorcised some “demons” in winning the 1A 800 Meter Run at state. In the state prelims in 2018, Mihas failed to make the finals in the event tripping on the rail with 200-meters left in the prelims. Mihas came back to win her second straight state title in the 1600 Meter Run finishing ahead of Parekh. Almost two weeks later at Magis Miles, Parekh made up for that in winning the 1 Mile Run by almost two seconds ahead of Mihas.

Acknowledgements also go out to Gabby Alongi of DuQuoin High School who helped her school win the 1A state team championship. Alongi finished second in the 800 Meter Run and 400 Meter Dash. She was also on the school’s second-place team in the 3200 Meter Relay and anchored DuQuoin to the win in the 1600 Meter Relay. Hart’s triple overshadowed what Alongi did on that day. It will fun to see what she will accomplish in the next school year.

It’s close to a push in this category. Mihas won two state titles compared to the one that Parekh won. The freshman’s accomplishments in the post season at Magis Miles and New Balance Outdoor Nationals give her the narrowest of advantages. Wins ahead of Mihas at Magis Miles and Distance Night in Palatine give Parekh the nod in this category.

Congratulations to Ava Parekh of The Latin School in Chicago as the 2019 ILXCTF.com 1A Girls Distance Event Athlete of the Year.