ILXCTF.com 2022 IHSA Girls Track & Field Previews - 3A Field Events

By Michael Newman [email protected]

The window for opportunity is wide open in these six 3A field events. Graduation have hit these disciplines hard. There are still a number of talented athletes ready to take the next step up.

The Pole Vault brings back the top athletes from last year Lilliana Ifft and Mia Morello. The Long Jump is the same way with Alexandria Johnson and Mariam Azeez by far the top two athletes in that event. There is a drop off in performaances by more than a foot.

There will be mystery in these events the next few months. They will also be athletes deservedly so stepping into the field events spotlight.

Here is a look at the six field events in Class 3A.

Long Jump

Notes – The state finals were decided in the second of four rounds. Alexandria Johnson of Huntley jumped a personal best of 19-5 to take the lead in that round. Mariam Azeez of Lincoln-Way East followed by jumping 19-1.5 to settle into second. That order did not change in the final two rounds giving Johnson the state championship. Azeez just made it over 20-feet (20-0.5) at Huntley in defeating Johnson in the middle of May. The two will push each other to longer distances this spring.

Nia Hines of Vernon Hills finished seventh at state and is the only other returning all-state athlete in this event. Dakota Lyons of Libertyville and Gabby Hynes of Mother McAuley are almost a foot behind Azeez and Johnson and are the only other athletes back that passed 18 feet last spring. Janaysia Byrd of Belleville West, Ellie Kowalski of Downers Grove North, Sophia Barnard of Lincoln-Way East, and Daria Tersina of Prospect are some of the athletes that we see surpassing that 18-foot barrier.

Triple Jump

Notes – This event is a mystery to say the least. Elissa Perkins of Plainfield East finished ninth last June and is the only all-state athlete back to start the season. Paulina Tinajero of Dundee-Crown and Daria Tersina of Prospect are the only athletes back that had jumps past 38-feet last season. Keena Nord of Oswego East and Sofia Rosenzweig of Barrington finished in the top 12 and will aim for a state title.

Keeli Dunaway of Glenbard East, Mazie Gierat of Plainfield East, Trenyce Bonner of Rich Township, and Gloria Oteng-Bediako of Belvidere North are some of the athletes that we could see on top of the podium in Charleston this May.

High Jump

Notes – This could be one of the most intriguing field events on Championship Saturday. Rylee Lydon of Prairie Ridge finished second, Natalie Buratczuk of St. Charles North finished third, and Madeline Andelbradt of Naperville North finished fourth are the only returning all-state athletes back. Andelbradt has the highest returning clearance at 5-7.25. They are the only athletes back that have cleared 5-5.75 or higher.

Abigail Milott of Glenbrook South, Katie Kempff of St. Charles East, and Armanda Lisi of Wauconda are in the next group having gone 5-4 or higher. The event is wide open with Emma Grashoff of Pekin, Meghann Hartmann of Batavia, and Baelyn Zitzmann of Lake Zurich are some of the athletes that we could see challenging for a top five finish.

Pole Vault

Notes – This could be the deepest of the six 3A field event disciplines with four all-state athletes coming back. Lilliana Ifft of Bloomington and Mia Morello of Grayslake Central are the class of this event finishing first and second in the state meet. They are the only athletes returning that cleared past 12-feet. Morello has a best of 12-10. Ifft has a best of 12-9.5. Both athletes could go 13-0 or higher this season.

There is a drop off in height with the next athletes with only five athletes clearing 11-feet or better. Paulina Lucer of Lake Park and AJ Burk of Lake Zurich were all-state last year and lead that group. Maddie Dutz of Belvidere North, Linden Neposchlan of Springfield, and Jaiden Knoop of Lincoln-Way East should challenge for all-state finishes.

Shot Put

Notes – Ella O’Neall of Stevenson looks to be the class of this weight event. The senior is one of two all-state athletes coming back finishing third in Charleston. O’Neall had 10 marks over 40-feet last year with a 44-5 mark in a triangular meet in May her best. She does have the best returning mark by five. O’Neall has already started her season having a 41-6.5 best.

Maeve Kelly of New Trier finished eight at state and is the other of the two all-state athletes. Kelly has a best of 39-2.5 entering 2022. Olivia Whatley of Evanston is the only other athlete back that went past 39-feet last year.

The event is wide-open. Neveah Williams of Conant, Jamie Sierocki of Lincoln-Way East, Angelina Romano of Geneva, and Kayden Porter of Shepard are some of the group of athletes to watch for.

Discus

Notes – The story is almost the same as it is in the Shot Put. However, there is no clear favorite as we enter this season. Marla Hayes of Lincoln-Way Central, who finished fifth at state, and Kaitlyn Morningstar of Edwardsville, who finished seventh, are the only all-state athletes returning. Hayes, Ella O’Neall of Stevenson, and Claire Kavanaugh of Barrington all have throws better than 137-feet and are close to 16 feet ahead of the rest of the returning athletes. O’Neall’s best of 137-4 is inches ahead of that of Hayes and Kavanaugh.

Lillian Lucansky of Prospect, Theresa Flor of Grant, Jamie Sierocki of Lincoln-Way East, Tealyn Kamp of Dundee-Crown, and Sharron Kagan of Mundelein are some of the athletes to keep an eye on. This event is open. It could be someone that is not mentioned here that could claim the state title.