IHSA Girls State Track & Field Championships - Class 2A Storylines to Watch

 

Photo: Elia Ton-That, Ava Parekh, and Mary Grace Hegberg in last year’s 2A final in the 1600 Meter Run (Kevin Dorsey Photo)

 

By Michael Newman [email protected]

 

 

The Class 2A State Meet, which begins with their prelims on Friday morning, is the land of opportunity with four returning state champions in which three athletes are back to defend their title.

 

Latin School is the defending state 2A champion. Kankakee, Normal University, and Geneseo appear to be the teams to watch in Class 2A. You can read the preview of the top 2A teams in this article.

 

Returning State Champions

 

There are only four returning state champions from the 2021 2A State Meet which means we could have at least 15 new state champions. The numbers don’t match. That will be explained below.

 

Elia Ton-That – Northside

 

One of the biggest surprises in last year’s state meet was the 1600 Meter Run. Elia Ton-That focused on just the 1600 Meter Run in that meet. It paid off running 4:58.11 for the state title edging Ava Parekh for the win. She will be taking a different journey this weekend. Ton-That ran 10:23.54 indoors at the New Balance Indoor Nationals pointing her in that direction for state. She has the fastest sectional time in that field and will be one of the favorites in what should be a loaded race. Ton-That will also be back to defend her crown in the 1600 Meter Run in again what should be a great field. She was part of Northside’s quartet ran the fastest 2A time so far this year. She is on the relay card. Will she be part of Northside’s relay if they make the finals?

 

Ava Parekh – Latin School

 

There will be no defense of the 3200 Meter Run crown for this three-time state champion due to nagging injuries that slowed her outdoor season down. Parekh did run 10:29.75 to capture that 2021 crown. Like Ton-That, she will have a different journey in 2022 where she will run in both the 800 Meter Run and 1600 Meter Run. She finished fourth last year at 800 and second in the 1600 Meter Run. Parekh will contend for both titles in her final time in the state meet.

 

Brianna Dixon – Rantoul

 

Dixon’s sophomore season surprised some especially after she ran 14.78 to win the 2021 2A title in the 100 Meter Hurdles. She could be going for all-state honors this weekend in three individual events. This junior is the favorite to defend her 100 Meter Hurdles title. She has the fourth fastest sectional time in the 300 Meter Hurdles and will be one of four athletes to contend for a state title. She also qualified in the High Jump. Maybe she will surprise in that event this weekend also!

 

Annie Wirth – Geneseo

 

College coaches should take note that Annie Wirth could be a great multi-event athlete when she steps to the next level. She was all-state in four events last year helping Geneseo finish second in the state meet. She was part of quartets that won the 4x200m Relay and 4x400m Relay. She won the High Jump and finished second in the Long Jump. She scored or was a part of 38 out of the team’s 60 points last year. What will Wirth have in store this weekend? She will defend her state title in the High Jump having a 5-9.25 clearing personal best to lead the state. She will contend for the win in both the Long Jump and the 300 Meter Hurdles. Wirth will also be a part of the team’s 4x200m Relay that could place high in that event.

 

Welcome Home

 

There was a glimpse of hope last fall when Tatum David of Richland County was sighted at Detweiller Park to watch the IHSA State Cross Country Championships. David moved to Florida during the COVID-19 period but made her return to Illinois to attend and compete for her old home school for the final three semesters of her high school career.

 

The junior did not compete in the high level events during this track season. An injury caused her to miss all of last fall while competing for IMG Academy. Playing it low keyed this spring has helped her acclimate to the track and back to Illinois running. David, with Parekh not competing at state in the 3200, has the top time at that distance with a 10:25.51 time run at Herrin at the end of April. She won that race by four minutes. A week earlier on her home track. David ran a personal best of 4:49.65 where she won that race by more than a minute.

 

Panic set in last week at the Tolono Unity Sectional when David ran an untypical 11:35.49 to win that sectional race. The possibility as there that she may end up in the first of two sections of that event this weekend. David has the tenth sectional time in the event meaning she will be in the faster of two sections. She also qualified in the 1600 Meter Run where she has the second fastest 2A time.

 

It will be fun to watch a confident David toe the line in Charleston for the first time this weekend where she could come away with a distance double.

 

Loaded 2A Distance Events

 

We mentioned about Tatum David’s presence in the two 2A distance events above. It is just the cherry on top of what could be great races in the 3200 Meter Run and the 1600 Meter Run.

 

David enters the 3200 Meter Run with the second fastest 3200 outdoors in Class 2A behind what Ava Parekh did at Arcadia in April (10:25.17). Elia Ton-That tuned up for state running 10:25.62 to win at the Carmel Sectional more than 20 seconds ahead of Mary Grace Hegberg of St. Viator. Hegberg has a best of 10:38.97 easily winning her conference meet two weeks ago.

 

Delaney Fitzgerald of Normal University qualified in this event and has a best of 10:31.72 run in her conference meet. The heat slowed her down in her sectional meet last week. Optimal conditions on Saturday could mean another personal best for the senior and possibly a state title. Lianna Surtz of Rosary is a multiple all-state athlete including two state championships at Detweiller Park. Surtz has transitioned to the 3200 this spring and ran 10:40.10 two weeks ag at Kane County. Louisa Diamond of Benet Academy has dropped down her personal best to 10:49.74 and could be in contention for a top finish. This is the fastest 2A field in this event that we have ever seen with the top seven runners with times of 10:50 or faster. How fast will this race be on Saturday?

 

Most of those runners will be doubling back in the 1600 Meter Run. Mary Grace Hegberg has been to Arcadia and to the Penn Relays to run some fast times at this distance and the mile. She ran 4:47.92 for 1600 in California. She came back three weeks later to run 4:47.36 in the 1 Mile Run in Pennsylvania. David is the only runner in this field with a time under 4:40 this season. Ava Parekh of Latin School showed her fitness level running a solo 4:55.47 in winning her league championship. She enters this meet with a 4:46.40 personal best. Defending champion Elia Ton-That has a best of 4:55.73 and will also be in the mix. Delaney Fitzgerald and Mia Kotler of Latin School are runners that could see near the front. We should also see a competitive race at this distance.

 

David and Hegberg have the fastest 2A times in the 800 Meter Run but did not run this event in the sectionals. Becca Heitzig of Lincoln and Colleen Zeibert of Rochester finished third and fourth in last year’s finals are two of the runners that you can expect in the front. Heitzig has the fastest seasonal best over the rest of the field by four seconds when she ran 2:13.61 to win at Palatine in April. Gabrielle Walker of DePaul College Prep lowered her personal best down to 2:17.20 in winning her sectional. Ava Parekh finished second in that sectional race and will be among the leaders. Ashleigh Anderson of Mt. Zion and Isabella Orozco of Aurora Central Catholic are also in the 2:17 to 2:19 time range that could be among the top three finishers.

 

New talent in the 2A Sprints

 

Six of the top ten runners in the 2A are underclassmen in the 100 Meter Dash. In fact, there are no seniors ranked until Hanna Ling of Payton who has the 13th fastest time at this distance.

 

Lena Jackson, a freshman from Peoria Richwoods, ran the second fastest 2A time in the state in winning the 100 Meter Dash at the Dunlap Sectional. Symone Frison of Lindblom leads in the event at 12.21 and ran 12.24 in her sectional win at De La Salle. Five other runners are within two tenths of a second of the front two including Normal University’s Reese Mitchell and Anna Barr, Alaina Lester of Althoff Catholic, Emmi Scales of St. Viator, and Neveah Lowe of Kankakee.

 

One of the reasons why Kankakee will contend for a state title is because of emergence of athletes such as Naomi Bey-Osborne. The freshman has the top time in the state in the 400 Meter Dash with her teammate Aniya Lewis within two tenths of a second. Mia Rodriguez of Marian Catholic and Ja Breah Liddell of Mt. Vernon appears to be the closest to the two Kankakee athletes with times under 59 seconds.

 

Richwoods’ Lena Jackson also had the fastest 200 Meter Dash sectional time in Class 2A. Kayda Austin of Cahokia enters this weekend with the fastest 2A time in the state (25.13). Frison, Bey-Osbourne, Makenna McBride of Charleston, and Lester are some of the runners that could also challenge for this event’s state championship.

 

Relays Glimpses

 

Northside Prep ran the fastest time in the Class 2A 4x800m Relay when they ran 9:40.39 at the Chicago City Championships on May 7. Elia Ton-That and her sister Lucia were part of their relay but were not last week when the team ran the fifth fastest sectional time (9:57.54 ) finishing second behind sectional leader Lakes at 9:51.05. Mt. Zion ran 9:54.64 last week but did so without their top 800 runner Ashleigh Anderson. Tolono Unity, Peoria Notre Dame, Sacred Heart-Griffin, and Monticello have times under 10-minutes . It could take a time under 9:38 to win the state championship.

 

Kankakee should be an overwhelming favorite in the 4x100m Relay after running a 2A state leading 47.89 last week. Peoria Richwoods, Mt. Vernon, and Normal University all have times under 49-seconds and will contend for the title. Kankakee is almost a full second ahead of the rest of the field.

 

Peoria Richwoods ran the fastest sectional time in the 4x200m Relay with a 1:43.63 time. It could be Kankakee that has the advantage with the top 2A time of 1:42.09 at Urbana at the end of April. Galesburg, Geneseo, Normal University and Urbana will be among the teams that will challenge for the win.

 

There was a lot of change in the 4x400m Relay with eight new top 10 times. Normal University has over a second advantage ahead of Lincoln when the two teams raced last week at Dunlap. Lakes, Geneseo, and Peoria Notre Dame have times under 4:06 with Kankakee just behind. The 2A team championship may come down to the final event with three of these teams in the hunt for the state title.

 

Class 2A Notes

 

Emmi Scales of St. Viator went through injuries at the end of last season but ended up all state in the 200 Meter Dash. Scales has come on strong in her junior season. She enters this meet with the top time in the 300 Meter Hurdles and top four times in the 100m Hurdles and 100m Dash. She should be bringing some hardware home from Charleston this weekend.

 

The Shot Put should be an extensively competitive event with six athletes over 40-feet outdoors. That does not include Claire Allen of Sandwich who won the event at Illinois Top Times. She currently has a season’s best of 39-11.25 which still puts her in the mix for the state title. Madelyn Bishop of Boylan Catholic has the sectional best of 41-8.5. Maryiah Menicucci of Marion has the 2A seasonal lead at 42-5. Desire Poole of East St. Louis-Senior, Madyson Swope of Carbondale, and Camryn Huston of Monmouth-Roseville will be athletes to watch for in the ring.

 

Claire Allen enters the Discus ring as one of the favorites in the event. Madyson Swope, Desire Poole, Alice Mihas of Latin School, and Josie Hapack of Highland have gone past 130-feet and will all contend for the state title.

 

Na’Kyrah Cooks of Kankakee jumped a huge personal best of 19-2.75 last week in her sectional. She will be the favorite in the Long Jump with Geneseo’s Annie Wirth her closest competition. The Triple Jump is wide open with Cooks and seven other athletes over 36-feet. Alice Sotelo of Sterling has the top sectional performance (36-10.5). Karli Mann of Herrin has the top 2A seasonal mark (37-3.5) and also qualified for Charleston.

 

The top six athletes in the Pole Vault are within three inches of each other led by season leader Josie Gates of Lakes at 11-9. Jessica Phillip of Kaneland has the top sectional performance with a 11-6.25 clearance. Annie Wirth might be the defending champion in the High Jump but keep an eye on Molly Grohmann of Waterloo who cleared 5-8 in her conference meet. She is the only athlete within four inches of Wirth.