Tuscola duo leads team to 1A Girls State Championship

Williams repeats double plus 4x2 win to get Tuscola to top of podium; Winnebago smashes field in 4x8 with new school record; Perry gets her state title in 3200m; Freshman Rybak storms to win in 1600m; Comer triple includes 800m win; Campbell repeats as Discus champion

By Michael Newman [email protected]

Charleston, Ill – The rain that was falling after the conclusion of the IHSA Girls State Championship did not seam to bother Alyssa Williams. She had what she wanted rocking in her arms. Williams had the 1A State title trophy, and she was not going to let it go.

A 1-2 sweep by Anderson and teammate Lia Patterson solidified the championship for the Warriors. The 18 points in that event gave Tuscola the team title with 57 points narrowly ahead of Newark who scored 54 points to finish second. Winnebago picked up their second trophy in as many years scoring 44 points to finish third. Father McGivney (34 points) and Salt Fork (32 points) rounded out the top five teams.

“The 200 was my last high school race,” Williams said. “It was more about Lia (Patterson). She is a freshman. She can get nervous. I had to lead her with a positive mindset. This state championship does not happen without Lia.”

All of their 57 points had Williams and Patterson are part of it. The two athletes were all-state in three individual events plus the championship in the 4x200m Relay. “My job was to leadoff and get my teammates a good lead,” added Williams. “They did the rest of the work to get us the win.”

Things looked grim for the senior after the prelims on Thursday in the Long Jump where Williams stood in 9th place. Her determination on Saturday brought her up to third place in the Long Jump with a 17-3.5 jump. Megan Williams of Newark came from behind from fifth place after prelims to jump 18-6.5 to win the event ahead of Nakeita Kessling of Henry-Senachwine (17-10.25).

Williams had no trouble defending her title in the 100 Meter Dash breaking away from the field at 50-meters. She went on to run 12.31 into a -0.5 headwind to capture the title with Kaylin Moreland of Macon Meridian a surprise second in 12.65. Williams put the team of Mia Hausmann, Jillian Alexander, and Patterson into contention. A strong anchor leg by the freshman gave the team the win in 1:44.11. Newark ran 1:45.24 to finish second ahead of 2021 champion Nashville (1:45.32).

Williams at 25.03 and Patterson at 25.53 clinched the title in the 200 Meter Dash, found each other and hugged in jubilation.

Patterson’s all-state performances came when she ran 15.44 to finish fifth in the 100 Meter Hurdles behind state champion Grace Nelson of Altamont (14.19). Cambria Geyer of Tremont (14.66) and Newark’s Williams finished second and third. The order changed in the 300 Meter Hurdles. Nelson clipped the fifth hurdle coming off the curve to give Geyer the opportunity and the win in the event (44.43). Nelson (44.81) and Patterson (45.83) finished second and third.

Byron came from behind in the 4x100m Relay to catch Maroa-Forsyth for the win in the event (49.79) just two hundredths ahead of Maroa-Forsyth (49.81). Nashville ran 49.90 to finish third.

There were some that were scratching their heads when they saw Winnebago’s time in their sectional win, and then winning by just one hundredth of a second ahead of DuQuoin in Thursday’s prelim of the 4x800m Relay. The runners on Winnebago’s quartet realized it was just making it to the big dance on Saturday. They stepped to the line in Saturday’s finals to make a statement. Boy did they ever.

Marissa Roggensack led off for Winnebago with a 2:23.79 split to put her team in third behind Father McGivney and Pleasant Plains. The big move for the Indians came in the second leg when senior Katie Erb, in her final high school race, put her team into the lead with a 2:23.81 leg. It was over after that point. Kaylee Woolery took the three second lead that she had and opened it up to a 15 second lead with a 2:22 third leg. Anchor Grace Erb cruised home with a smile on her face and a 2:19 leg to have her team defend the state title in a new school record of 9:28.95. Elana Rybak stole the show on the final leg running an incredible 2:11.7 anchor leg to move Father McGivney from sixth to second with a 9:43.9o time. DuQuoin ran 9:46.13 to finish third.

The talk after the prelims on Thursday was the strong double by Ahry Comer of Pope County having the top qualifying times in both the 800 and 1600. Comer’s day on Saturday started first in the 3200 Meter Run.

This was Anna Perry of Eureka’s final state meet. She had come so close in the four years of winning a state championship. If not today, then when? Perry’s took over leading duties just after the first two laps of the race. The pack led by Perry that included Comer, Kate Ahmari of Urbana University, Carly Manchester of IC Catholic Prep, and Kennady Anderson of Kewanee Wethersfield passed 1600-meters in 5:22. Perry pulled away after the fifth lap. She kept her pace at 82 seconds per lap. It was just the rest of the runners were slowing down.

Perry had a 10 second lead when the bell sounded for the final lap. A smile of relief crossed her face as she crossed the finish line with a 10:49.98 time. Perry had done it. Comer caught Anderson just before the finish line to place second (10:57.60) just nine hundredths of a second ahead. Ahmari (11:01.62) and Manchester (11:07.67) finished fourth and fifth.

There was no hesitation in the pace of the 800 Meter Run as Comer, coming off her 3200 race, pushed the pace through an opening lap of 67.27. Grace Erb was in that pack but made a break to pull away from the field. Comer still had a little left and made her charge down the final straightaway. She caught Erb in the final 10 meters and went on for a state title (2:16.07) just ahead of Erb (2:16.57). Kaitlyn Hatley of Father McGivney (2:18.18), Trixie Johnson of Paxton-Buckley-Loda (2:18.23) and Olivia Phillips of DuQuoin (2:18.23) were separated by only five hundredths of a second placing third through fifth.

The spunk that Elana Rybak had on the anchor leg of the 4x8 showed in the 1600 Meter Run final. She ran the type of race daring the rest of the field to come with her and try to beat her. She passed the first lap in 75 seconds, the second lap at 2:31 a two second lead ahead of Ahmari. The lap for the freshman on the third stayed at a steady 75 seconds. It also gave Rybak a six second lead for the final 400-meters.

That lead grew in the last 400-meters even though Rybak had not picked up her pace. A huge smile came across her face as she ran 4:59.82 for her first state championship finishing ahead of Ahmari by over 10 seconds (5:10.29) and Kaylee Woolery who passed Anderson in the final 50-meters to finish third (5:11.88). Anderson was timed n 5:12.23. Marissa Roggensack came from ninth in the final lap to run 5:13.63 to finish fifth.

Seneca had the lead from the start holding off challenges from DuQuoin and Winnebago on the final lap to win the 4x400m Relay in 4:05.51. DuQuoin (4:06.08) and Winnebago (4:06.48) finished second and third.

Olivia Campbell of Pittsfield did not improve on her 139-4 prelim mark in the Discus in the finals. She still had enough to defend her state title in the event finishing ahead of Cassidy Clark of Mt. Pulaski. The same held true in the Shot Put as Jenae Bothe of Oregon maintained her lead after prelims and won the 1A title (43-2.5) with Kayla Braun of Sparta finishing second (40-0.75).

The inclement weather that surrounded Charleston all day Saturday forced the other four field events indoors.

Livia Binder of Maroa-Forsyth cleared 11-7.75 on her second attempt to claim the 1A state title in the Pole Vault. Three athletes tied for second clearing 11-5.75 including Kylie Stauder of Okaw Valley, Isabelle Hemmen of Teutopolis, and Mya Strahm of Elmwood.

The High Jump title came down to Kiara Wesseh of Newark and Brooke Probst of Indian Creek. Both were the only competitors left as the bar was raised to 5-6.5. Both cleared at that height to go next to 5-7.75. Wesseh missed on all three attempts at that height. Probst had a clutch clearance on her final attempt to take home the state title.

Megan Williams swept the horizontal jumps by winning the Triple Jump. Her jump of 37-0.25 from prelims held on for the win ahead of Brynlee Keeran of Salt Fork (36-3.50).