Illinois HS Track & Field - Athletes to Watch in Class 1A Girls for the 2023 Season

By Michael Newman

This classification is wide open with five state champions returning. Two of those athletes are in the distance events. We have already looked at those three individual events.

You can read about the Class 1A Girls Distance runners in Illinois Distance Digest.

Here are some of the top athletes to watch for this upcoming season.

Athletes are listed below in alphabetical order

Livia Binder (SR) – Maroa-Forsyth – Binder is one of four all-state athletes returning in the Pole Vault. The senior cleared a then personal best of 11-7.75 in winning the state title. She also was all-state as a sophomore in 2021 when she finished eighth overall. Binder just missed making the finals last year in the 100 Meter Dash by one spot finishing tenth. She ran a personal best of 12.68 in that prelim race. Binder improved on her personal best by clearing 12-2.5 at the beginning of July at the AAU Junior Olympics Region 13 National Qualifier.

Cambria Geyer (SR) – Tremont – Geyer was all-state in three events in the 2022 State Meet. She has earned all-state honors four times in her high school career including finishing third in the 100 Meter Hurdles as a sophomore in 2021. She finished second in that event in last year’s finals with a 14.66 time. She ran a personal best of 14.62 in the prelims. Geyer came back in that meet to run 44.33 to be crowned state champion in the 300 Meter Hurdles. She improved her personal best by more than a second. She ended her state meet by running a personal best of 26.06 to finish fourth in the 200 Meter Dash.

Grace Nelson (JR) – Altamont – The first two years for this junior have been outstanding earning all-state honors six. She was state champion in the 300 Meter Hurdles as a freshman in 2021. Nelson won her second state championship last May when she 14.19 to win the 100 Meter Hurdles. She ran a personal best of 14.18 in her preliminary heat two days before the finals. Nelson finished her meet by finishing third in the 200 Meter Dash. She could be one of the top athletes in this classification in the state. She scored all 25 for her school that finished ninth in last year’s state meet.

Lia Patterson (SO) – Tuscola – One of the reasons why Tuscola brought a state championship home from Charleston. Now this sophomore will be alone in the spotlight since teammate and state champion Alyssa Williams has graduated. Patterson will be part of a loaded field again this year in the hurdles. She ran 15.44 in the finals to finish fifth at state. Her personal best last year was 15.12 at her conference meet in May. She finished third in the 300 Meter Hurdles with a 45.83 time. Her personal best came in a home meet in April (45.14). She ran a personal best of 25.53 to finish second behind Williams to clinch the team title in the 200 Meter Dash. Patterson anchored her team to a win in the 4x200m Relay at state. The quartet will not have Williams, but Patterson could drive the Warriors to another all-state finish.

Kaitlyn Vahling (JR) – Teutopolis – Three state champions have graduated from the sprint events. Vahling could step up in any of those three events after earning all-state honors in 2022. Vahling ran 12.33 in the prelims, 12.80 in the state finals to finish fourth. She duplicated that finish in the 400 Meter Dash with a 59.83 time. She also ran a personal best of 59.49 in the prelims. Her third all-state finish came in the 200 Meter Dash where she ran 26.19 in the finals to finish fifth. Her prelim time was 26.18. Vahling has been all-state five times in her two track & field seasons.

Kiara Wesseh (JR) – Newark  - Wesseh helped Newark to a second place team finish in last year’s state meet scoring 27 of the team’s 54 points which included a second-place finish in the 4x200m Relay. She is one of the top multi-event athletes heading into this season. She will be one of the favorites in the Hugh Jump clearing 5-6.5 in finishing second. Wesseh finished sixth in the finals of the 100 Meter Hurdles. The junior came right back to run 12.79 in the finals of the 100 Meter Dash. Wesseh jumped 17-3 last year during the season in the Long Jump. That could be an event that we see her compete in during the state series. Wesseh finished second as a freshman in the High Jump in 2021. She has been all-state six times in just two years.