Illinois HS Track & Field - Highlights from the Weekend - February 20, 2023

By Michael Newman

The third weekend of February in Illinois marks the time in the Illinois High School season where the meets get a little bigger and performances start to improve.

The distances performances started to pick up from the last weekend. You can review those in Illinois Distance Digest.

Here are some of the performances that caught our eye in last weekend’s meets.

York Girls Invitational #1 on Friday evening had some good distance performances. The rest of the events also lived up to pre-meet expectations. Kait McHale of Naperville Central broke the Joe Newton Fieldhouse record in the Pole Vault clearing 12-6 to win the event. Elaine Paul of York ran one of the fastest times in the state early in this season running 7.37 to win the 55 Meter Dash. Paul was also a part of York’s quartet that ran 1:45.77 to win the 4x400m Relay. Paul was also a part of the quartet that ran 4:08.54 to win the 4x400m Relay.

The second Girls Meet at Wheaton-Warrenville South last year proved to be a breakout meet for Neuqua Valley’s Zawadi Brown. The same held true for Brown in her opening meet of the season. Brown ran a state leading 7.34 to win the 55 Meter Dash ahead of teammate Chioma Anyaegbunam (7.45). Brown ran a 26.5 anchor on South’s 177.8m track to help Neuqua Valley win the 4x200m Relay. In that race, Neuqua Valley and Naperville North collided on the second leg of the race knocking both teams to the back of the pack. Neuqua Valley fought back to be close to the lead when Brown got the baton. The junior also won the 200 Meter Dash (27.16) and jumped 17-9.75 to win the Long Jump.

Some sprint athletes used the banked curves of the Worrill Track Center at Gately Park to produce some of the fastest times of the season at Saturday’s MVP Vibe Fest Chicagoland. Jayon Morrow of Kankakee missed state championships in three individual events in 2022. He is on the way to big things in this 2023 season. The junior ran 48.39 (US #20) to win the 400 Meter Dash. It is the state’s top time in the event. Morrow did not get to run in the 200 Meter Dash. His false start in his section ended his day. He did run 6.99 in the 60 Meter Dash in this meet.

Daniel Lacy of Champaign Centennial went on to run 21.75 to win the event. It is also the state’s fastest time at that distance.

Austin Belle of Neuqua Valley will also be someone to watch on the sprint scene in Illinois. The senior ran an IL #3 6.97, a school record, in this meet in the 60 Meter Dash.

Asia Thomas of Kenwood Academy ran a personal best of 24.48 to finish third in the Girls Invitational 200 Meter Dash in the meet. Thomas also has a big race in the invitational 400 Meter Dash running 56.83 to finish second.

Sophomore Naomi Bey-Osborne of Kankakee ran 25.29 to finish third in the High School division of the event. Bey-Osborne also ran 58.71 to finish second in the HS 400 Meter Dash. Emmi Scales of St. Viator bettered her personal best in the 60 Meter Hurdles running 8.47 to finish second in the invitational division of that event.

Mason Kooi of Springfield Lutheran was the only double winner in the Chicago meet both in field events he won in Charleston last May. Kooi cleared an indoor personal best of 6-9.5 to win the High Jump. He has the top clearance in the state and is ranked #5 nationally. Kooi also jumped six inches farther than his state meet best when he jumped 44-7.75 to win the Triple Jump.

Freshman Daisha Brunson of Conant ran an IL #3 time of 7.38 to win the 55 Meter Dash at the Willowbrook Invitational on Saturday. Brunson also ran an IL #3 time of 42.24 to finish third in the 300 Meter Dash in that meet.

The top two times in the state in the Boys 55 Meter Dash occurred at the Plainfield South Invitational on Saturday. Danny Eloe of Naperville North ran 6.47 to win the race ahead of Noah Taylor of Lemont.

Weston White of Batavia could be a face to watch in the sprints. The senior ran 6.60 in the 55 Meter Dash on Saturday in a home meet then followed by running 22.70 to win the 200 Meter Dash.

Bjorn Carlson of Rockford Christian will be an athlete to watch for in the 400 Meter Dash. On Saturday at the Rockford Auburn Boys Invitational, Carlson ran 51.04 (IL #4) to win the event in that meet.

John Gore of Homewood-Flossmoor ran a state best time of 6.91 in the 60 Meter Dash Saturday in a home meet. Teammate Olusoga Adeyiga ran 7.01 (IL #6) tp finish second while Cael Hiser of Minooka ran 7.05 to finish third.