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Ana-Liese Torian Redefines Girls Hurdles Record at Illinois Top Times

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Illinois Top Times   Mar 27th 2023, 5:46pm
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Torian redefines Girls Hurdles record at an exciting Illinois Top Times

 

Torian breaks Scales record in hurdles set three hours before; Whitaker breaks 1A record with a clutch third attempt; 13 records fall in two day meet

 

By Michael Newman

 

Bloomington, Ill – The most anticipated event at this year’s Illinois Top Times Championships held inside the Shirk Center on the campus of Illinois Wesleyan University was the 60 Meter Hurdles. It was too bad the two top hurdlers in the state would be running in different meets in this two day, three session meet.

 

Fans got with they came for as two records fell in the event with 13 records falling in the meet.

 

Videos | Photos | Results: 1A – 2A – 3A

 

Emmi Scales of St. Viator was coming off a successful weekend in Boston two weeks ago where she finished third earning All-American honors. She did not win at Top Times a year ago finishing second but winning the 60 Meter Dash. Saturday’s focus would be on the hurdles. There were many things that she wanted to work on.

 

She had a clean race in the prelims of the Class 2A Hurdles leading all qualifiers with an 8.55 times. Her finals race was even stronger as the senior got off to a great start. She had the lead over the second hurdles and motored away from there. Her winning time of 8.43 set a new meet record breaking the 8.54 time that Imani Carothers ran in 2018.

 

“Coming off New Balance being a high quality event, my coach told me that my body needed a break, so I just concentrated on the hurdles. Doing three rounds running under 8.4 each time, I was tired after that weekend was over,” Scales said. “I was working my arms in this meet. I was a cheerleader for seven years and sometimes muscle memory takes over. My arms were cleaner in this race. It is something that my coach and I have been working on the past two weeks.”

 

It was Ana-Liese Torian’s turn to take the center stage. The Homewood-Flossmoor senior came into this meet with an 8.47 best run the week before in her conference meet.

 

Her prelim race was not the best shuffling before gong over the first hurdle. She still led all qualifiers with a 8.70 preliminary best. Freshman Daisha Brunson of Conant was next (8.94).

 

Everything clicked for Torian in the finals. She got out of the blocks first and was over the first hurdle cleanly. The rest was muscle memory. She crossed the line and then looked back at the clock. 8.28 was the time and the new meet record that Scales held briefly. Sophie Amin of Huntley finished second edging Brunson for that place by one hundredth of a second.

 

“I know the people that set those records worked hard to get to where they were at,” Torian said after her win. “I found out that Emmi’s record was close to my personal best. I thought I could get it in the finals.”

 

Torian’s time of 8.28 ends the indoor season ranked #3 nationally. Scales record was broken, but she still holds the Class 2A meet record.

 

Whittaker with a clutch attempt sets new 1A Pole Vault Meet Record

Isaiah Whitaker sat along on the side of the Pole Vault runway waiting for his moment to enter the event. The original plan was to come into the Class 1A Pole Vault Friday night at 14-9. When second-place finisher Griffin Kimbrel of Pana missed on his final attempt at 13-9.25 leaving no one left with attempts, it was times to take to the runway and get to work.

 

How did he do that? He did a few run ups to loosen himself up. He took the bar up to 14-1.25 almost 2.5 feet under his personal best. He took a five step runup and easily cleared his opening height and winning the event.

 

It was now time to get some serious heights.

 

The bar was raised to 15-1 where he did not have his best first attempt but cleared the bar by almost two feet on his second attempt. He cleared 16-0.75 on his attempt making the attempt look easily. The Class 1A record was 16-6 set by Rochester’s Matt Bane in 2010. The bar was raised to 16-6.75.

 

The freshman’s first two attempts were close, but he was grazing the bar failing on the attempt. It was actually failing but figuring out how to clear on the final attempt. He looked like he had cleared on the second attempt but fell on top of that bar. They moved the standards forward a little as Whitaker talked to his coaches.

 

A young athlete may fall emotionally in a situation like this. Whittaker was not your ordinary freshman beginning his journey in this discipline when he was in fifth-grade. There was a race going on the track and the crowd was screaming. It was the kind of atmosphere he relished.

 

It was a clutch clearance at the height for the new 1A meet record. His pole hit the box perfectly. Whitaker did not fall on top of the bar instead clearing it with ease. The record was his. The bar was raised to 17-0.75 where he missed on all three attempts. They were good tries. The kind of attempts he will remember when he gets to that height again.

 

“I love the atmosphere when everyone was yelling,” Whitaker send about his third attempt. “It is great to have the crowd behind you, pushing you. I felt great coming down the runway and I knew I was going to get it.”

 

Fire in Hogan’s eyes

Ethan Hogan’s running life changed after last year’s state meet. The then Columbia sophomore earned all-state honors by finishing ninth overall in the 3200 Meter Run. The switch flipped with everything that he was doing with his running. He saw some results last fall and how he finished the season.

 

Look at him now.

 

Call the 2023 indoor season as it pertains to this junior as the “Distance Season of Hogan”. His 1600-meter time has improved from 4:31 to 4:08. And then his 3200 Meter Run time has also dropped. It dropped even more in the 2A 3200 Meter Run on Saturday.

 

“Consistency is the key,” Hogan said. “You just have to be consistent with what you do with your training, taking care of yourself, the mindset when you are racing.”

 

It was supposed to be a showdown between Hogan and 1A State XC Champion Gavin Genisio of Benton in this race. Genisio stayed with Hogan for the first three laps of the race. An illness had hit before the meet. He did not use it as an excuse but struggled to run 9:36.06 to finish fifth. Genisio scratched from the 1600 Meter Run.

 

There was a focus in Hogan’s eyes that was concentrating on his pace. He passed through the first 1600 in 4:29, ran the last 400 in 63 seconds to cross the line with a new meet record of 9:00.96. He won by 23 seconds ahead of Joe Schwartz of Waterloo who moved up through the race to finish second.

 

“I did not plan to run both races here. I was just going to concentrate on the 3200 today. But what happened in Boston, I decided to run both races and see what I could do,” Hogan stated. “Today I just planned on making the rest of the field hurt. I just wanted to go out hard and see if anyone in the field wanted to stay with me. I still had a lot left with two laps to go. I have no clue what I have left for the 1600. I guess we will find out.”

 

The adrenaline he felt right after the 3200 Meter Run wore off. He had not run the 1600 Meter Run after the 3200 Meter Run. He did it a number of times as a sophomore, but not at the level of fitness and confidence he was in now. He took the lead on the second lap and never looked back. You could see the previous race in his legs as he was hitting mid to high 33 second laps. Hogan did close in 64 seconds finishing with his second win of the day running 4:17.46. Dale Johnson of Sterling (4:21.44) and Julian Baker of Mt. Zion (4:23.43) but were coming back from earlier races finishing second and third.

 

“I could feel the 3200 in my legs before the start of this race,” Hogan added. “I do know now this double will feel in a couple of months.”

 

Hogan’s next big race will be at Arcadia in two weeks. He is hoping for sub 8:55. He might go even faster than that the way he is seeing his running.

 

Another record for Heitzig in the 800 and 1600

Becca Heitzig of Lincoln likes to keep busy. Whether it is studies during the school year, cross country and in the fall, basketball in the winter, or track in the spring, Heitzig always seems to be moving.

 

She started her season later this year after Lincoln’s basketball team finished second in the IHSA State tournament. Heitzig only has run in two races this year. Her times on Saturday in the two races showed that she was in better shape than maybe she expected.

 

“I really did not have time during basketball to get good running in. Sometimes our practices went 2 to 3 hours. I would be tired afterwards,” Heitzig said. “Maybe I am in basketball distance running shape.”

 

Heitzig was the heavy favorite in the 2A 800 Meter Run having the top seed time of 2:15.44 that she ran at Mt. Zion on March 11. It showed in the first two laps as Heitzig passed 400-meters in 64.2. Her closest competition was the Aurora Central Catholic duo of Isabella Orosco and CeCe Hilby who were three seconds behind. Heitzig passed 600-meters in 1:37.8. That lead had grown to seven seconds.

 

The Lincoln junior would break the Class 2A record, but by how much. She broke by over a second with a 2:11.77 time. It is her indoor best and within two seconds behind her IHSA 2A State Meet Record of 2:09.99. This is just with a handful of meets.

 

Heitzig had an hour to recover before she returned to the track for the 1600 Meter Run. Her chief competition would come from Sundra Weber of Sandwich who had earlier run a big personal best of 10:50.11 to win the 3200 Meter Run.

 

Heitzig and Weber were in front throughout the race. Heitzig would make little moves, but Weber would not let go. “I tried making surges, but she (Weber) would not let go,” added Heitzig. “She is tough.”

 

The two runners within a half a second throughout the race. Heitzig finally made the break from Weber at the beginning of the final lap. Heitzig closed in 34.3 to run 5:02.21 for the win. Weber closed in 36.2 to run 5:04.67 to finish second.

 

“I tried to get miles in when I could during basketball, but we had some long practices sometimes. Basketball helped me with my strength,” added Heitzig. “I was shooting for the 2A record. I got that which is exciting. My legs were really tired in the 1600. I could not pass Weber. She has a lot of heart. I just gave it all I got on that last lap.”

 

Other Meet Records broken at Illinois Top Times

Patrick Hilby of Aurora Central Catholic had broke the 2A Boys record in the 800 Meter Run and then came back an hour later with a strong effort in the 1600 Meter Run. Hilby had Payton Whitehead of Lakes on his shoulder throughout the first three laps of this four laps race. Hilby found strength on the final lap pulling away with a 1:54.71 to set a new meet record by almost two seconds. Sam Atkinson of Mt. Zion passed Whitehead of finish second (1:56.63) with Whitehead finishing third (1:57.31). Hilby came back to run to 4:23.80 to finish fourth in the 1600 Meter Run.

 

Jackson Gilbert of Urbana is the defending champion outdoors in the 400 Meter Dash. He flexed his muscles in this meet showing that he is ready to defend his title at this distance. He took the lead as the broke from their lanes 150-meters into the race. Gilbert ran 23.7 on the first lap to take the lead that he never let go of. Gilbert’s winning time of 49.20 set a new 2A Meet record previously held by the 49.25 time of Mac Melto in 2012. Sam Atkinson, who had just run the 800 Meter Run, came back with a strong time of 49.99 to finish second ahead of DeAngelo Hughey of Mahomet-Seymour (50.07).

 

Judah Christian’s Daryl Okeke had a strong double win in the 1A Boys Meet Friday evening. Okeke was dominant in the 60 Meter Hurdles as soon as he left the blocks. Okeke smashed Mason Barr’s five year old 1A meet record of 8.18 by running 8.03 to win the title. Jackson Kern of Auburn ran 8.34 to finish second.

 

Okeke came right back in the 60 Meter Dash and won in the finals. His winning time of 6.90 just missed the meet record held by Easton Bianchi who ran 6.88 in 2018. Charles Shaw of SIUE-Charter was Okeke’s closest competition running 6.96 to finish second.

 

A chance at a third win of the night for Okeke disappeared in the 200 Meter Dash when he false started in the final section. In the third section, Supreme Muhammad took charge early in the race as he crossed the line in 22.23 to set a new 1A Meet Record. It broke an 18 tear old record of 22.30 set by Jeff Farnell in 2005.

 

The second meet record in the Pole Vault happened in the Class 3A final session. Joscelyn Dieckman of DeKalb cleared 13-1.5 to set a new 3A record. The old record was 12-9 set by Katherine Schroeder in 2016. Kait McHale of Naperville Central cleared 12-5.5 to finish second.

 

Kankakee set the lone meet record in the relays in this two day meet. The quartet of Trinity Noble, Aniya Lewis, Neveah Lowe, and Naomi Bey-Osborne ran 1:44.81 in the final section to pull away for the win and slice 13 hundredth of a second off the old 2A meet record set by Springfield Southeast in 2019.

 

Katelyn Lehnen of Chatham-Glenwood ran a state leading 7.45 two weeks ago at New Balance Nationals just missing the finals. The sophomore had more in store in this meet. She ran 7.52 to lead all qualifiers after the prelims, Asia Thomas of Kenwood was next at 7.53. Lehnen and Thomas were even throughout the finals with Lehnen pulling away to run a new 3A Meet record 0f 7.47. Thomas ran 7.53 in the finals to finish second. Lehnen pulled up at the conclusion of the race reaggravating an injury that she developed while running in the national meet. Lehnen was forced to scratch out of the 200 Meter Dash.

 

Highlights / Notes from Illinois Top Times

The 2A session of the meet was a rollercoaster of emotions Saturday morning. A tribute before the meet honoring the memory of Dylan Bazzell and Drew Fehr of Prairie Central. The two athletes passed away in a tragic sledding accident six days before the meet. A Prairie Central jersey and Bazzell’s spikes were placed in the blocks of Lane 5 where he would have started in his memory.

 

“It’s sad. He was a really good jumper,” 2A High Jump Boys Champion Drew Tucker of Metamora said after the competition. “I did not have a lot a time to talk to him. In the little time that I had talking to him, Dylan was very nice.”

 

The 2A meet was delayed for over 30 minutes when Teegan Davis of Princeton suffered a horrific leg injury landing in the pit in his opening jump in the Triple Jump. Davis was in tears after he was wheeled on a gurney out of the Shirk Center. He finished second in that event with a 42-8 mark. Davis had a good meet to that point clearing 6-4 to finish third in the High Jump and jumped 21-6.25 to finish fifth in the Long Jump. Our prayers go out to Davis for a healthy recovery.

 

Cahokia claimed two wins in the 2A Boys Meet. Nicholas DeLoach jumped 46-0.75 in his opening jump to win the Triple Jump. Chase Crawford to the lead in the fourth round of the 2A Shot Put with a 60-1 effort. He improved on that is his final attempt with a 61-4 to win the event. East St. Louis-Senior also had a two event win day in this meet. Demarlynn Taylor had the second fastest time in the prelims of the 8.30 trailing Jaden Bossie of Mt. Carmel (Chicago) who ran 8.16 to lead all qualifiers. The places flipped in the finals as Taylor ran a personal best of 8.09 for the win with Bossie running 8.21 for second and Keyshawn Lyons of Cahokia running 8.36 to finish third. East St. Louis closed out the 2A meet running 3:28.02 to win the 4x400m Relay finishing ahead of Cahokia (3:31.90) and Urbana (3:33.05).

 

There were two double winners in the 3A Meet. Austin Rowswell of Lincoln-Way West was a surprising double winner in the sprints. The sophomore ran 6.96 to win the 60 Meter Dash edging Daniel Lacy of Champaign Centennial (6.98) and Billy Bailey of Joliet West (6.99). It was a narrow escape in the 400 Meter Dash, but Rowswell prevailed running a personal best of 50.11 for the win. Bailey (50.16) and Doug Anderson of Highland Park (50.21) finished second and third.

 

It was the same story in 2022 in the 3A Girls horizontal jumps with the Johnson sisters from Huntley leading the way. Alexandria Johnson jumped 19-5.75 to repeat as the 3A champion in the Girls Long Jump. Elissa Perkins of Plainfield East was a close second as she jumped 19-5. Zawadi Brown of Neuqua Valley jumped 18-8 to finish third. Brown later would run 24.92 to win the 200 Meter Dash.

 

Dominique Johnson, who would finish fifth in the Long Jump, would come back to win and repeat as champion in the Triple Jump. Dominique and her sister Alexandria both had best jumps of 40-1.5. Dominque had a better second jump to win the event. Perkins had a great meet jumping 40-0 to finish third.

 

Brody Squires of Waubonsie Valley had his best jump in the second round (22-7.75) and held on to win the 3A Boys Long Jump. Malik Allen of Edwardsville jumped 45-10 to win the 3A Boys Triple Jump ahead of Deandre Neely of Grayslake North (45-7.75) and Kaiden Miller of Grayslake Central (45-3.75).

 

The Boys Shot Put in Class 3A was the most highly rated field event competition of the weekend with the first three athletes in the event ranked among the top 10 nationally. It took Javaris Ambrose of Thornton until his final attempt to win the event. His final put and personal attempt of 63-0 (US #8) to win the event. Tyler Michelini of Lake Park (62-1.75) and Alex Sohn of Normal Community (61-11.75) finished second and third. Reese Garland of Oak Park-River Forest had a personal best of 42-9.75 in her fourth attempt to win the 3A Girls Shot Put.

 

It was a matter of same heights in both 3A High Jump competitions. Robert Wagner of Oak Lawn and Chris Taylor of Normal Community both cleared 6-6.75 with Wagner winning the event on fewer misses. Five athletes cleared 5-3 in the Girls High Jump. Bianca Colon of Rockford Guilford won on fewer misses.

 

One of the top races in the distances was the double achieved by Grace Schager. The Glenbard North senior was the defending champion in the Class 3A Girls 3200 Meter Run. She won again in this meet. Schager and Rachel Soukup passed through the first mile in 5:12. Schager picked up the pace running a negative split 5:07 and finishing with a 10:19.64 time for the win. Soukup ran close to a 24 second personal best of 10:22.92 to finish second in the race. Anna Harden of Hersey waited for the final 50-meters of the 3A Girls 1600 Meter race to make her move. Harden made her move to pass Schager to claim the win with a 4:52.83 time. Schager ran 4:53.01 to finish second. Annika Swan of St. Ignatius Prep continued on her great running during her freshman season, especially in this race. Swan ran a three second personal best of 4:53.82 in finishing third with Soukup running 4:57.38 to finish fourth.

 

Ahry Comer of Pope County looked strong in her double in the 1A distance events on Friday evening. Comer took the lead at the gun and never trailed even though Kennady Anderson of Wethersfield was close to Comer throughout the race until the final 200-meters of the race. Comer ran 2:17.05 for the win followed by Anderson (2:18.93) and Grace Erb of Winnebago (2:19.85) in second and third. Elena Rybak of Father McGivney also had a great double helping Father McGivney finish second in the 4x800m Relay behind a repeat win from Winnebago. The Rybak and Comer matchup came in the 1600 Meter Run. Rybak pulled away from Comer in the final two laps. Comer fought back in the final 100-meters but could not catch the McGivney sophomore. Rybak was timed at 5:05.37 for the win with Comer less than a second behind (5:06.29). Anderson completed a good double running 5:13.63 to finish third.

 

One of the best double wins in the meet came on Friday evening in the 1A Girls sprints. Lindley Johnston of Stark County came from behind to run a 1A best of 59.86 to win the 400 Meter Dash. Johnston came back to run 25.96 to win the 200 Meter Dash ahead of Lia Patterson of Tuscola (26.35).

 

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