Illinois High School Track & Field Weekend Highlights - February 16, 2025

Injury sidelines Lehnen for season; Fast times heat up Lakes Clash at the Colosseum

(Photo: Katelyn Lehnen, Ali Ince, Becca Heitzig at the 2024 IHSA State Meet -Kevin Dorsey Credit)

By Michael Newman

Heartbreaking news came from the Springfield area in the past week when an ACL injury to defending Class 3A 100/400 Meter Champion Katelyn Lehnen of Chatham-Glenwood. Lehnen discussed the injury on a podcast on Channel 1450.com. The injury came in a Senior Night Basketball game on her home court at Glenwood High School on February 8 against Springfield Southeast. The injury occurred in the opening minutes of the game.

“I wasn’t in excruciating pain when it happened,” Lehnen said on the podcast. “All that was racing in my mind was if my basketball season was over, would I be able to run track, what about Illinois (where she will attend this fall).”

The injury ends her high school career both in basketball as well as track & field. Lehnen concludes her high school running career as a nine-time all-state athlete including three state championships, once in the 200 Meter Dash in her freshman year in 2021, and then last year when she won the 100 Meter Dash and 400 Meter Dash.

Lehnen is a ferocious competitor as we have seen in her activities. When she suffered this injury, all she wanted to know is if she made the basket by asking her teammates afterwards on the bench. Her teammates replied “We don’t know. We were watching you.” After she won the 400 Meter Dash at last year’s meet, Lehnen was exhausted collapsing on the sideline. All she was asking if she broke 55 seconds. She did.

That competitiveness will drive her to greater things on the collegiate level and beyond not just in competition but in life. We will see her on the track as a supporter of her teammates this spring. I was shocked to see her last year at Distance Night in Palatine when she drove 3 hours north to cheer for her teammates, When you think about it, it should not be a surprise.

She is faith driven, which will always play a big part in what she will experience in the next year. You keep asking why this injury happened but for Lehnen it is a test. One door has closed but another door has appeared waiting for her to walk through it. She could become a bigger impact recovering than running this spring. We hate to see these things happen and wish her a strong rehab time where she will become better than before not only in running but in life. Thank you Katelyn for becoming a part of Illinois Track & Field history with your performances but more importantly your sportsmanship.

The middle of February this year started in a big way as you can see from some of the highlights that happened for Illinois athletes. Here are highlights of some of those meets.

Lakes Clash at the Coliseum - This meet usually takes place at the end of February. The meet had to be moved to Saturday due to a scheduling conflict. Some of the top marks in the state occurred in this meet. Ben Crane of New Trier pulled away from the rest of the field to run 9:00.01 for the win and the fastest time in the state and fourth fastest in the country. The top five finishers are the top five fastest in the state. Simon Lane of Chicago University ran a personal best of 9:18.35 to finish second. Kaneland’s Evan Nosek (9:24.37) and Carson Kaiser (9:25.87) finished third and fourth. Evan Parker of Niles North ran 9:33.75 to place fifth. Kaiser’s time is the fastest time in the country for a freshman (as of Saturday). More than a second separated the top four runners in the 1600 Meter Run. Alex Batsala of Plainfield South ran 4:28.17 (IL #7) to win with teammate Dylan Buturusis running 4:28.60 (IL #8) edging Quinn Davis of Prospect for second (4:28.62, IL #9). Owen Horeni of Yorkville edged Lakes’ Jackson Summy by three hundredths of a second in the 800 Meter Run. Horeni ran 1:58.17 (IL #3) to edge Summy (1:58.74, IL #4). Jameson Tenopir of Cary-Grove ran 1:59.66 (IL #10) to finish third.

Daniel Robinson of Neuqua Valley ran 6.88 (IL #3) to win the 60 Meter Dash with Oreoluwa Sobodu of Dundee-Crown finishing second (7.06, IL #8). Evanston ran 3:34.40 (IL #4) to win the 4x400m Relay ahead of Yorkville (3:34.62, IL #5), and Neuqua Valley (3:36.09, IL #9). Lakes ran 8:20.87 (IL #2) to win the 4x800m Relay ahead of South Elgin (8:24.83, IL #3) and Plainfield South (8:27.69).

The top four heights cleared in the High Jump came from this meet. Michael Gorelick of New Trier, Khristos Oludimu of Jacobs, Taelor Clements of Yorkville, and Ademide Adegboyega of Antioch all cleared 6-6 with Gorelick winning on fewer misses.

Rockton Hononegah Boys Invitational #1 – Messiah Tilson of Rockford Guilford had another great weekend as his times continue to drop. Tilson ran the fastest time in the state (6.87) to win the 60 Meter Dash by almost half a second. Tilson ran the fastest time of 22.01 to also win the 200 Meter Dash. Chase Cutler of Hononegah ran 50.99 (IL #5) to win the 400 Meter Dash. Carter Hayes of Palatine dipped under 4:20 in the 1600 Meter Run winning the race with a 4:18.69 (IL #2). Bo Breed of Oswego ran 4:28.94 (IL #10) to finish second. Cahokia ran 1:33.46 (IL #4) to win the 4x200m Relay by close to five seconds. Cahokia ran 3:35.75 (IL #8) to win the 4x400m Relay by 11 seconds ahead of their “B” team. Joseph Michelini of Lake Park had a 55-3.5 (IL #3) best to win the Shot Put. Xavier Jones, also from Lake Park, had a best mark of 44-8.5 (IL #3 to win the Triple Jump.

Proviso West Valentine Relays – Payton Prep enters the 2025 track & field season as the Class 2A defending state champions in the 4x800m Relay. The Grizzlies showed that they are ready fore the challenge with the state’s fastest time in the event. The quartet of Declan Slavin, Preston Ellis, Vaughn Collier, and Tra’Monti Williams ran 8:02.15 to win this event in this relays only meet winning by 23 seconds ahead of Lyons Township (8:25.80, IL #4) and Deerfield (8:33.10, IL #9). Lincoln-Way Central (3:27.84, IL #2) to win the Boys 4x400m Relay ahead of Payton Prep (3:28.24. IL #3). Lincoln-Way Central also ran 1:32.33 (IL #3) to win the 4x200m Relay ahead of Thornwood (1:33.94 (IL #6) and Brother Rice (1:34.35. IL #7).

Lane Tech took the first two places in the Girls 4x800m Relay as they ran 10:08.40 to win the race. Bloom Township ran 1:49.98 (IL #4) with Bolingbrook running 1:51.84 to finish second. Bloom Township also won the 4x400m Relay (4:18.60, IL #4) with Lane Tech finishing second (4:19.46, IL #6).

WWS Girls Invitational #1 @ Wheaton-Warrenville South – This low-keyed Saturday morning meet featured six teams. It was defending Class 3A team champions Prospect that held the cards in the second meet of the season. The most impressive performance came when Anna Niebrugge of Prospect in training flats ran 7>33 (IL #4) to win the 55 Meter Dash. She was also a part of the Prospect quartet that ran 1:50.03 (IL #5) to win the 4x200m Relay. Veronica Znajda of Prospect had the lead on the first lap of the 800 Meter Run as she went on to run 2:20.75 (IL #6) for the race win. The situation was the same in the 1600 Meter Run with Maya Ledesma of Minooka storming to the lead early and ten holding on to run 5:14.25 (IL#8) for the win. Ireland Wildhart of Prospect ran 5:17.19 to finish second.

Huntley Girls Invitational #1 – Dominique Johnson of Huntley started her senior campaign on a high note. Johnson jumped 18-11.75 (IL #2) to win the Long Jump. She also jumped to a state leading 41.3,25 to win the Triple Jump. That performance currently ranks #4 in the United States indoors. The top two times in Illinois happened in this meet. Julia Rodney of St. Charles North ran 11:20.73 to win the race with St. Charles East freshman Adley Wilson running 11:28.28 to finish second. Huntley this early in the season ran the fastest time in the state running 4:15.44 to win the 4x400m Relay. Katherine Jewell of Prairie Ridge was a double winner in the sprints running 7.66 (IL #5) to win the 60 Meter Dash and 25.76 to win the 200 Meter Dash.

Oswego Girls Quad #1 - Mckena Miglorini of Lockport cleared a state leading and personal best of 12-11.75 (3.96m) to easily win the Pole Vault. Gabi Karvelis of Neuqua Valley jumped 37-5 (IL #5) to win the Triple Jump.

Rockford Auburn Girls Invitational #1 – Isabella Drozd of Wauconda jumped the top performance in the state (19-0.75) to win the Long Jump. Alyssa Garcia of Hampshire ran 59.29 (IL #4) to win the 400 Meter Dash. Reese Kohnle of Rockford Boylan was in control of the 1600 Meter Run winning with a 5:10.71 time (IL #5).

Out of State

Music City Challenge – This is a college meet that featured one high school event. Gabe McLain of Benton competed in the Boys Toad Mile where he stayed in the back of the pack on this 300-meter track at Vanderbilt University. McLain ended up running 4:18.12 to finish tenth overall for a good start in his senior season. He currently has the second fastest time in the Mile in Illinois as of Sunday.

Presidents Day Invitational @ Norton Center, Louisville – East St. Louis competed in this meet for the second weekend in a row. The Flyers ran the fastest time in the state in the 4x200m Relay as they ran 1:31.41 to finish third overall in the relay. East St. Louis ran 3:26.78 in their 4x400m Relay winning by four seconds. Darius Sly ran 51.10 (IL #6) to finish fifth in the 400 Meter Dash. Shammond McClain jumped a personal best of 46-2 (IL #2) finishing second in the Triple Jump.