Sectional Distance Previews 2025

Preview: 6 IHSA Class 3A Girls Sectional Distance Meets to Watch

By Michael Newman

There are so many storylines in each of the 11 Class 3A Sectionals to watch for. We will dig deeper in those events in next week’s state meet previews. Instead, we narrow it down to six sectionals where there are some interesting races that could come about in the distance events. Here are the six sectionals in this classification to keep an eye on. Sectionals are listed in alphabetical order.

State Qualifying Standards: 800 – 2:18.94 | 1600 – 5:11.78 | 3200 – 11:11.19 | 4x8 – 9:39.14

Bloomington: 5/15 – There could be as many as four runners that advance from this sectional in the 3200 Meter Run. Ali Londrigan of Chatham-Glenwood is having a breakout sophomore season especially with the 10:47.79 (3A #7) she ran at Triad at the beginning of May. Her teammate Ashlyn Chopra along with Renee Warren of Normal West have both run under the 11:11 standard and most likely to advance to state. Josie Skeate of Bloomington is within 14 seconds of state qualifying and could be a runner to watch in that event. Londrigan again will be the runner to beat in the 1600 Meter Run. The sophomore’s season’s best of 4:55.43 (3A #5) is close to 15 seconds faster than the rest of the competition. The battle in this event will be for the second auto spot and then who can run under 5:11. There are four runners within three seconds of each other led by Ellie Bush of O’Fallon followed by Chopra, Warren, and Julie Bach of Normal West. Farah Scott of Champaign Centennial might be someone in this event that could make it to state. Bach ran 2:16.28 (3A #17) last week at Big 12 Conference and is stepped up as a runner that could make it to state in the 800 Meter Run. Bush has a 2:16.84 (3A #20) best and will make a run for the sectional title. There are three other runners in this event that have run under the 2:18.95 time standard with Lily Cavanaugh of Normal Community, Alaina Kimble of Champaign Centennial, and Sophie Rentmeister of Chatham-Glenwood all ready to punch their ticket to Charleston. Freshman Peyton Kuhl of Quincy is just under 2:20 and ready to be among the top three qualifiers in this event. There are five teams that have run under 10 minutes in the 4x800 Meter Relay. None of those teams have yet to run faster than the qualifying standard. Chatham-Glenwood has a 9:43.14 best and the relay team to watch in winning this sectional. Champaign Centennial, Quincy, and O’Fallon look to be the teams to challenge the Titans for the team win.

Downers Grove (South): 5/14 – This is a sectional where we will see multiple qualifiers greater than two advance to state in all four distance events. The 800 Meter Run is high class with five runners in this event have run 2:15 or faster. Keira Jenke of Benet Academy introduced herself to the rest of the state at the indoor season when she ran the fastest state indoor time of 2:12.78 at Illinois Top Times. Lola Satre-Morales of Naperville Central has a 2:13.69 best (3A #3) and will challenge for the win. Emma Berres of Naperville North was close behind Jenke at Illinois Top Times with her 2:13.96 seasonal best and will be in the mix to win this race. Lindsey Wenz of Plainfield North has run 2:14.04 (3A #5) and could surprise some in this race. Ava Gilley of Downers Grove North is peaking at the right time having run 2:14.58 (3A #9) last week at WSC-Silver. All five runners in this event that should qualify for state. Eloise Craft of Naperville Central has run 2:20.09 and could also advance to state. The 3200 Meter Run will be a tough event with as many as seven runners who could make it to Charleston. Nia Ortega of Downers Grove South has the fastest time at this distance with a 10:48.51 (3A #8) time run at Distance Night in Palatine. Delilah Helenhouse of Benet Academy at 10:53.14 (3A #11) and Elizabeth Hall of Neuqua Valley at 10:56.52 (3A #13) and Rianna Tandon of Naperville North at 10:58.58 (3A #19) also ran their bests at DNIP. Macy Ermitage of Downers Grove North ran 10:57.66 (3A #15) will be the surprise in this race dropping her personal best down big to possibly win. Shania Tandon of Naperville North and Audrey Casten of Downers Grove North are both good possibilities to advance to state. We could see at least seven runners make it to state in the 1600 Meter Run. There are four runners in the final section that have run between 4:59 to 5:01 this spring led by Marlie Czarniewski of Plainfield North who has a 4:59.61 best from indoors. Hall and Jenke have time bests at 5:00. Elise Czarniewski of Plainfield North has run 5:01.30 and could be a threat to win. Lily Baibak of Waubonsie Valley, Ortega, and Alayna Todnem of Downers Grove North all have run under 5:10 and under state qualifying. The 4x800 Meter Relay will set the tone for this sectional. Plainfield North ran 9:15.64 indoors and will be the team to beat. Downers Grove North and Naperville Central have run under 9:30 this season and will challenge the Tigers for the win. Naperville North and Oswego East lead the teams that have not run under 9:39.11 yet this season. These two teams could run under 9:40 on Wednesday.

Glenview (Glenbrook South): 5/14 – Prospect should qualify booth of their entries in all three individual distance events in this sectional. Meg Peterson and Mary Laba of Prospect lead the field in the 800 Meter Run. Peterson ran 2:12.61 (3A #2) at the Tiger Invitational while Laba ran 2:14.54 (3A #7) in the same race. Ashley Gaba of Maine East has run 2:16.80 (3A #19) and a runner we should see in Charleston. Adeline Dietrich of Fremd and Margaretha Grabske of Hersey are two other runners that could make it to state running under 2:19. Veronica Znajda of Prospect has a 4:58.07 time (3A #7) and one of the runners to watch in the 1600 Meter Run. Stella Davis of Evanston Township ran 5:00.45 (3A #13) and could challenge Znajda for the win. Jane Lynch of Loyola Academy has run 5:02.99 (3A #16) and will also be a threat to win. Abigail Jordan of Palatine and Ireland Wildhart of Prospect have times under 5:10 and are in position to qualify. Three runners: Alexandra Kopacz and Sofia Donner of Hersey along with Kayla Ritchie of New Trier, are on the outside looking in time standard wise. It would not surprise me if all three advance to state. We could see six runners advance in the 3200 Meter Run. Madeline Bialko of Hersey has a 10:46.63 best and will be the favorite at this distance. Lynch, Jordan, and Elizabeth Garrett of Palatine have times between 11:00 to 11:10 and could all qualify. Alexa Izenstark of Hersey and Samantha Lobacz of Prospect have run under 11:20 and will need personal bests to advance out of Glenview. Prospect will look for their fifth state win in the 4x800 Meter Relay and should win in this sectional even without their full lineup. Hersey is close to earn the second auto qualifying spot. New Trier and Fremd are teams to also keep an eye on.

Lockport (Township): 5/14 – Lincoln-Way Central is the powerhouse distance team in this sectional. Mia Forystek and Ana Dal Ponte of Central are the top two runners in the 800 Meter Run with Forystek the fastest time of 2:14.57 (3A #8). Dal Porte has not run under 2:19 meaning we could just have two qualifiers. Maitlyn Terrell of Homewood-Flossmoor and Sinead Barrett of Lincoln-Way East are two runners that could get that second spot. None of the entrants in the 3200 Meter Run have run under the state qualifying standard of 11:11 meaning we will most likely see two runners making it to state. Five runners have run under 12 minutes this season led by Ava Dughetti of Lincoln-Way Central (11:37.18) and Gracie Kane of Lockport (11:42.64). The 1600 Meter Run might just see two runners advance to state. It could be Keira Faxel and Jillian Davies of Lincoln-Way Central along with Niki Tselios of Lemont are the three runners chasing after two qualifying positions. Lincoln-Way Central has the fastest outdoor time in the state (9:22.33) in the 4x800 Meter Relay and will be the big favorite in the race. Lockport is within five seconds of Central and could challenge for the win. Sandburg and Lemont are teams that we could also see making it to EIU.

Rolling Meadows: 5/15 – The 1600 Meter Run could be the key distance race in this sectional with up to six runners in position to qualify for the state meet. Alexa Novak of Glenbard West ran under 5 minutes last week at WSC-Silver with a time of 4:59.11 (3A #11) and will lead this field with Sofia Arcuri of Maine South close behind. Ameline Ojeda of Willowbrook and Maddie Romaine of Wheaton North will be doubling back from the 3200 and could be in position to make it to state. Nicole Poglitsch of Wheaton-Warrenville South ran a season’s best of 5:10.26 last week in her win at DuKane Conference and will be a threat to finish in the top three. Tessie Bradley of Maine South and Sofia Stoddard of York will also be runners to watch in this race. Romaine at 10:57.81 (3A #17) and Ojeda at 11:00.07 are the two runners to watch in the 3200 Meter Run. York freshman Karlin Janowski ran a personal best of 11:05.02 at WSC-Silver and could win this race if she stays close to the leaders throughout. Mackenzie Armstrong of Wheaton-Warrenville South has run 11:08.43 and is having a great senior season. A good race from her gets her to the state meet. Sophia Galiano-Sanchez of York is the overwhelming favorite in the 800 Meter Run. The junior ran a 2:14.60 last week at WSC-Silver and is nine seconds faster than the rest of the entrants. Scarlett Moriarty of York and Reagan Malone of Elk Grove will challenge for the second qualifying spot. Glenbard West is peaking at the right time in the 4x800 Meter Relay. The Hilltoppers enter this meet with a 9:25.15 time (3A #2) run last week at WSC-Silver. York ran 9:27.79 indoors and will be a threat for the second spot along with Wheaton-Warrenville South who ran 9:31.28 (3A #8) two weeks ago. The next closest teams to these three squads are over 20 seconds behind South.

Round Lake: 5/14 – Mia Sirois of Barrington will be defending her state title in the 3200 Meter Run starting with qualifying in this easily. She should so in this sectional with ease having the top time in Class 3A (10:05.18) and 54 seconds ahead of the rest of the field. Her teammate Victoria Tarara has a best of 10:59.02 and will lead a pack of Rosalyn Gonzalez of Antioch and Avery Muhr of Lake Zurich that should all qualify for the state meet. Sirois and her teammate Scout Storms are the top two seeds in the 1600 Meter Run and should both advance to Charleston. Sirois has a 4:54.74 best (3A #4) while Storms enters at 4:56.39 (3A #6). They are the only two entrants that have run faster than the 5:11 time standard. Lauren Hamilton of Zion Benton has a 5:12.45 time that puts her in position to run a fast time on Wednesday. Three runners are under the time standard in the 800 Meter Run led by Polina Krupsky of Lake Zurich who has a 2:16.72 season’s best (3A #18). Barrington’s Abby Lewis and Madison Miles are within a second of Polinsky and could challenge for the win. We could also see Lillian Schubert of Wauconda and Ava Pietruszynski of Grayslake Central are in position to also qualify. Barrington has run 9:27.37 (3A #5) and is the favorite in the 4x800 Meter Relay. Close to 25 seconds separate Barrington and the rest of the field. Grayslake Central and Antioch look to be the teams to watch for second place.