El Paso Gridley wins state title on final event; Emma Randecker sweeps sprints with two Class 1A record; Lia Patterson ends memorable career sweeping both hurdle races; Elena Rybak sets Class 1A record in 800, career sweep in 1600 Meter Run win

By Michael Newman

Interviews | Results | Photos

Charleston, Ill – All El Paso Gridley had to do was finish in the 4x400 Meter Relay to win a state championship. The Titans finished third in last year’s state meet. This year, they were involved in a tight team battle entering the 4x400 Meter Relay with three teams within one point of each other. Pleasant Plains went out and ran 3:59.06 to win the event. El Paso-Gridley ran 3:59.03 to finish second with eight points and the Class 1A state team championship.

El Paso-Gridley ended up scoring 56 points in their win. Tuscola scored 49 points in finishing second. Father McGivney scored 48 points in finishing third. Effingham St. Anthony (43 points) and Nashville (35.5 points) finished fourth and fifth.

In a season where weather at times has challenged the resolve of athletes heading into this meet at Eastern Illinois University’s O’Brien Field. The finals on Saturday had temperatures near 70 degrees with clear skies. This meet on all three levels was a meet for the ages, maybe one of the best all-around that this meet has seen. The performances on this Saturday showed that.

West Carroll scored 30 points to finish sixth with Emma Randecker scoring all their points in the sweep of all three sprint events. Randecker won the 100 and then second in the 200 and fifth in the 400 in last year’s meet. She wanted that triple and it showed in her performances in the prelims on Thursday.

Randecker got out to a great start in the finals of the 100 Meter Dash pulling away running a new Class 1A State meet record (11.91) to grab the win ahead of Jaida Reed of El Paso-Gridley’s personal best of 12.09 to finish second. Saylor Barry of Mendon Unity ran 12.17 to finish third with Father McGivney’s Lily Gilbertson running 12.27 finishing fourth.

Randecker and Gilbertson pushed each other to the very end in the 400 Meter Dash. Randecker held on for the win and a personal best of 55.78. All nine runners in that race ran personal bests. Gilbertson finished second (56.13) ahead of Daniella Bumber of Henry Senachwine (56.18) and Reese Hoene of St. Anthony (57.26). Randecker ended her high school season setting another record in the 200 Meter Dash (24.33). Lia Patterson of Tuscola finished in second (24.95) ahead of Barry (25.06) and Gilbertson (25.25).

“I did not think that this was possible. Everyone that came her to support me thought I could,” Randecker said after the 200. “I did not have a lot in my legs for that 200. This feels great. I really hasn’t sunk in yet.”

Lia Patterson ended a memorable high school career in this meet not only in the 200 Meter Dash but in both hurdle races. The senior has been invincible in both hurdle races with no losses in the last two years. She ended up with 16 all-state medals in this meet including five state championships over barrier. It was a close finish in the 100 Meter Hurdles. Patterson ran a personal bests of 14.39 to edge Lily Bosnich of Peru St. Bede (14.43) for the state title. Emma Crawford of North Mac ran 14.73 to finish third. Patterson and Bosnich faced off one more time in the 300 Meter Hurdles. Patterson ended her hurdle career with a season’s best of 43.16 for the state title. Bosnich needed a personal best of 43.40 to finish second. Jillian Hammer of Oregon also had a personal best of 44.46 to finish third.

Elana Rybak of Father McGivney said after the preliminary session she could not sleep Thursday night after the phantom false start in the 4x400 Meter Relay forced her team out of the race. Rybak had fire in her eyes as she stepped to the line in the 800 Meter Run Saturday afternoon. She pushed the pace out to a 62.57 opening lap with Audrey Denning of St. Anthony and Caroline Tepe of Okawville. Rybak as she came off the first exploded down the back straight on a mission. She crossed the line in a new Class 1A Meet record of 2:08.30 to eclipse the old Class 1A record of 2:09.12 set by Stephanie Brown in 2009. Rybak’s margin of victory was six seconds with Lily Woolery of Shelbyville finishing second (2:14.33) ahead of Tepe (2:11.58) and Denning (2:15.43).

The race that Rybak really wanted in this meet was the 1600 Meter Run. It is tough to win two titles in the Illinois State Meet let alone three. She waited for the start wanting that fourth. Molly Farrell of Marshall pushed the pace from the start leading the first 400 in 71 seconds with Kate Foltz of Tuscola and Rybak close behind. Rybak responded taking the lead running for 73 seconds on the next two laps reaching the bell lap in 3:40. Farrell would not let Rybak staying on her shoulder the final lap. The resolve of Rybak was too much as she crossed the line in 4:54.02 for her fourth straight title. Farrell ran a great double in this meet running 4:54.50 to place second. Kyla Babb of Westmont finished third (4:56.45) to finish third ahead of Isabella Keller of St. Anthony (4:58.50).

“I knew I had to control that race (the 1600). I just stayed comfortable and made my move when I needed to. When I heard the crowd at the end, I thought Uh-oh, I better get going,” Rybak said after her win. “I thought about the 1600 long before I came here. The mile is a special race for me; I scratched the 400 here. Its too intense of a race and the 1600 is too long. I knew that the 800 would be my last 800 in high school. I wanted that record very bad.”

Keller was not expect to be in this race so what she accomplished on this day. She raced in open meets in January and was not seen after that. Isabella was diagnosed with OCD (Osteochondritis Dissecans). According to OrthoInfo.com, “In grown children and young adults, OCD can have more severe effects. The OCD lesions have a greater chance of separating from the surrounding bone and cartilage and can even detach and float around inside the joint. In these cases, surgery may be necessary.”

Keller kept a positive mind cross training when she could but did not run for 13.5 weeks. The sophomore was not given a go ahead to run until just before her sectional meet. “I did not know if I would be able to run. I was a little hesitant. I wanted to run,” Keller said. “I thought if I could not, oh well. I would just start to get ready for cross country.”

The Class 1A 3200 Meter Run almost turned into a disaster in the later stages of the race. Keller and Babb had broken away from the field entering the final two laps of the race. The stadium announcer insisted that the two runners were into their final 1200-meters after lapping a runner. Then they were into the final lap with Keller leading Babb by five seconds. As she approached the final 50-meters it was announced “Here is Keller approaching the bell lap…”

Keller slowed down crossing the finish line in 10:20.92 and looked up to the press box in confusion and disbelief, not knowing if she had won. Babb had the same look as she crossed in 10:32.52 in second. “I heard the announcement and thought I needed to keep going,” Babb said after the race. “When I saw Isabella stop, I decided to stop also.”

“I got close to the finish and saw the clock and then heard the announcement,” Keller continued. “I knew I was not running 11:30 pace so I stopped.”

A state champion should get the moment to feel that jubilation. This was her second straight Class 1A title in the event. With everything that she had gone through this spring, she had earned that moment that was taken away from her with an egregious error. This should not happen in any type of a championship meet.

Shelbyville stormed away from the field with Lily Woolery running a split on the anchor of 2:14.58 to lead the Rams to the state title in the 4x800 Meter Relay. Their winning time of 9:23.52 was almost nine seconds ahead of Pleasant Plains (9:32.04) that had gotten withing two seconds of Shelbyville entering the final 800 meters of the race. Cambridge (9:44.73), Stark County (9:47.19), and El Paso-Gridley (9:48.66) finished in the top five.

Keira Stoller of El Paso-Gridley held off Maroa-Forsyth and Fulton for the win for El Paso-Gridley in the 4x100 Meter Relay (48.90). Maroa-Forsyth (49.14) and Fulton (49.36) to finish second and third. El Paso-Gridley picked up their second relay win dominating the 4x200 Meter Relay. The Titans ran 1:41.96 to win the race. Monmouth United placed second (1:44.19), Tuscola, anchored by Lia Patterson, ran 1:45.19 to finish third.

The order did not change in the top two in the Long Jump. Saylor Barry unleashed a 18-11.25 on her opening round of the final round to secure her position to win her second straight state title. Reese Hoene finished second (17-10.75) to place second with Ava Bee of Athens (17-6.25) placing third.

Emma Behrmann of Nashville was busy on championship Saturday in four events. Behrmann kept the lead after prelims and kept it for a state title. Behrmann jumped 37-5.25 for the win ahead of Tori Brown of Illini Bluffs (37-3) and Rylie Vanausdoll of Tuscola (36-9.75). Behrmann also finished sixth in the Long Jump, fourth in the 100 Meter Hurdles, and sixth in the 300 Meter Hurdles.

Aubrey Phillips of El Paso-Gridley cleared 5-5.75 to win the High Jump ahead of Riane Bear of Sullivan cleared 5-4.50.

Alexis Punsalan of Somonauk won the Pole Vault in March at the Illinois Top Times Championships and wanted another chance to be on the top of the podium. Punsalan cleared a personal best 12-0 win the state title. Tess Carlson of Newark cleared 11-5.75 to finish second.

Chelsea Stotler of Stark County had a 42-4.25 best to win the Shot Put holding off Nashville’s Makayla Gajewski (42-1.25) and Zion Young of Maroa-Forsyth (40-8.75). Hannah Gibson of Carlinville threw 148-2 to win the Discus ahead of Brenna Dutcher of Warrensburg-Lathan (141-02) and Addison Stadsholt of Athens (136-0).