Normal University rolls to second straight Class 2A team title; Sundara Weber sets 2A record in the 1600 Meter Run and second straight 3200 title; Heartbreak for Sophia Schardan and Triad; Emily Stecky just misses 2A meet record

By Michael Newman

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Charleston, Ill – Normal University Coach Randy Anderson walked back and forth on the football field inside of O’Brien Field watching the U-High keeping his thoughts to himself. Anderson would leave the stadium to talk to an athlete and come right back to the track. “He told us before the meet that he was not allowed to talk to us on the track,” U-High senior leader Zoe Carter said.

Anderson had done all his coaching during the season. He let his athletes show their stuff on Saturday winning their second straight team title with 64 points. Tolono Unity scored 49 points in finishing second. North Chicago and Southland College Prep tied for third with 35 points. South Shore International missed a trophy by one point scoring 34 points to finish fifth. U-High scored in 10 of the meet’s 18 events including all four relays.

U-High’s best showing came in the Discus where they were 1-2 after the Friday preliminary session. Isabella Thurston did not improve in her final attempts. Her 144-9 throw was strong enough to earn the sophomore her first state title. Teammate Mackenzie Matejka kept her second-place finish with a 139-7 throw. Caysie Brady of DePaul College Prep threw 134-0 to finish third.

Thurston moved up to fourth in the finals of the Shot Put. Emma Skeate of Marion had a 38-2 best to win the state title as a freshman. Keagan Koenig of Effingham was second (37-8.50) to finish second ahead of Erin Murphy of Rochelle (37-6.75) and Thurston (37-6.50).

Weather had played a part in performances during the season. Temperatures in the 70’s and clear skies gave athletes a change for personal bests and a state meet for the ages.

The only Class 2A State Meet Record came in the 1600 Meter Run. It was a race that Sundara Weber of Sandwich was looking towards to. The junior wanted to defend her title in the 3200 as she said before the race doing what she had to do to win. The pack stayed tight together passing 1600 meters in 5:20. Weber did not look to be nervous as six other runners within two seconds. Weber opened a two second lead with two laps to go. Here lead opened to six seconds on the bell lap. She cruised into the finish at 10:29.04 winning by 10 seconds. Zoe Carter gave U-High eight points as she held on to second (10:39.03) ahead of Emily Decker of Tolono Unity (19:39.54), Sydney Gertsen of Montini (10:40.46), Emaline Foster of Prairie Ridge (10:42.16), and Elena Mamminga of St. Francis (10:46.86).

Weber wasted little time at the start of the 1600 Meter Run to displaying her dominance ahead of the rest of the field. She passed the first 400 in 69.4 with Brooke Zeibert of Rochester and Klarke Goranson of Manteno a second behind. The lead climbed to six seconds as the Sandwich runner was at 2:20 at the 800 ahead of pace for the record set by Kayla Beattie (4:43.65) in 2011. Her pace slowed down to a 73 second lap passing the bell lap in 3:33 now 13 seconds ahead. It was Weber against the clock and some of the fans realized it. She closed in 68 seconds to run 4:41.90 smashing the meet record by almost two seconds. Zeibert ran 4:57.83 holding off Goranson (4:57.85) for second. Decker (5:02.99) and Carter (5:03.47) finished off great doubles on this day finishing fourth and fifth.

“I knew this weekend I wanted to relax in the 3200. I really wanted a personal best in the 1600 so that is where my focus was,” a jubilant Weber said after breaking the 1600 record. “My legs were heavy after that 3200. I just had to push through the pain to do what I knew I could do today. I did not feel that great in that race, but the feeling afterwards made up for all that pain.”

Emily Stecky of DePaul College Prep had been doubling most of this season in the 800 and the 1600 Meter Run. She wisely was put in the 800 and the 4x4 for Charleston. That decision paid off for the sophomore on Saturday. The showdown in the 800 Meter Run between her and Goranson was greatly anticipated. The pace went out fast as Stecky and Klarke Goranson passed the first 400 in 62.6 and ahead of St. Francis’ Erin Hinsdale and Margaret Andrzejewski were already close to two seconds behind. Stecky took the lead with 150 meters to go giving herself room just in case Goranson came back. Becca Heitzig’s 2023 record of 2:08.48 was threatened. Stecky crossed in a state championship and just missing the record running a personal best of 2:09.31. Goranson also ran a personal best with 2:11.43 finishing second. Andrzejewski (2:13.05) and Hinsdale (2:13.91) finishing third and fourth.

“I knew that I had the time from Palatine. I knew I could go out and win this,” Stecky said afterwards. “I had to have a fast 400 to start out with and then I kicked with 300 to go. I knew I had Klarke (Goranson) behind me. I knew I had to keep on that pace telling myself I could do this and not to fall back anymore.”

Stecky ran a 58.3 anchor leg to give her team a third-place finish (4:00.72) in the 4x400 Meter Relay. Eureka won the state title in 3:57.44 with Tolono Unity running 3:59.90 finishing second and DePaul College Prep holding off Waterloo (4:00.75 for third.

There was promise for the Troy Triad team camp to start the Saturday finals especially with Sophia Schardan and the day she had on Friday in the prelims with the capability of the junior winning all four events in which she was involved. Triad was in third behind Marian Catholic and Normal University was Schardan got the baton. She somehow got by the two teams to bring the Knights to a win in 47.39 ahead of Marian Catholic (47.44) and Normal University (47.53).

The 100 Meter Dash told a different story for Schardan getting off to a good start and taking the lead halfway through. With about 20 meters left in the race, the Triad junior started to wobble losing her balance grabbing her right leg and she tried to get to the finish. Rege Cooper Smith of North Chicago caught her at the line running 11.92 to win by just one hundredth of a second. Schardan fell to the track in agony and clutching her hamstring.

It was tough way for her season to end abruptly so successful yet with no resolution. Schardan had a great season but her door to 2025 closed too early. The are still things for her to accomplish in her season when another door will open for her. Troy Triad scored 22 points to finish eighth overall.

Cooper-Smith was a part of all North Chicago’s points. She ran the third leg for her team as they ran 1:41.61 to edge Normal University for the win in the 4x200 Meter Relay with Marian Catholic a close third (1:41.86). Cooper-Smith got the sprint double winning the 200 Meter Dash (24.34) with Madalyn Marx of Mahomet-Seymour (24.84) and Symone Holman of Joliet Catholic Academy (25.05).

Marx earlier in the 400 Meter Dash defended her title from a year ago. Marx was challenged by Kamaree Pollard in the finals, but Marx held on to run a personal best of 55.88 to win ahead of Pollard (56.42) and Te’Leyah Covington of Thornridge (56.96). Ashlyn Denney had a great day for Tolono Unity which included finishing fifth in the 800 Meter Run, 56.97 to finish fourth in the 400, and in the 4x800 Meter Relay.

That relay had one of the closest finishes in the meet. Rockford Boylan had a three second lead on Tolono Unity and another second lead on Rochester. Three top distances runners in Reese Kohnle of Boylan, Brooke Zeibert of Rochester, and Unity’s Denney. The three teams got closer as they came up to the final curve. Zeibert made a charge of Denney in the final 50 meters of the race, but Denney just held her off to give the Rockets the win (9:19.34) with Rochester second (9:19.37). Rockford Boylan finished third (9:20.66). Denney’s split was 2:12.00 with Zeibert at an incredible 2:10.53 and Kohnle at 2:16.27.

There was no one that was going to touch Jordan Hamb of South Shore International in the 100 Meter Hurdles. The defending state champion was the only runner under 15 seconds in the prelims. She was dominant in the final again running under 14 seconds with a 13.99 time. Kendall Gray of Southland Prep ran 14.79 to finish second just ahead of Hannah Safranek of Normal University (14.82) and Jamison Love of Mascoutah (14.83).

Gray fought back in the 300 Hurdles running 44.29 to win the 300 Meter Hurdles. Jamison ran 44.54 to place second ahead of Brielle Seiler of Richland County (44.62).

Katie Kostro of Rosary cleared 5-7 on her first attempt to win the High Jump state championship. Mariyah Elam of Mendota cleared 5-5.75 to finish second in this 24-athlete field. Sophia Burciaga of Reed Custer and Alexa Weter of Mt. Zion both cleared 11-7.75. Burciaga won the state title on fewer misses. Aliza Dominique of Sherrard cleared 11-1.75 to finish third.

Maria Long of Pontiac jumped 18-1.5 to win the state championship in the Long Jump. Jordan Hamb finished second (17-11.50) and Charlotte Okulaja of Illinois Math & Science Academy (17-10.75). Taya Rice of Agricultural Science jumped a personal best of 39-5 in the finals to win the state title. Alaiyah Penn of Carbondale (38-3.25) and Kylee Gardner of South Shore International (38-1.25) finished second and third.