ALAH girls qualify for state track meet in eight events, Villa Grove, Tuscola in four
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By Mike Monahan
SHELBYVILLE – Arthur Lovington Atwood Hammond girls track team placed third out of 17 in the IHSA Class 1A sectional May 13 with 84 points in the 17-team sectional won by Shelbyville with 122 points.
The Knights qualified 11 student-athletes in eight events, while Villa Grove and Tuscola had three people in four events and Arcola did not have any qualifiers.
“We came into this thinking that we could probably score a little more points, but at the end of the day the goal is to get as many people to state as possible,” said ALAH coach Ryan Jefferson. “ So, we kind of switched our strategy. We made sure we could get as many people to state and still ended up third in sectional and that is good. I am content and happy with that.”
The state track meet preliminaries are Thursday at Eastern Illinois University’s O’Brien Stadium and the finals as well as the 3,200, which does not have a prelim, are set for Saturday.
ALAH
Qualifying in four events was junior Bella Romine. She is going in the triple jump, long jump and is part of the 4×100 and 4×200 relay teams.
‘My goal was to qualify in all four events,” said Romine, a sophomore. “I made sure I executed and did what I needed to do.”
Grace Romine, Bella Romine, Leighton Poulos and Summer Melton were on the 4×100 team that finished second in 51.33, while Grace Romine, Macelyn Boddy, Melton and Bella Romine made up the second place 4×200 that finished with a time of 1:50.07 Both relay times were season best times.
A good wind was blowing to the north.
“You never know against the wind,” said Romine. “I just made sure to keep my form and try not to let it affect me. I think the handoffs in the 4×200 probably could have been a little better, but they were okay.”
Bella Romine had personal records in the long jump and triple jump going 17-4 and 34-5 ½ respectively.
“Coming into this season we knew we had a really good jumper for us in Bella Romine,” said Jefferson. “But we knew she had not touched her potential in an actual meet. In practice she had been jumping really well. Sometimes athletes have trouble getting on the board when the time comes for a meet. She finally took a step forward in the long jump breaking the school record. In the triple jump she just kept going way back from the board. She was jumping probably 34-4 when more realistically it should have been 35-8 to 36-1 if she could get on the board. If she does that in state I think she will shock a lot of people. They will be like ‘whoa, where did that girl come from.’ she has got a lot of potential.”
The 4×800 relay team of Embrey Reardon, Lily Vanda, Sophie Johnson and Ruby Burton placed fourth with a qualifying time of 10:27.50, while the 4×400 team of Burton, Johnson, Vanda and Rylie Ward placed fifth with a qualifying time of 4:19.41.
It was pretty cool to have all four relays go,” said Jefferson. “That was our goal. We were cutting it pretty close in the 4×400 as it was pretty tight.”
The 4×400 made it by just .27 of a second.
“The wind was a bit horrible,” said Burton, a senior. “I just kept trying to push. Finishing against the wind I was just thinking about the finish line and see what I get. The 4×800 is going to state for the third time in a row. I am happy we did it again with a brand new set of girls.”
Alex Clark was second in both the shot put and discus going 35-0 ¼ and 114-0 respectively. Both were season bests for the senior.
Melton also qualified in the triple jump at 33-5 ¾.
Villa Grove
Evalice Callison, a junior, qualified in the 200 and the high jump, while Baylee Martin, a classmate, is going in the long jump and freshman Amijah Riggleman is going in the 100.
Callison was second in the 200 with a time of :27.12. In the high jump she won it with a height of 5-3 ¾.
“I was surprised I qualified in the 200,” said Callison, who does not use blocks. “It is my first year running the 200. I was chasing Gabby Totten (a junior from Okaw Valley). I wanted to be close to her. She is really good and made it in three events. It is the first time going to state in two events as I had only been in the high jump before.”
Callison’s best in the high jump is 5-5, while her best in the 200 is 26.93. She plans to be in the 200 next year as well as the high jump.
Riggelman finished second with a personal record time of 12.78 in the 100, while Martin went 16-10 in the long jump to qualify by distance. Her best is 17-2 ¾ this season.
Tuscola
Foltz made it in the 1,600 and 3,200 by placing third in the 1,600 with a time of 5:20.24 as she qualified by being under the qualifying time of 5:36.90. In the 3,200 Foltz won with a time of 11:13.38, which was 11.27 better than the second place runner as she led from start to finish.
“The weather was not too bad,” said Foltz, who is headed to the University of Illinois where she will be running on the track and cross country teams. “It was a little windy, but nothing terrible. In the 3,200 I just ran a fun race and let the times follow. I don’t have much of a kick as it is nothing too crazy. In the 1,600 I was just trying to qualify and get through it. This was one of my goals (make it in both the 1,600 and 3,200) at the start of the season. I will just really push my body to my limits at state and let the times follow where they may.”
Foltz’s best this season in the 1,600 is 5:14.42,while she has run an 11:02.0 in the 3,200. Her personal best in the 1,600 is 5:03.66, which was her freshman year, while her best in the 3,200 is 10;34.46 which was last year in the ALAH Invitational.
As a freshman Foltz was 10th in the 1,600 (5:19.74), second in the 3,200 (10:53.22), while her sophomore season she was 13th in the 1,600 (5:11.89) and third in the 3,200 (10:57.73). Last season Foltz was 10th in the 1,600 (5:11.0) and third in the 3,200 (10:46.79).
Freshman Ava Kleiss qualified in the long jump with a distance of 16-7 ¼, good for eighth place. Her best is 16-8 ¾.
Senior Kali Gilpin is going to state in the high jump as she was second with a height of 5-1 ¾. Her best is 5-4 ¼.
“I didn’t think I would go to state, especially doing it twice (went in the high jump last year as well),” said Gilpin. “The wind definitely affected me, but it was at my back so that was good.”
Arcola
Although no one made it state all four events that had a person or relay team place had a season-best performance, this includes freshman Scarlett Montano, who was fourth in the 200 with a time of 27.86; the 4×100 team of Olivia Gisinger, Jaiden Miller, Anahi Cooper, Montano that also placed fourth with a time of 53.92; and the 4×200 relay team of Keyla Hernandez, Ellis Wilson,Bella Cooper, and Montano who placed sixth in 1:56.99.
Cooper is the only senior and Arcola was without senior Ema Simpson due to an injury.
IHSA Class 1A girls’ track sectional, May 13
Team scores: 1. Shelbyville 122; 2. Sullivan 118.5; 3. Arthur Lovington Atwood Hammond 84; 4. Marshall 72; 5. Villa Grove 56; 6. Tie, Tuscola, Cerro Gordo/Bement 39; 8. Central A&M 30; 9. Okaw Valley 30; 10. Pana 23; 11. Nokomis 17.5; 12. Kansas-Shiloh 17; 13. Arcola 14; 14. Windsor/Stewardson-Strasburg 13; 15. Meridian 6; 16. Cowden-Herrick/Beecher City 5; 17. Neoga 2
(Arcola, Arthur Lovington Atwood Hammond, Tuscola, Villa Grove top 8 individuals, relays)
100: 2. Amijah Riggleman (VG) 12.78*!
200: 4. Scarlett Montano (A) 27.86*; 6. Riggleman (VG) 28.14; 8. Grace Romine (ALAH) 28.76
400: 8. Norma Mendoza (ALAH) 1:06.79*
800: 3. Ruby Burton (ALAH) 2:31.71; 5. Alice Mitsdarfer (VG) 2:34.97; 8. Sami Walker (T) 2:44.71
1,600: 3. Kate Foltz (T) 5:20.24!; 7. Embrey Reardon (ALAH) 5:57.79
3,200: 1. Foltz (T) 11:13.38!
100 hurdles: 7. Emmalee Reel (ALAH) 17.90*
300 hurdles: 3. Reel (ALAH) 50.93*; 4 Rylie Ward (ALAH) 52.71; 5. Kenna Koeberlein (VG) 55.67
4×100: 2. ALAH (Grace Romine, Bella Romine, Leighton Poulos, Summer Melton) 51.33!; 3. Villa Grove (Areigha Hauversburk, Baylee Martin, Evalice Callison, Riggleman) 52.69*; 4. Arcola (Olivia Gisinger, Jaiden Miller, Anahi Cooper, Montano) 53.92*; 7. Tuscola (Makayela Sexson, Montserrat Xolo, Phoebe Wilkins, Tessa Neuner) 55.38
4×200: 2. ALAH (Grace Romine, Macelyn Boddy, Melton, Bella Romine 1:50.07!; 5. Zeva Kirkman, Martin, Riggleman, Callison) 1:56.04*; 6. Arcola (Keyla Hernandez, Ellis Wilson, Cooper, Montano) 1:56.99; 8. Tuscola (Sexson, Xolo, Wilkins, Neuner) 2:03.78*
4×400 5. ALAH (Burton, Johnson, Lily Vanda, Ward) 4:19.41!; 7. Tuscola (Xolo, Reece Davis, Hayden Smith, Ainsley Rennert) 4:50.30*
4×800: 4. ALAH (Reardon, Vanda, Johnson, Burton) 10:27.50!; 5. Tuscola (Bella Dueker, Walker, Emma Spillman, Celeste Rebollo) 12:53.58*
Shot put: 2. Alex Clark (ALAH) 35-0 ¼*!; 5. Ashby Coblentz (ALAH) 30-6 14*; 7. Anna-Marie Grant (T) 29-10 ¼; 8. Ryan Lillard (VG) 29-1 14
Discus: 2. Clark (ALAH) 114-0!*; 5. Lillard (VG) 106-2; 8. Ward (ALAH) 98-4
High jump: 1. Callaison (VG) 5-3 ¾; 2. Kali Gilpin (T) 5-1 ¾
Long jump: 3. Bella Romine (ALAH) 17-4*!; 5. Martin (VG) 16-10!; 8. Ava Kleiss (T) 16-7 ¼!
Triple jump: 3. Bella Romine (ALAH) 34-5 ½!*; 6. Melton (ALAH) 33-5 ¾!; 7. Kleiss (T) 32-5 ¾; 8. Averi Kutz (A) 30-4 ¾*
!-state qualifier; *-personal record