Knights’ track and field hold annual spring sports awards night
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On Thursday, June 4, the Arthur Lovington Atwood Hammond high school boys and girls track and field teams held their annual awards night at Atwood-Hammond Grade School. Usually, all the spring sports hold the awards night together but as the baseball team had just finished their season the night before and the bass fishing team was in their state tournament on June 5 and 6, their awards night along with the softball team will be at a later date.
ALAH Athletic Director Nathan Seal opened the evening with these remarks, “On behalf of ALAH High School and our athletic department, it is my pleasure to welcome you to the 2026 Spring Awards Night. Tonight is one of my favorite nights of the year because it gives us an opportunity to celebrate the accomplishments, dedication, and growth of our student-athletes. While championships and awards are certainly worth recognizing, tonight is really about honoring the commitment, perseverance, and teamwork that have defined this school year.
The 2025-26 athletic season has been one of the most successful years in recent ALAH history. Our student-athletes earned eight Lincoln Prairie Conference championships, captured two regional championships, and our football team advanced to the IHSA semifinals. These accomplishments are a direct reflection of the hard work, sacrifice, and determination demonstrated by our athletes and coaches throughout the year.
Success in athletics is never guaranteed. It is built through early mornings, long practices, difficult losses, and a commitment to improving every day. Whether competing on the field, court, track, course, or lake, our Knights have represented ALAH with pride, sportsmanship, and a relentless work ethic.
To our coaches: thank you for your leadership, dedication, and countless hours invested in our student-athletes. Your impact extends far beyond wins and losses. You help shape character, build confidence, and teach lessons that will last a lifetime.
To our parents and families: thank you for your support and encouragement. From transportation and fundraising to cheering in the stands, your commitment plays a vital role in the success of our athletic programs.
And to our student-athletes: tonight is about celebrating you. Thank you for representing ALAH with class and pride. Thank you for supporting your teammates, overcoming challenges, and striving to be your best. The banners, trophies, and championships are memorable, but the character you have developed through athletics will have the greatest impact on your future.
As legendary coach Vince Lombardi once said, “The price of success is hard work, dedication to the job at hand, and the determination that whether we win or lose, we have applied the best of ourselves to the task at hand.
Before we hear from our coaches, I would like to take a moment to recognize and thank the many individuals and organizations who contribute to the success of our athletic programs.
Thank you to Miller Bus Transportation for safely transporting our teams throughout the season.
Thank you to our high school faculty and Board of Education for your continued support of our student-athletes and athletic programs. A special thank you to Mrs. Redfern, Ms. Creek, and Mrs. Seegmiller in the office for everything you do behind the scenes to keep our programs running smoothly. Thank you to Mrs. Schrock and Mr. Cheek in the unit office for your leadership, guidance, and support throughout the year. We would also like to thank our local media outlets—including The County Chronicle, the News-Gazette, the Herald & Review, WCIA, and WAND—for helping share the stories and accomplishments of our student-athletes. Thank you to our maintenance staff for the countless hours spent preparing and maintaining our facilities and competition venues. Your work often goes unnoticed, but it plays a critical role in the success of our programs. Last, but certainly not least, on behalf of our coaches, athletes, and athletic department, thank you to our volunteers. We are incredibly fortunate to have volunteers who consistently step up to support our athletic programs. Whether you’re working concessions, helping run a track meet, or simply lending a hand wherever needed, your dedication makes a tremendous difference. You do far more than fill a role. You help create opportunities for our student-athletes to compete, grow, and succeed. Your generosity, commitment, and willingness to serve demonstrate what it truly means to be part of Knight Nation. Thank you for your time, your support, and your dedication to our students. Our programs are stronger because of you, and we are deeply grateful for everything you do.”
Mr. Seal then introduced Head Coach Ryan Jefferson for a season summary of the girls’ track and field season and to present the girls’ Knight Award.
Coach Jefferson related that it was a fun year with twenty-eight girls participating. He thanked the other coaches, his assistant Ashley Snoddy, Mitch Wilson, Adam Reel, Shawn Davison, and Austin Romine for all their help. He then told of the goals, win the ALAH Invite, 3-peat in the Lincoln Prairie Conference meet, and send more qualifiers to state. They met all these goals and in addition placed third in Sectional, and set nine indoor records and six outdoor records. Looking forward, they will miss the nine seniors but have nineteen returning along with incoming freshmen and newcomers from other classes. He stated he was “excited for next season.”
For the Girls’ Track and Field Knight Award, he looks for someone you can rely on, a hard worker, high character, integrity, someone who gives it their all and is dependable. That person for the 2026 Knight Award was senior Ruby Burton.
Next up was Head Boys’ Track and Field Coach Mitch Wilson. He noted that there were thirty-three boys on the squad this year. He thanked the parents for their help and especially for their support, mentioning the Knights always had a large group of fans cheering on all the boys and girls at all the meets. Coach Wilson also thanked Mr. Seal and the administration for allowing them to host two indoor meets at the U of I Armory.
As for season highlights, Coach Wilson noted they scored 1124.5 points this season with twenty-nine athletes scoring with four scoring over 100 points. This is compared with last year’s 792 points scored by eighteen athletes with three over 100.
Coach Wilson stated five goals the team had set before the season and that they accomplished each of them. They were: qualify in more events in the Indoor Top Times meet; win the ALAH Invite (which they did in exciting fashion!); win the LPC title; qualify in more events for the IHSA State meet; and make the podium at State which was met with Beau Green’s ninth place medal in the 3200 meters.
For the boys’ Knight Award, Coach Wilson chose a senior who was a great teammate, did whatever was asked of him, stepped into the 1600 meter relay at the ALAH Invite without hesitation, and went from scoring 11.5 points last year to 46.75 this season. The boys’ Knight Award winner was Tristan Keagle.
Before breaking out for the individual awards different groups of athletes were recognized. First up were the Tri-Sport Athletes, those student-athletes that participated in three sports during the 2025-26 school year. Freshman Tri-Sport Athletes: Beau Green, Jase Kingery, Colton Snyder, Dustin Snyder, Donnie Vanausdoll, Sophomore Tri-Sport Athletes: Jonah Burket, Carson Reed, Alex Olivero, Keely Simpson, Junior Tri-Sport Athletes: Brennon Hutson, Cameron McGill,
Senior Tri-Sport Athletes: Easton Frederick, Cruz Hale, Payton Warrior
The next group up were the student-athletes that received all conference recognition. Girls Track (event winners at LPC meet) discus – Rylie Ward, Boys Track (event winners at LPC meet) 4×100 relay and triple jump- Daylon Doggett, 200m dash, 400m dash, and 4x100m relay – Easton Frederick, 4x100m relay – Cruz Hale and Payton Warrior, high jump – Trey Strode
The final awards handed out before the group broke up into their sport specific awards are our new school records. Athletes received certificates for each record they were a part of as either an individual or as part of a relay.
BOYS TRACK & FIELD
Indoor Triple Jump = 12.22m – Daylon Doggett
Indoor High Jump – 1.78m – Cooper Shoemaker
Indoor 4x200m relay – 1:35.76 – Cruz Hale, Daylon Doggett, Payton Warrior, Easton Frederick
Indoor 4×400 – 3:36.67 – Cruz Hale, Daylon Doggett, Payton Warrior, Easton Frederick
Outdoor 4x100m relay – Cruz Hale, Daylon Doggett, Payton Warrior, Easton Frederick – 43.37
Outdoor 4x200m Relay – Cruz Hale, Daylon Doggett, Payton Warrior, Easton Frederick – 1:30.10
Outdoor 4x400m Relay – Cruz Hale, Daylon Doggett, Payton Warrior, Easton Frederick 3:26.66
GIRLS TRACK & FIELD
Indoor Shot Put – 11.07m – Alex Clark
Indoor Triple Jump – 10.27m – Bella Romine
Indoor 200m – 28.29 – Grace Romine
Indoor 800m – 2:28.72 – Ruby Burton
Indoor 1600m – 5:45.86 – Kimberly Krutsinger
Indoor 4x200m relay – 1:53.88 – Grace Romine, McKenna Blaudow, Summer Melton, Bella Romine
Indoor 4x400m relay – 4:22.01 – Emmalee Reel, Lily Vanda, Sophie Johnson, Ruby Burton
Indoor 4x800m relay – 10:18.77 – Embrey Reardon, Kimberly Krutsinger, Sophie Johnson, Ruby Burton
Outdoor Long Jump – 5.28m – Bella Romine
Outdoor 800m run – 2:27.76 – Ruby Burton
Outdoor 1600m run – 5:41.89 – Kimberly Krutsinger
Outdoor 4x100m Relay – 51.07 – Grace Romine, Bella Romine, Leighton Poulos, Summer Melton
Outdoor 4x200m Relay – 1:48.51 – Grace Romine, Macee Boddy, Bella Romine, Summer Melton
Outdoor 4x800m Relay -10.27.5 – Embrey Reardon. Lily Vanda. Sophia Johnson, Ruby Burton