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Metro sports roundup: Regional champ Marshall to face Tolono in softball sectional

the tribune-star, terre haute, ind.
·4 min read

May 22—Fresh off their Sullivan Regional championship, the Marshall Lions will face host Tolono Unity in Tuesday's first round of the Class 2A Tolono Sectional in the Illinois High School Association softball tournament.

Marshall plays Tolono at 6 p.m. Tuesday, following the Effingham St. Anthony-vs.-Bloomington Central Catholic matchup at 4:30 p.m. The winners play for the sectional championship at 11 a.m. Saturday.

Marshall won the Sullivan Regional by beating Shelbyville 16-6 last Tuesday and then St. Joseph-Ogden 12-8 in Friday's championship.

In the Class 2A Newton softball regional, Paris lost the championship game Saturday to host Newton by an 8-2 score.

In Class A, Casey won its regional with a 10-0 victory over Dieterich on Friday. The Warriors now play Altamont at 4 p.m. Wednesday in the Farina South Central Sectional.

Prep tennis

—Paris duo qualify for state — At Danville, Paris' doubles team of Marcus Mitchell and Robert Wells placed fourth in the Danville boys tennis sectional, played last Friday and Saturday.

That placement advanced the duo to the IHSA state tournament. Mitchell and Wells are the first Tiger doubles team to qualify for the state tournament in 30 years, said Paris Coach Stefan Aydt. Mitchell and Wells play their opening-round match at the state tournament at 8 a.m. Thursday. Their opponents, and the draw for the tournament, will be announced by the IHSA on Tuesday evening.

In the team competition at the Danville Sectional, Champaign Central took first place, while Paris finished fourth — the school's best team finish since 2017.

Danville Sectional results — (Team) Champaign Central (26), Urbana University (11), Urbana (10), Paris (8), Champaign St. Thomas More (4), Champaign Centennial (2), Champaign Academy High (0), Danville (0), Danville Schlarman (0), Mahomet-Seymour (0).

Paris results — (Doubles) Marcus Mitchell/Robert Wells (4th Place): Round 1 def. Bruno Jo/Charlie Wixson (Centennial) 7-5, 6-1, Round 2 def. Wesley Lu/Robert Gao (University) 7-6(2), 6-4, Round 3 lost to Elliot Gulley/Wade Schacht (Central) 6-0, 6-0, Round 4 lost to Peter Smith/Tom Balogh (Central) 6-3, 6-4; Aidan Creech/Harris Romero: Round 1 def. Jack Louis/Lucas Raquel (Mahomet) 6-3, 6-1, Round 2 lost to Parker McClain/Elijah Walker (Urbana) 6-2, 6-2. (Singles) Hudson David: Round 1 def. Mark Lehmann (Schlarman) 6-1, 6-3, Round 2 lost to Aryan Sachdev (University) 6-0, 6-0; Drake Bartos: Round 1 lost to Hunter Madigan (St. Thomas More) 6-4, 6-2.

College track and field

—Sycamore sprinter named to Team USA for World Para games — Indiana State University sprinter Noah Malone was named to Team USA for the 2023 World Para Athletics Championships in July.

The 2023 World Para Athletics Championships will be contested July 8-17 in Paris, France, and will also be the first opportunity for athletes to achieve direct qualification for the 2024 Paralympic Games. The top four ranked athletes in each medal event will earn direct qualification to the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris.

Malone, who currently owns the T12 world records in both the 100 meters (10.34 seconds) and 200 meters (21.55 seconds), is coming off a season that saw him finish fourth in the Missouri Valley Conference in the 100m and earn all-conference honors as part of the 4-by-400-meter relay team, while also qualifying for the NCAA East Preliminary Round as part of Indiana State's 4-by-100-meter relay team.

He was a part of the Sycamores' sweep of the 60 meter podium at the 2023 MVC Indoor Championships, where he earned all-conference honors in both the 60 meters and 200 meters. Indiana State won the MVC Indoor and Outdoor Track and Field Championships in both 2022 and 2023 with Malone scoring double-digit points for the Sycamores in each of the last three conference championship meets.

No stranger to the international stage, Malone is a three-time Paralympic medalist, with each of his medals coming at the 2020 Paralympics in Tokyo. Malone won gold in the universal 4-by-100-meter relay, while earning silver in both the 100 meters and 400 meters. He also placed first in the 100 meters at the 2022 Dubai Para Grand Prix and placed fourth in the 100 meters Race to Zero at the 2022 Diamond League Bislett Games in Oslo, Norway, the first-ever Para event at the Diamond League.

Malone previously competed at the 2019 Para Pan-Am Games, earning silver in the 100 meters and gold as part of the 4-by-100-meter relay for Team USA. He also earned gold in both the 100 meters and 200 meters and silver in the 400 meters at the 2019 World Para Athletics Junior Championships.