ROUNDUP: Regional champ Casey to face Altamont in softball sectional

The Tribune-Star, Terre Haute, Ind.
·4 min read

May 22—Fresh off its Sullivan Regional title, Marshall was slated to face host Tolono Unity in Tuesday's first round of the Class 2A Tolono Sectional in the Illinois softball tournament

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In the Class 2A Newton 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.

Boys tennis

—Paris duo qualify for state — At Danville, Paris' doubles team of Marcus Mitchell and Robert Wells placed fourth in the Danville 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 will play their opening-round match at the state tournament at 8 a.m. Thursday. Their opponents, and the draw for the tournament, were to 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 team scores — 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

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

The 2023 World Para Athletics Championships will be contested July 8-17 in Paris and also will 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 the 100 meters (10.34 seconds) and 200 (21.55), is coming off a season that saw him finish fourth in the Missouri Valley Conference in the 100 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 the the 60 and 200. Indiana State won the MVC indoor and outdoor championships in 2022 and 2023 with Malone scoring double-digit points 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.