Who's going to state? Springfield girls track athletes who advanced from sectionals
The Illinois High School Association girls track and field sectionals took place this week.
From each, the top two placers and qualifying performances advanced to the state finals set over three days next weekend at Eastern Illinois University.
Below, we take a look at each of the Springfield-area athletes who earned a spot in the finals — which are May 19-21 at O'Brien Stadium in Charleston — listed by sectional.
Keep an eye: 12 Springfield area girls track and field athletes to watch ahead of the IHSA postseason
CLASS 3A
At Danville
100 meters: Katelyn Lehnen, freshman, Chatham Glenwood (11.97)
200 meters: Lehnen, Chatham Glenwood (24.62)
400 meters: Lehnen, Chatham Glenwood (57.05)
4x800 relay: Chatham Glenwood (Grace Hopper, Nia Gibson, Lydia Gurnsey, Rachael Behrens) 9:42.25
Pole vault: Linden Neposchlan, junior, Springfield High (10-2 ¾)
Triple jump: Ineh Erewele, senior, Springfield High (35-8 ¼); Natalie Miles, sophomore, Chatham Glenwood (34-11 ¾)
What to know: Lehnen set a couple of personal records in the 200 and 400 and ranks in the top five in each of the three qualifying sprint events in 3A, according to athletic.net. Her PR in the 200 is second behind only Chicago Simeon’s Lindsey Miller. The freshman phenom is already accustomed to elite competition. She earlier won the indoor Illinois Prep Top Times meet in the 60-meter dash (7.62) in 3A. The Senators feature two state qualifiers: Neposchlan and Erewele.
CLASS 2A
At Dunlap
800 meters: Becca Heitzig, sophomore, Lincoln (2:14.06)
Triple jump: Reese McCuan, senior, Lincoln (36-10 ½)
4x400 relay: Lincoln (Heitzig, McCuan, Mallory Short, Alyssa Company) 4:03.60
What to know: Heitzig and McCuan can each take a stab at state gold. Heitzig dominated the sectional and earlier in the season posted the third best time in 2A in the 800, according to athletic.net. McCuan’s school record in the triple jump also easily claimed first place at Wednesday’s sectional and tied for second place in all of 2A.
At Troy Triad
100 meters: Olivia Redpath, sophomore, Sacred Heart-Griffin (12.64)
400 meters: Sterling Scarlette, junior, Sacred Heart-Griffin (59.79)
800 meters: Colleen Zeibert, junior, Rochester (2:19.08); Brooke Zeibert, freshman, Rochester (2:28.18)
3,200 meters: Vivian Rahmel, junior, Sacred Heart-Griffin (12:23.50)
100 hurdles: Brianna Jones, senior, Southeast (16.72); Macie Rolf, freshman, Sacred Heart-Griffin (16.73)
300 hurdles: Jones, Southeast (46.92)
4x100 relay: Sacred Heart-Griffin (Rolf, Scarlette, Redpath, Bella Madonia) 50.61
4x400 relay: Sacred Heart-Griffin (Rolf, Scarlette, Maggie Fleischli, Ava Hancock) 4:07.22
4x800 relay: Sacred Heart-Griffin (Hancock, Scarlette, Fleischli, Kaitlyn Lee) 9:57.66; Rochester (Trinity Hicks, Brooke Zeibert, Addi Schmedeke, Colleen Zeibert) 10:05.59
Pole vault: Alyssa Andreatta, freshman, Taylorville (9-9)
What to know: The Cyclones flourished in the relays with three state qualifying teams and won the 4x400 and 4x800. The latter, in particular, has the third best time this season in 2A, according to athletic.net. SHG qualified in seven total events. The Zeiberts, Colleen and Brooke, swept the 800 while Jones mopped up gold in the hurdles. Colleen comes into state with the fourth best time in 2A just behind Heitzig in the 800.
CLASS 1A
At Bloomington Central Catholic
200 meters: Jennifer Bonnett, junior, Havana (27.46)
300 hurdles: Jasmine Ishmael, senior, Havana (50.67)
Long jump: Bonnett, Havana (16-10)
What to know: Bonnett qualified in two events, winning the long jump in Wednesday’s sectional. Ishmael came away with first place in the 300 hurdles.
At Gillespie
100 meters: Emma Crawford, freshman, North Mac (12.79)
200 meters: Kendall Stewart, sophomore, Litchfield (27.31)
400 meters: Stewart, Litchfield (1:01.63); Simone Johnson, junior, Lutheran (1:04.49)
800 meters: Caroline Peters, junior, New Berlin (2:34.80)
1,600 meters: Peters, New Berlin (6:06.93)
3,200 meters: Olivia Thoroman, junior, North Mac (14:16.25); Kylee Eiting, senior, Litchfield (14:53.40)
100 hurdles: Aleese Trimingham, junior, Auburn (16.45); Sydney Rutter, junior, Riverton (17.13)
300 hurdles: Trimingham, Auburn (47.41); Crawford, North Mac (47.93); Carly Guinn, senior, Litchfield (47.93)
4x100 relay: North Mac (Crawford, Addison Earley, Kaelyn Swift, Alexis Bowman) 51.21; Litchfield (Stewart, Guinn, Sofia Ray, Lily Braasch) 52.02
4x200 relay: New Berlin (Kaylee Cowhick, Lainey Brewer, Jadyn Perry, Kylie Periman) 1:50.95; North Mac (Crawford, Swift, Earley, Bowman) 1:51.00
4x400 relay: Auburn (Trimingham, Jenna Sharp, Marley Smith, Cambrey Hedges) 4:28.15; North Mac (Bowman, Thoroman, Earley, Natalie Little) 4:38.84
4x800 relay: Litchfield (Emma Dively, Delanie Ulrich, Caitlyn Travis, Joelle Hughes) 11:21.71
Shot put: Jolie Foreman, senior, Riverton (34-9 ¼)
Discus: Hannah Gibson, freshman, Carlinville (117-2); Foreman, Riverton (111-2 ¾)
High jump: Kylie Periman, senior, New Berlin (5-3 ¾); Guinn, Litchfield (5-1 ¾); Kaci Papin, senior, Hillsboro (4-11 ¾); Rebekah Hannah, senior, North Mac (4-11 ¾)
Pole vault: Jenna Sharp, junior, Auburn (8-11 ¾)
Long jump: Brandy Petitt, sophomore, Riverton (16-1 ¼)
Triple jump: Grace Bekeske, freshman, Staunton (30-7 ¾)
What to know: The freshman Crawford qualified for the most events in the sectional and won the 100 and 4x100 relay. Trimingham nabbed the most wins with three: 100 and 300 hurdles as well as the 4x400. Stewart claimed the 200 and 400 while Periman captured the high jump and 4x200. Papin, who reached 5-4 ½ and second place in last year’s outdoor state meet, returns to Charleston after tying for third in the high jump at sectionals.
At Sullivan
Shot put: Cassidy Clark, senior, Mount Pulaski (35-8)
Discus: Clark, Mount Pulaski (135-9 ¼)
What to know: Clark crushed the sectional field in the discus throw and will enter the state meet with the best throw of the season at 142-5 1/5, according to athletic.net. She claimed fourth place at last year’s state meet at 123-10 ½.
At Beardstown
200 meters: Belle Shoufler, freshman, Williamsville (27.61)
400 meters: Kami Rhoades, sophomore, Athens (1:00.96); Emma Good, junior, Williamsville (1:02.44)
800 meters: Abigail Wolters, freshman, Pleasant Plains (2:23.49)
1600 meters: Louisa Wilson, freshman, Williamsville (5:31.07)
3200 meters: Wilson, Williamsville (12:17.68)
300 hurdles: Emma Terwische, senior, Jacksonville Routt (48.71)
4x100 relay: Williamsville (Shoufler, Elyse Olysav, Char Gleason, Delaney Lines) 52.86; Pleasant Plains (Nikkie Shaffer, Ella Pearce, Julia Bergner, Whitney Wilson) 53.41
4x200 relay: Williamsville (Olysav, Gleason, Lines, Shoufler) 1:54.02
4x400 relay: Pleasant Plains (Shaffer, Wolters, Jaidynn Albers, Megan Derrick) 4:18.12
4x800 relay: Pleasant Plains (Derrick, Albers, Anna Moore, Teagen Galloway) 10:31.37; Williamsville (Good, Wilson, Katherine Walker, Emily Pounder) 10:55.41
Shot put: Addie Stadsholt, freshman, Athens (34-3)
Discus: Stadsholt, Athens (113-5 ½)
High jump: Katryna Tewes, senior, Pleasant Plains (4-10 ¼)
Pole vault: Alexa Hayes, senior, Rushville-Industry (9-6 ¼)
Long jump: Madison Kacevicius, sophomore, Greenview (16-4 ¾); Lacie Schultz, junior, Greenview (16-4)
Triple jump: Terwische, Jacksonville Routt (33-8); Anna May, senior, Jacksonville Routt (31-9 ½)
What to know: Williamsville and Plains combined to qualify for 12 events. Wilson, who debuted with bronze in the Class 1A state cross country meet over the fall, qualified in three events and narrowly won the 1600 over Liberty’s Arianna Neisen. Another Williamsville freshman, Shoufler, will also make her state debut in three events and helped the 4x100 to first place. A freshman out of Plains, Wolters, won the 800 and will head into Charleston with the eighth best time in 1A, according to athletic.net. Another freshman from Athens, Stadsholt, made the cut at runner-up in both throwing events.
This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: IHSA track and field: Springfield IL girls advance sectionals to state
