Miranda Marry had a banner day with three medals including two wins in the oval dashes (Abe Jones photo credit)
The opening day of the Illinois Top Times kicked off with a bang with some record breaking performances from several familiar races. As well there were personal bests abound from the field to the track.
Check out these key meet highlights:
[Girls]
- Amelia Glueck (Sr., Tremont) started the evening off in meet record style in the long jump by leaping past her previous mark of 18'0.50" with a new effort of 18'2". Glueck had three other attempts that reached into the 17s including a 17'11 stanza; Glueck placed second in the 60m (7.99) and 200m (26.12) and then added a 61.6 anchor carry on her team's 4x4 relay.
- Morgan Zacharias (Jr., Reed-Custer) the state's leading pole vaulter enjoyed a record day when she copped the prize in 12'3". The bar was then raised to 12'9" where her first attempt was the best effort. Zacharias will for sure clear the 13-foot mark during the outdoor season.
- Kelsey Hildreth (Sr., Byron) took the mantle from Glueck and applied it to the track where she sped away from the field in the 3200m at the 1200m mark to win in a meet record 10:49.2. Early on it appeared as though Hildreth would not touch the former Carthage distance ace Katelyn Bastert's former mark of 10:50.58 because the pace was stalled until Hildreth took off at the mile mark. She ended up lapping all but one runner in Adrienne Brauer (So., Porta-Petersburg) who ran a solid 11:12.90.
- Miranda Marry (Sr., Fisher) had a wonderful day in the flat events. You see Marry is a hurdler who took a break to show off her speed. The first event for her was the 60m where she finished third in 8.10. That race was more or less used as a warm-up to the 400m in which a strong battle between she and Amanda McClain (Jr., Sullivan) ensued. They ran shoulder to shoulder for nearly 300m until Marry shifted into her fifth gear coming off the final curve to win 57.83-58.27.
- The front running Cassie Mundekis (Jr., Midwest Central) was content with setting a fast but honest pace in 68.4 through opening 400m. She continued to press all alone in an attempt to break her personal best which was 2:16.59 coming into the meet. Unfortunately she fell a little short at 2:17.67. Mundekis admitted that the lack of competition has prevented her from running faster times. It will be a matter of finding some quality races this outdoor season to push her. "I may run in a few races with boys," she said seriously referring to an viable alternative.
- Annemarie Michael (Fr., Urbana University) and Adrienne Brauer waged a great battle in the 1600m which came down to the final steps of the race that Michael narrowly pulled off 5:13.33-5:13.72. The first half of the race set up the dramatic senario when it reached in 2:36. Tactical events like this usually end with whoever has the best finishing kick. Michael showed that she had more in the tank.
- Miscellaneous action: Jenny Kimbro (So., Jamaica Sidell) broke her own meet record in the 60H with a time of 9.18; the Carthage swept the relays 4x200m and 4x400 with some tough clutch racing. The 4x2 quartet gave the meet record an honest shot in the final heat three winning easily in a classification best 1:48.56. The 4x4 was negoitated in 4:10.59; Unity pulled out the 4x8 with a mad dash to the finish a lean to beat Porta 9:55.82 to 9:55.82. Unity got the benefit of the next decimal.
[Boys]-
- They say speed runs in the family. Brett Charlton (So., Eureka) is a product of a coach's son and he proved his worth by winning the 60m in a classification best 7.00. He roared out of the blocks to distance himself from Leo senior Theo Hopkins who ran 7.06.; Charlton returned later to win his 400m section in 51.77 that held up for second; Charlton's final race would be the 200m where once again placed second to a speed Andre McGill (Jr., Madison) running 22.84. McGill held strong in the final meters to win in 22.79.
- Tye Sutherland (Sr., Cumberland) said that he likes a fast pace because he doesn't possess a strong finishing kick. Sutherland indeed went out in front under 58 seconds and then increased his margin on the bell before winning comfy in 1:58.15. His sub-1:58 was thwarted by the fact that he eased near the finish line and threw his hands up to celebrate.
- The 3200m was won Eric Ponder (Jr., Tuscola) who hit the first 1600m in 4:41 enroute to an easy victory in a classification best 9:33.54. Kenny Heaton (Sparta) and TJ Pitcock finished second and third in 9:46.24 and 9:46.97.
- Nick Hess (Sr., St. Thomas More) and Jon Davis (So., Oakwood) know each other well from the cross country season. Davis prevailed as the harrier champion. In the early going Davis lead in 66.8 and the race stalled halfway (2:18.7). Still with two laps to go the time was 3:27.0 and Hess began his move. Coach Dave Behm started to worry when Hess could not shake Davis. Hess launced one final kick with 150m to go but Davis had already started his final surge and moved into the lead. The two fought all the way to the line with Davis prevailing in 4:28.93. Hess finished in 4:29.65.
- The University of Wisconsin bound Jake Denby (Carlinville) won the pole vault at 16-0. He took three good shots at 16-feet.
- Leo won the 4x200 relay in dramatic form with a fiece anchor carry that blew away the then frontrunning Madison unit in 1:33.95.- more than three seconds better than second place Erie's 1:36.13. The Lions earned the classification best in the process.