New York New York, big city of dreams/and everything in New York ain't always what it seems. You might get fooled if you come from out of town.’ These are the lyrics to a great song by a ground breaking hip-hop group called Grandmaster Flash and Furious Five. But the song has a much more profound meaning than what it says…
“Today was not the day [that] we hoped for,” said a less than stellar coach Zontavious Johnson of Chicago North Lawndale College Prep in reference to his charges tough day inside the New Balance Armory Track Center. The former US#1 girls 400m senior Briyahna Desrosiers did not advance in her specialty event or in the 200m Saturday afternoon. However, she wasn't the only who struggled on a tough day for Illinois participants.
- Terry McGee (Sr., Chicago North Lawndale Prep) places 33rd in the first round of the 60m running 7.12; McGee ran 22.91 in his Friday 200m prelim and did not advance to the Emerging Elite final.
- Cole Henderson (Sr., Pekin) advance to the 60m semi-fnal running 7.02; Henderson looked flat in heat 4 of his 200m race when he clocked just 23.04 and placed 46th. The winner of his heat was Nicholas Gray from Pickerington, OH who blazed 21.63.
- Rock Island girls were a no-show in the 4x200m relay prelim.
- Tough luck for Briyahna : As it was mentioned before the homeland girls had a tough time on the oval. Desrosiers had the bright lights set on her the moment that she set foot on the Armory track. She got out well in a reportedly 24.6 (first lap) which coach Johnson thought was too hard. Desrosiers faded near the end with a time of 56.53- far from her season best of 55.04. Desrosiers had the same 24.6 one lap clocking that netted the US#1 time back in January.; Desrosiers appeared down from the quarter-mile to come back and run 25.03. She placed 23rd and did not advance to the finals.
- Illinois endures tough times in the 400m: Brittny Ellis (Jr., Gurnee Warren) did not get out particularly well in her 400m despite finishing second in her heat (23rd overall). Ellis closed hard but only ran 57.19; Jasmine Berry (Sr., Belleville West) finished 28th in 57.49; Miranda Marry (Sr., Fisher) was off of her season best with a time of 58.50 in placing 37th.
- 200m saga: Ellis placed 29th in the 200m with a time of 25.18; Meghan Marias (Sr., Frankfort Lincoln-Way East) placed 39th in the 200m (25.56) and her teammate Alexis Hyshaw (Sr.) was 45th in 25.79.
- Bright spots: Lena Giger (Sr., Highland) continues her awesome indoor campaign by participating in a record breaking shot put competition. Raven Saunders (Sr., Charleston, SC) broke the meet and national record with a massive throw of 56-7.5. Giger had her own memorable performance by becoming the first Illinois girl to clear 50-foot indoors. She hit 50-0 on her second throw to place fourth overall in a field that featured a 53-10.25 and 52-8 in front of her. A newcomer by the name of Kathleen Young popped a good throw and placed 21st with a solid throw of 41-2. Young is a freshman at Warrensville-Latham High School outside of Decatur.
- Emma Spagnola Day: The outstanding senior from West Aurora. She earned her first indoor All-American honors in the long jump with a state leading leap of 19-2.5 to place 5th.
- Maya Neal (Jr., Naperville Neuqua Valley) earned her All-American honors the hard way by taking 5th in the pentathlon scoring 3373 points. Neal speared her spot by winning the last event the 800m.