William Session is clearly the best hurdler in Illinois (Colin Boyle photo)
110HH-
2015 State Champion: William Session (Belleville East) 14.25 [+1.1]
Outlook: It was a tremendous load of stress off of William Session last year when he won his first state title. Session comes from a strong family lineage with his late great father Rodney Session having exploited state championships and opponents in the mid 1990s. His older brother Korrion Session starred for the dynasty Cahokia teams. Now the kid William busted out with his own performances. Although Session is the best short hurdler to come around in a while, he will see foe Travis Anderson quite a bit in his year of high school competition. Session has owned Anderson whose personal best is 13.98. It will be interesting to see if a true rivalry can form between them. Session is already on the right track this indoor season with a 7.91 60HH clocking.
Top returners in 2016-
| RANK | TIME | WIND | ATHLETE/TEAM | GRADE | MEET DATEPLACE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 13.91 | 1.7 | 2016 | ||
| 2 | 13.98 | 2017 | |||
| 3 | 14.24 | 2016 | |||
| 4 | 14.30 | 2.8 | 2016 | ||
| 5 | 14.40 | 2016 | |||
| 6 | 14.47 | 1.6 | 2016 | ||
| 7 | 14.53 | 2016 | |||
| 8 | 14.56 | 2016 | |||
| 8 | 14.56 | 3.3 | 2016 | ||
| 10 | 14.61 | 1.6 | 2017 |
300H-
2015 State Champion: Chris Douglas (Deerfield) 37.45
Outlook: This event has some work to do if it wants to see elite status as in past years. The top three state finishers have graduated and the top finisher William Session is an average at best flat race runner. In other words, he is going to have to run faster than his personal best 38.17 if he wants to be the last man standing. The actual top returner Gavin Hoch may have been a great challenge to the winner Chris Douglas had he not been disqualified in the final. Fortunately he will get another opportunity along with four returners. One of those returners is Justin Wolz. Wolz was an all-state performer last year taking 8th. He is more than ready to improve on the long barriers. Jaden Jackson and Roland Amartefio will add some much needed depth here.
Top returners in 2016-
| RANK | TIME | ATHLETE/TEAM | GRADE | MEET DATEPLACE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 38.02 | 2016 | ||
| 2 | 38.17 | 2016 | ||
| 3 | 38.43 | 2018 | ||
| 4 | 38.49 | 2016 | ||
| 5 | 38.90 | 2016 | ||
| 6 | 39.06 | 2017 | ||
| 7 | 39.09 | 2016 | ||
| 8 | 39.12 | 2016 | ||
| 9 | 39.20 | 2017 | ||
| 10 | 39.32 | 2016 |