Serena Bolden is a marquee matchup within herself in both jumps
2A-
Distance-
Class leader Payne Turney (Jr., Clinton) will not compete in the 3200m. But defending champion Jenna Schwartz (Sr., Waterloo) will and she should be ready to roll a good time under 11:00. Lydia Roller (So., Staunton) and Katie Castelli (So., St. Viator) are among the challengers in the 15 runner field.
Turney may be at her best in the 800m but she will face a good portion of the classification's best. No one has broken 2:20 yet and there are those out there who think Turney is ready to produce something major. We will need to see what Aspen Gordon (Sr., Morton), Maia Italia (So., Rosary), and Alexis Cohn (Sr., Trinity) has to say.
The 1600m will have Payne, Gordon, and Roller as the top three listed. However, don't forget that Schwartz is entered as well. She has an all-time best 5:00.8 on her record.
Field events has some major punch-
Serena Bolden (Sr., Springfield Southeast) is the heavy favorite in both horizontal jumps. The first one is the long jump where her 18-11 is the fourth-best mark in the state. Bolden has been struggling all season on steps and finishing competitions with authority. Additionally, her improved leg speed is waiting for the finishing technique to catch up. The next event will come later and hopefully, she will not be overly fatigue in the triple jump. Believe it or not, Bolden may be at her best in this event based on her career success. Though she has hit on a 40-1.5 mark and ranks #9 in the country, there are many armchair quarterbacks and track pundits lambasting Bolden. She has heard the noise and vows to drop something major this weekend. The defending champ dropped a 40-5 and is certainly that good.
Diamonasia Taylor (Jr., Urbana) is the defending champion in the high jump but a bad wrist has been playing tricks on her mind. So far this season she has only managed a 5-4, more than five inches behind her status a year ago. Carly Tucker (Jr., Metamora) jumped an all-time best 5-6 in her last competition to earn top status in the jumping order. She will share that honor with Sarah Flight (Sr., Charleston) who also cleared 5-6 earlier this season.
Look once again for the best pole vaulting to come from this classification. It will start with Samantha Spencer (Jr., Providence Catholic) who leads the way with a state best and US#11 13-1.25 from earlier this month. Spencer will be motivated to gain the top spot after finishing third last year. Expect a tremendous challenge from the emerging Rhiannon Held (So., Mt. Zion) who recently went to New York and won the NBNI EE title. Her confidence soared as she cleared 12-6.50 and attempted 12-10 a few good times. Newstart Liliana Ifft (Fr., Prairie Central) keeps the family name in the mix as she is in the 12-foot club as well.
The shot put is as strong as it has been in a long time with four girls over 40-feet and 12 of the top 13 entered. Now that's depth! Aliyah McDaniel (Jr., Tolono Unity) will lead the way with a 43-7 personal best. Last year's top returner Jayden Ulrich (So., East Alton-Wood River) is back and has thrown over 42-feet this season.
The sprints will be good as well-
The 60m typically set the pace of the meet on the track. Bolden will be that young lady to bring the heat with a state-leading 7.57 produced just last weekend. In fact, she has the top two marks and sits well ahead of anyone in the field. It will be a matter of others running their optimum in order to close the gap. Seven Hicks (Jr., Peoria Richwoods) has upgraded from 1A and will challenge Bolden.
It will be anyone's guess as to who will lead the charge in the 60HH. Emelia Ness (Jr., Monticello) has the top mark at 9.13 but there are some quality competitors on her heels. Brooke Barkocy (So., Burlington Central) and N'Dia Jackson (Sr., Springfield Southeast) are two names that come to mind.
Jayla Campbell (Sr., Rich Central) has been one of the top athletes in the state over the past few seasons. Although she is a quality jumper and shown some sparks in the short sprints, her immense talent is in the 400m. Campbell has the state's second-best mark overall and #1 on a standard sized track. She can go faster 55.50 despite it coming on a banked surface. No one will oppose her except the class record of 56.06... more resistance will come in the 200m as section #4 will see Hicks, Campbell, and Tiera Robinson-Jones (Jr., Evergreen Park) battle for the crown.
Relays should not be taken for granted-
The 4x800 will see more than three teams dipping up 10:00. But overall this event has fallen on hard times in this section.
Springfield Southeast and Carbondale are the two fastest 4x200 based on output. The Spartans have Bolden as an insurance policy.
Burlington Central and Carbondale will duel for the showstopper award.