Emmi Scales and Brianna Dixon dueled in last year's 60H
Date: Saturday, March 25, 2023
-The morning session will be packed to the gills full of talent. The early birds clamoring for great track and field will not be disappointed.
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Emmi Scales (Sr., Arlington Heights St. Viator) will be the center of attention as soon as the doors are opened on Saturday morning. The first team indoor All-American is having a hall-of-fame indoor season to date. Consider last year at this time, Scales was running in the 8.70s and 8.80s for the 60-meter hurdle races. She has completely rewritten the all-time state bests including an astronomical 8.32 (US#4). The Top Times all-time record is 8.47 by Kaylah McCall of Homewood-Flossmoor. You get the picture.
Naomi Bey-Osborne (So., Kankakee) is the classification leader in two events: 200 (25.10) and 400 (58.42). She scratched the long dash and inserted it with the 60 where she sits third with a time of 7.79. Her name is on the 4x200m relay card but it's not a given that she will run it. But if Bey-Osborne competes in all three races, she could run away with three gold medals.
Becca Heitzig (Jr., Lincoln) is relatively fresh off of a robust basketball season. But you wouldn't know it because of her marks in the 800 (2:15.44/IL#9) and 1600 (5:00.30/IL#11) are very solid. Within the classification, they are among the top three. State leader Tatum David (Sr., Olney Richland County) is not here so Heitzig would be the favorite in both events. The 800 class record of 2:13.10 could be in jeopardy.
Molly Grohmann (Sr., Waterloo) is the defending high jump champion and the heavy favorite based on her tremendous IL#2 clearance of 5-9. Grohmann has won three of her four competitions and has leaped over 5-5 in most of them. So it appears consistency is the key. Look for her to eclipse the state lead of 5-8.75.
Madelyn Bishop (Sr., Rockford Boylan) placed fourth here last year in the shot put. However, she would go on to win the state title and is the state leader at 42-7.5. With no other performers over 40 feet in the competition, Bishop should be at ease and could launch some monster efforts.