3A-
Girls
As the 2A track competition wrapped up, the 3A crowd and field event athletes began their ascent on the Shirk Center. The warm-ups were progressively getting faster, and the long jump was about to start. Zawadi Brown (Sr., Naperville Neuqua Valley) is one of the state's premier track and field athletes. There is no question that she will impact the day's events.
Brown opened with a few jumps, but nothing earth-shattering before she had to report to the starting for her 60m prelim. Katelyn Lehnen (Jr., Chatham-Glenwood) won her heat in 7.52. Mariyah Robinson (So., Chicago Simeon), Courtney McDonald (Jr., Plainfield East), and Brown followed suit and got into the finals.
Back to the long jump, Brown faced a deficit to Kyla Motley (Jr., Shepard). A fierce competitor, Brown connected on her final attempt and leaped in the lead 19'2." Motley could not get her final attempt in and settled for second 19'0.50." Brown finished fifth in the 60 (7.71) and won the 200 (24.79).
Another prime jumper, Dominique Johnson (Jr., Huntley), took third in the long jump. But her main event was the triple jumper, and she was the defending champion. Already ranked US#4 at 41'2", the only thing standing in Johnson's way was the all-time record (41'4.5"). "My goal all season was to jump over 42,'" said Johnson. She did not achieve either goal but was able to grab another victory 40'1.25."
Liv Phillips (Sr., Naperville Central) has been busy during the indoor campaign. As the favorite of the 3200m, she asserted herself and hit the first mile in 5:16, more than seven seconds ahead of Shania Tandon (So., Naperville Central). The final verdict was a 25-second win in a PB 10:31.46.
The most anticipated sprint race was the 60m. Robinson and Lehnen were the favorites, and they didn't disappoint. Both got out well; it was a dead event at the finish line. Robinson 7.55 and Lehnen 7.56. Seven of the eight girls in the field broke 7.90.
In the 60H, Sophie Amin (Sr., Huntley) produced the fastest time in the prelims (IL#2 8.82), but Mauricia Harris (Sr., Thornwood) prevailed in the final 8.84 over a tough field.
Emma Berres (Sr., Naperville North) appeared to be on her way to a victory in the 800m, but a once commanding lead was gobbled up by Marley Andelman (Sr., St. Charles East) inside the final lap. Adelman charged home and nipped Berres for the win in 2:15.65.
In the fast section 400, Mariyah Robinson charged ahead of the field in 26.0 but faded badly with 100 to go. Morgan Navarre (So., York) glided home comfortably in 57.77 for the win.
The 1600-meter field was deep, with Annika Swan (So., Chicago St. Ignatius), Veronica Znajda (Jr., Prospect), Julie Piot (Sr., Naperville North), and Meg Peterson (So., Prospect). Swan did not allow her competitors to dictate the pace of the race, setting a fast but honest pace: 70.8, 2:23.8. Entering the final quarter-mile, the five-second lead on Znajda and Peterson shrunk. But it was too late, as Swan won in 4:56.25.
Prospect closed the show with a strong run in the 4x400 relay, a school record time, and a win in 3:59.56.
Boys-
Dedrick Richardson Jr (Sr., Lincoln-Way East) started the party with a strong statement in the long jump. He produced the state-leading jump in the third round, a 24-2.5 bomb. He did not contest the final three rounds.
It was the deepest triple jump field in meet history. Malik Allen (Sr., Edwardsville) is the top returning and defending state champion. He concludes the indoor season and on his way to 50 feet outside. Allen won with a leap of 49-4.25. Three others were over 45 feet.
Kaden Garland (Sr., Oak Park-River Forest) and Jaiden Gary (Sr., Proviso East) are the titans of the shot put. Garland overtook his friendly rival and former state leader with a tremendous 62-8.75.
David Valkanov (Sr., Kaneland) ran the race of his life, dropping a full seven seconds in the 3200 to run 9:10.89.
The 4x800 saw Bolingbrook pull away in the final leg, set a school record, and finish the indoor season with an IL#5 8:00.66.
Amari Alexander (Sr., Hinsdale South) surprised the field but not himself. After running 7.07 in his prelim, he exploded in the final and won with a photo finish of 6.94.
Quinton Peterson (Sr., Lemont) showed steady improvement throughout the season in the 60H. He ended with a title PB 8.16.
Trey Sato (Sr., Grayslake Central) thought he could run in the 1:52 or 1:53 range, but 1:51.95 had to be a pleasant surprise. Even more impressive was the moderate first half in 55.35 and winning by over four seconds.
Belleville West talked tough leading up to their 4x200 relay showdown. They backed it and then some with a scorching 1:30.59 easy victory.
A week after running one of the fastest 3200s of the season, Rory Gaan (Jr., Fremd) continued to make noise on the track. His solo 4:16.53 is something to smile about.
Plainfield North put a bow on the indoor season with a definitive win in the showstopper. The Cats rolled 3:24.78.