3A Girls State Recap: A Meet To Remember For A Long Time

======================

Charleston, IL-

On paper, we all knew coming in the team battle was going to be close, that meant #1 Homewood-Flossmoor was not going to come in and goggle up all of the points. As is customary in the state of Illinois, the race to the top of the food chain came down to the last event. The Lady Vikings won their second state championship with a total of 56 points. They were four points better than Prospect who tallied 52 points. Chicago St. Ignatius copped the final team trophy with 47 points.

Time will determine if the 2025 edition is the start of another golden era of girls track and field. One thing is certain, this was one of the best championships in IHSA history. The times and marks prove that it is, collectively, the best-performing meet. 

3200: The day got started with a section one win by Kara Glenn (Fr., St. Charles North) who ran a personal best 10:51.07. She would finish a respectable 10th overall. All eyes were on section two and Mia Sirois (So., Barrington), who competed in Friday's 4x800 relay and 1600 prelims. Afterwards, Sirois indicated that she would go for a fast time and knew that it would have to be on a solo mission. For the first three circuits, Sirois had company in Amelie Ojeda (Sr., Willowbrook) and Allison Shutler (Fr., Chicago St. Ignatius).

Sirois hit the first half in 5:03 and continued to extend her advantage over Shutler, who was now on a deserted island. Sirois would put together a string of 74-second laps to the penultimate bell lap, the final result was a 72.9 final that brought in a flurry of cheers and a new class record of 10:01.12. The mark is a state-leading time and US#6. Shutler trotted home in a personal best 10:16.46.

4x800: Considering that Prospect would not go for a fifth straight title, one must be naive. That had never been done before. The Knights would have to load it up to achieve the goal, meaning that Meg Peterson (Jr.) and Mary Laba (Sr) would be entered. Veronica Znajda (Sr) provided a quality lead-off leg in 2:17.97. The Knights were positioned in second place at the halfway point, less than a second behind Barrington. Laby pushed her team into the lead with a 2:16.7 carry, and Peterson would motor home with a 2:12.2 dagger that sealed the deal vs Plainfield North 9:04.00-9:07.34. 

Prospect has etched its name into the leadership of a dominant era of 4x800s, as its effort is currently US#10. Plainfield North moved to US#15, and Lincoln-Way Central was also under 9:10. The Knights of LWC now have the 24th fastest time in the country. So good were the all-staters that eight of the nine finalists were under 9:20. All 12 teams were under the state standard of 9:34.

4x100: The newly anointed record holders from Homewood-Flossmoor could not fully enjoy their prelim run (45.91) because they had to attend to a fleet of business matters. For the final, the Lady Vikings donned white kits with red lettering. It was over on the second exchange with the speedy Mariyah Robinson (Jr) roaring down the backstretch at what seemed to be 100 mph. It had to be a scary task for third leg London Jarrett (So) to concentrate on accelerating from her takeoff mark on time, while not getting run over by Robinson. The mission was successful and academic for anchor Aniya Mullins (So), who streaked home with the win and another all-time record: 45.55! 

100HH: An all-time record was not on the watch board, but exceptional efforts from the field were. It did not take long for Daisha Brunson (Jr., Hoffman Estates Conant) to find herself in front of the fray and through the finish line with a legal personal best 13.75 (+1.0). 

100: There was some agony toward Chicago Whitney Young superstar senior Angelena Bullocks, who in her Friday preliminary heat had the fortune of a legal wind to take down the all-time record of 11.41 officially. Instead, she eased up near the finish line and gestured to the onlookers. Bullocks indicated she wanted to wait for Saturday's final to take the record. However, that is not a guarantee, especially given the unpredictable Midwest weather.

Things looked promising as the Class A champion Emma Randecker (Sr., Savanna West Carroll) broke her classification record in 11.91. The 2A champion Rege Cooper-Smith (So., North Chicago) also dipped under 12 seconds.

800: It has been said that when pipes burst, it will flood the entire house. In Annika Swan's case, the outstanding junior from Chicago St. Ignatius had grown incredibly tired of the bridesmaid status in major track meets, most notably in state championship finals. This time, she had a plan: to run the race and let it unfold naturally. Swan got out fairly quickly and seized control of the race versus Lola Satre-Morales (Sr., Naperville Central). The first 400 was in 64.8, and Swan began to open up a slight lead heading into the backstretch. With less than 200 remaining, it was evident that she was going to nab her first state gold medal. With a sigh of relief, Swan crossed in a personal best 2:10.08. Satre-Morales took second in 2:11.31, and the other seven all staters broke 2:15.

4x200: Plainfield North decided to bench Lauren Dellangelo (Sr.) in the 400m in order to try and secure a guaranteed 10 points. This became a reality when Homewood-Flossmoor dropped the baton in the prelims. The 'Cats' precision like handoffs and steady anchor Taylor McClain (Sr) was all that was needed to produce the second fastest ever time: 1:37.09. This was also the fastest ever final as six of the eight finishers were under 1:40 and all of them dipped under 1:41.

400: No Mariyah Robinson or Naomi Bey-Osborne meant they would clash in this final. Both were capable of breaking 54 seconds under the right circumstances. Robinson put pressure on the field right away and strangled them all through the first half. They could not recover, and she strolled home in 54.17. Julia Brown (Sr., Oak Park-River Forest) made it respectable, taking second in 54.51. Alaina Steele (So., Lincoln--Way East) took third in 54.86.

300H: The 300 hurdles are back! It has been a long time coming. It appears some of the would-be open quarter-milers have found a new event to be successful in. Defending champion Aisha Kazeem (Sr., Palatine) got out well and led comfortably. Though she was tired over the last few hurdles, she was composed and finished in 42.68 PB. Kennedy Ruff (Jr., Hinsdale South) took second in 42.96.  There were only seven finishers, and six of them were under 44 seconds.

1600: Annika Swan and Allison Shutler were back at it again. This time to deal with Mia Sirois and a fresh leg Ali Londrigan (So., Chatham-Glenwood). As predicted, Sirois went out and pressed the pace, unfortunately, it was not fast enough to shake Swan and Shutler. They went through the first half in 2:29 and later 3:42 on the next circuit. Swan decided that she had had enough and bolted to the front, as it was long gone. She accelerated the final lap in 66.2 and won in 4:48.94. A jubilant Swan embraced her teammate, who finished second, and for the Wolfpack, they secured 18 points and one step closer to a team trophy.

200: The match-up that everyone was waiting for was Bullocks vs Robinson--the two sprinters by far in the state. Bullocks got a stellar star on Robinson, and as the race entered the homestraight, it appeared as though she was on her way to another dazzling performance. About 20 meters from the finish line, Bullocks seemed to lose momentum, and that enabled Robinson to nip her 23.70-23.73.

4x400: The all-time record of 3:45.14 will last another year, but the deepest ever field was presented. Plainfield North fought against a nagging Belleville East for much of the race, but took the lead late, and then had to hold off against Prospect and Lincoln-Way East.  The Tigers ran a school record 3:47.61; three other teams ran under 3:50. Last place St. Charles East clocked a solid 3:55.04.

PV: Mckena Miglorini (Sr., Lockport) showed promise during the outdoor season, bolting among the elite jumpers in the state as the state series got underway. Miglorini won the competition unblemished w/12'7.50" 

HJ: As previously advertised, this was a marquee event with an indoor national champion, Kaylee Meyer (Sr., Schaumburg), in the field. Samantha Yeh (Sr., Dunlap) may have been in the shadows all season, but she seized the moment and won less misses against Jaeda Benford (So., Rockford Auburn), both credited with 5'8.75" 

LJ: Dominique Johnson (Sr., Huntley) won her first title here, and it was a relief, clearing the 19-foot mark two of three times, producing a best of 19'2.75"

TJ: Now officially on Mt. Rushmore, Johnson won her third title in a row and took down the all-time record held by Jaimie Robinson with a 42'8.75" on her fourth attempt.

SP: Marco Reynolds (Sr., Normal Community) finished 14th last year. This time it was a strong 42'9.50" winner on her fifth attempt.

DT: The high-profile Arisa Bisofa (Fr., Lake Zurich) may be a future record holder here. She may have captured the freshman record with a sizzling 147'10. She also had a 147.9" toss on her record.