By Michael Newman

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A taste of All-American athletes will fill the air in the first session of this meet. Connor Artman of Illini West earned All-American honors in the Long Jump. The senior will be competing in four events in this meet including the Long Jump.

Chloe Lindeman of Fulton was an All-American two weeks ago in the Shot Put while Chandler Hayden of Pittsfield earned the same honors in the Weight Throw. The two will square off in the Shot-Put beginning at 3:05 PM.

Also keep an eye on all three Boys distance events in this meet. There are sure to be some top state performances turned in.

Here is a preview of each of the events that will take place Friday afternoon and evening at Illinois Wesleyan University’s Shirk Center.

 

Meet Program | Meet Schedule | Live Webcast

 

SPRINTS/HURDLES

GIRLS

 

60 Meter Hurdles – Alayna Stalter of Fisher has the top 1A time in the event and is the top finisher from last year’s meet returning. She has run 9.17 this season and could go under n9ine-seconds in the finals. DaeLin Switzer of St. Teresa (9.32, 1A #2) could be her chief competition. Switzer did not run in this event in last year’s meet. There is a pack behind these two that will chase after a top three finish including Danielle Taets of Orion, Capria Brown of Danville Schlarman, Lucy Lux-Rulon of St. Thomas More, and Hope Mylin of Harvest Christian Academy. The top five performers in the DyeStat TFX leaderboard are in this event.

60 Meter Dash – Bella Uscila of St. Edward had a good junior season in 2017. Her 2018 senior campaign has started out nicely as she has emerged as one of the top Girls sprinters in the state. She should be the queen of the 1A sprints after Friday’s meet. Uscilla ran 7.58 in February at the University of Kentucky HS Invitational. She has the fastest 1A time by three tenths of a second.

Janiya Collins of Madison is one of two 1A athlete under eight-seconds. Collins ran 7.88 last week at the Gene Armer Invitational. Freshman Katelyn Lang of Shiloh ran 7.97 at the beginning of the month at Illinois State and could be a surprise up front. Jordan Peckham of Farmington, Catelyn Hoffman of Mercer County, and Madison Davis of DuQuoin are among some of the runners to keep an eye on in the finals.

400 Meter Dash – Delanie Dykes of Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley has the top 1A time at this distance running 59.91 at the Vanderbilt Invitational at the beginning of February. She will be coming back from the 800 Meter Run. We will see how much she has left in this event. Katelyn Lang comes back from the 60 Meter Dash and could be the favorite in this race having run 1:01.34. Marguerite Hendrickson of St. Thomas has run 1:02.23 this winter but will have run the 3200 Meter Relay and the 800 Meter Run before this race.

Bethany Wagenbach of Tremont has run 1:02 and could surprise in this race. It could also be Jordan Peckham that could win from Section 3 of this event. Belleville Althoff’s Nariah Parks and Addie Burns, Claire Wilhour of Brownstown, and Morgan Mette of Teutopolis are some of the athletes able to finish in the top five.

200 Meter Dash – It should be Bella Uscila making it two wins in this event. She ran 24.57 on the University of Kentucky’s oversized track in February. She also ran 25.98 on Glenbard South’s 160-meter oval in flats last week. Those times are still the fastest in this event!

Jordan Peckham, Katelyn Lang, and Janiya Collins are all in the last section of this event and will challenge for the second-place spot. Catelyn Hoffman could also be among the top three in this last individual event of the evening.

 

SPRINTS/HURDLES

BOYS

 

60 Meter Hurdles – Illini West’s Connor Artman is the defending champion. He ran 8.14 in Missouri a month ago and has the fastest 1A time entering this meet. Mason Barr of Colfax Ridgeview should be his chief competition. Barr ran 8.19 at the Vanderbilt Invitational in February. Both could push each other under eight-seconds in the finals.

Dontez Pittman of Madison and Shamar Adams of DuQuoin have both runner 8.7 this winter and could challenge for a spot in the top three. Kyle Carver of Casey-Westfield, Brentin Erickson of Sterling Newman Catholic, Judd Anderson of Farmington, and Kyle Robinson of DuQuoin are among some of the athletes in this event that could reach the finals.

60 Meter Dash – Easton Bianchi of Sterling Newman Catholic is the defending champion at this distance and should be the favorite in this race. The 1A 100/200 Meter Dash defending champion from last year’s state meet started out quick this season running 6.84 at the University of Kentucky HS Invitational. Connor Artman will be coming back from running the 60 Meter Hurdles. He did run 6.99 doing the same double at the University of Arkansas HS Invitational in January. Does he push Bianchi in this race?

Dionte Lewis of Warrensburg-Latham has the #3 time in 1A running 7.15. He will be a sprinter to watch along with his brother Diondre who has run 7.17. Jake Whipple of Hamilton County and Eric Griffin of Madison both have 7.16 seasonal bests and should be challenging for a top three finish. Hafeez Soberu of Holy Trinity, Tate Walcott of Colfax Ridgeview, and Jonathan Muller of Paxton-Buckley-Loda will challenge for a finals spot and possibly a top five place.

400 Meter Dash – Only two 1A runners have run under 52 seconds this winter led by Mason Barr. The hurdle specialist uses this event to get ready for the intermediate hurdles outdoors. His time of 49.94 at the Vanderbilt Invitational is two seconds ahead of the rest of the field. Bobby Kapolnek of St. Thomas More ran 51.98 last week at Charleston. He should be Barr’s chief challenger. Barr finished second in this event in this meet in 2017.

Ben Buresh of Kewanee-Wethersfield is the defending champion in this meet and could challenge for the win Friday night. He’s raced once having run 52.88 last weekend. Remember, Buresh finished fourth at state outdoors last May. Kolton Grawe of Liberty and Dionte & Diondre Lewis also will be in the mix for a top three finish.

200 Meter Dash – Easton Bianchi goes for the double in this race. He ran 22.04 on Kentucky’s oversize track putting him on top of the DyeStat TFX 1A leaderboard. Ridgeview’s Tate Wilcott and Mason Barr both have the talent to push Bianchi for the win. This will be Connor Artman’s fourth event in this meet. He has run 23.43 at this distance. I would not count him out in this race. Marshall Brown of Macon Meridian and Eric Griffin are some of the other runners to watch for.

 

DISTANCES

GIRLS

 

3200 Meter Run – This event looked wide-open a week ago. That was until Judah Christian’s Laura Krasa ran 11:16.99 to win at the Gene Armer Invitational last Saturday. The senior enters this meet with the fastest 1A time and the fastest in this event by 27-seconds ahead of Caroline Jachino of Pleasant Plains. Haley Weidner of Bureau Valley has run 11:57.75 this season and is the only other athlete in this field that has run under 12-minutes.

Katelyn Robbins of Liberty is a runner to keep an eye on. She ran 12:04 on the Shirk Center track a week ago. She has a personal best of 11:18 that could make her a threat in the front. Frankie Chaidez of IC Catholic Prep surprised many at Detweiller Park last fall when she finished third in the 1A State Meet race. The freshman ran 12:09 at Proviso West at the beginning of the month. Don’t be surprised if she is fighting for the lead in this race. Nygia Pollard of Harvest Christian and Alexa Perrow of Elmwood-Brimfield are some of the runner to watch that could challenge for a finish in the top five.

800 Meter Run – The battle should be for second in this race. Two-time 1A State Champion Arielle Summitt ran 2:15.86 at the New Balance Indoor Nationals and has the fastest time in this field by seven seconds. Delanie Dykes has run 2:22.53 and will be coming back in the 400 Meter Dash. She could run under 2:20 in this race.

Brigid Tournoux of Springfield Lutheran and Marguerite Hendrickson will both be coming back from the 3200 Meter Relays. Both could finish in the top three. Maleigha Huston of Bushnell-Prairie City is only a freshman but has run 2:26.77 and could find her way in the front.

1600 Meter Run – Hard to tell how this race will break. Fran Hendrickson of St. Thomas More will race earlier in the meet in the 3200 Meter Relay. The sophomore ran 5:13.00 at Southern Illinois at the beginning of the month and has the top seed time by 10 seconds.

Katelyn Robbins and Caroline Jachino will be doubling back from the 3200 Meter Run along with Frankie Chaidez. Anna Heffren of Lewistown has an outdoor personal best of 5:08.62 and could be a surprise in this race. Ailey Mitchell of Shelbyville ran 5:32 on the Shirk Center track on Monday and should drop her time even more in this race. Madison Franseen of Rockford Christian and Addie Pulley of Alleman are runners that I would also watch in the front.

 

DISTANCES

BOYS

 

3200 Meter Run – A repeat showdown of last year’s race in this meet. In that race, Logan Hall of Arthur-Lovington pulled away from Wyatt McIntyre of Athens in the final four laps to win the race. It could be a three-runner affair up front like what we saw at last November’s 1A State Meet.

McIntyre enters this meet with the fastest 1A time in the state (9:27.84). Hall ran 9:33.79 at the beginning of the month at Champaign. He showed his fitness level last week when he ran a solo 4:21 in Charleston. The third wheel in this race is Jack MacNabola of Francis Parker. The senior finished fourth in last year’s race and pushed the pace at Detweiller Park before finishing third. He ran 9:35 by himself winning by almost 30 seconds last week at the Gene Armer Invitational. The tactics in this race should be interesting to watch.

Will Dionesotes of Bloomington Central Catholic is the only other in this race that has run under 10-minutes. Javon Watkins of Madison, Wyatt Wolfersberger of St. Joseph-Ogden, and Aryan Lalwani of Urbana University are some of the other runners that will race for top five finishers.

800 Meter Run – Could be one of the best race of the night with the top 1A runners at this distance chasing for the win. Jacob Bryan of Illini West has the fastest time in the state run in February at the University of Missouri. Ian Hussung of Oregon ran 1:57.40 last Friday at Sterling and should challenge in the front. Riley Wells of Rockford Christian got boxed-in when he ran 1:58.89 to finish second at Batavia Distance Madness. It will be interesting to see who pushes the pace early. Wells has the best kick in the end of the three. He has the 1A 800 Meter Championship from last year on his resume.

Shane Yamco of Riverton, Jason Landon of Carlinville, and Jason Yaccino of Westminster Christian all have run under 2:01 and could be in the mix for the win if the race gets tactical. Javon Watkins will also be running in the 3200. It will be interesting to see how he comes back off the double.

1600 Meter Run – If the best race of the night is not the 800, it could be this one. There are five runners under 4:31 in this field led by the 4:23.79 run by Wyatt McIntyre last Saturday at the Gene Armer Invitational. Both McIntyre and Jacob Bryan will be doubling back from other races in this meet. Eli Ten Eyck of Pittsfield tuned up last week by running 2:00.73 in the 800 Meter Run. He finished second in last spring’s IHSA State Meet and could be the favorite in this race. Bryan and Ten Eyck raced at Jacksonville at the beginning of the month with Bryan winning by 12 hundredths of a second. With Ten Eyck running in just this event, he could be the favorite to win.

Jack MacNabola also comes back from the 3200 Meter Run and could be a factor in this race. Ryan Skowronski of Shelbyville has run 4:30.56 this indoor season. He does have good speed at the end if this race becomes tactical. Also watch for Negus Borgard of Palestine who could chase for a top five finish.

 

RELAYS

GIRLS

 

4x800 Meter Relay – It could be area rivals St. Joseph-Ogden and St. Thomas More that will be chasing for the win in this event. St. Thomas More won last season led by Fran & Marguerite Hendrickson. St. Joseph-Ogden has the fastest 1A time (10:08.59) led by Faith Houston on the anchor leg. Springfield Lutheran has run well in this race the past two seasons finishing third last year. They have only run 10:36.20 this season but have the potential to finish in the front led by sister duos Maddy & Elizabeth Eck along with Brigid and Bernadette Tournoux.

4x200 Meter Relay – Relay heavyweight St. Joseph-Ogden could be the big favorite in this event. The Spartans have the fastest 1A time in the state (1:50.20) and the fastest time in this field by almost two seconds. Mercer County and Madison are the closest teams that could challenge SJO for the win. Warrensburg-Latham and Paxton-Buckley-Loda are some of the leading teams that could push into the top three places.

4x400 Meter Relay – Don’t expect anything different in this relay. St. Joseph-Ogden, led by Abbey Mizer and Zea Maroon, have run 4:17.63 indoors. The Spartans have the fastest 1A time by four seconds entering this meet. They are not a lock to win but very close to doing that.

Rockridge, Knoxville and Amboy are some of the teams that are expected to challenge for the second spot.

 

RELAYS

BOYS

 

4x800 Meter Relay – Rockford Christian has the fastest 1A time when they ran 8:15.78 last weekend in Wisconsin. That was with State 800 Meter Run Champion Riley Wells running anchor. According to the meet program, he is not in the lineup. They still have a good quartet led by Stephen Thomas and Brent Brunner. They should still be the favorite.

Elmwood-Brimfield ran 8:33.58 last weekend and could be a threat in the front. Harvest Christian and Illini West both have run 8:40. If Elmwood and Rockford Christian run in the 8:20’s, both those teams could be fighting for third.

4x200 Meter Relay – The last section of this event is dynamite with all four teams within four tenths of a second of each other. Ridgeview, led by Tate Walcott and Mason Barr, will challenge for the win. Rockford Christian has the fastest 1A time by 12 hundredths of a second (1:34.49) and led by Josiah Vogel. Paxton-Buckley-Loda and Liberty, also in that last section, could surprise for the win. Sterling Newman Catholic is in the third section and will have Easton Bianchi part of their team. Good handoffs and getting the lead early is the name of the game especially with so many teams that close together.

4x400 Meter Relay – Pleasant Plains have the top 1A time in the state (3:34.64) led by Luke McGraw. Two teams have the capability to chase for the win. Illini West will have Jacob Bryan anchoring. Rockford Christian, who won the state championship outdoors last season, have Riley Wells anchoring. It could be exciting if it comes down to the final 400-meters with these teams close together.

 

FIELD EVENTS

GIRLS

 

Long Jump – This event is wide-open with Faith Frye of Casey-Westfield having jumped 17-7.5 indoors. Three athletes are within two inches of Frye with Sade Oladipupo of St. Teresa, Jaden Christian of Reed-Custer, and Capria Brown of Schlarman all close enough to win this event. Lucy Lux-Rulon and Warrensburg-Latham’s Brittney Oakley have gone past 17-feet and could challenge for a top spot.

Triple Jump – Four athletes over 35-feet in this event make it hard to determine who will end up the winner. Danielle Taets leads 1A state with a 35-9.25 mark. Grace Alley of Seneca, Alexandra Mack of Orion, and Jaden Christian are all close enough and able to win this.

High Jump – Could be the best field events on the Girls side of this meet. Four athletes are in this meet that have gone 5-6 or higher this indoor season. DaeLin Switzer of St. Teresa is the defending champion and has cleared 5-6 so far. Kenli Nettles of Arthur-Lovington has the 1A state mark (5-8) and finished second last year. Lucy Lux-Rulon and Kiah O’Neal of Alleman both have cleared 5-7 and could end up the winner. Freshman Natalia Garcia of Bloomington Central Catholic could be a surprise on Friday.

Pole Vault – Windsor Roberts of Tri-Valley has been the surprise in 1A this season. The freshman has the top mark (12-3) entering this meet. Emma Smith of Carlinville finished sixth last year but could end up on the top podium. Smith has cleared 12-0 and will challenge Roberts. There is a drop-off after these two with only three other athletes going past 10-0. Tori Thomas of Alleman, Sarah Craig of Schlarman, and Emily Graves of Paxton-Buckley-Loda all will look to finish in the top three.

Shot Put – Two All-Americans head this field led by third-place finisher in the New Balance Indoor Nationals Chloe Lindemann of Fulton. Lindeman achieved a personal best of 47-2.5 in that meet. She is ahead of this field by more than six feet. Chandler Hayden of Pittsfield earned All-American honors by finishing sixth in the weight throw. She also threw 40-6-75 in this event at Nationals. If Lindemann is off, then look for Hayden to make it close. Claire Bushur of Teutopolis had a 40-3 mark at the Gene Armer Invitational last Saturday and could challenge Hayden for the second spot. They are the only three athletes that have surpassed 40-feet in this meet. Rachyl Anderson of Salt Fork and Hanna Wolf of Altamont are some of the athletes that could challenge in the top three.

 

FIELD EVENTS

BOYS

 

Long Jump – This could be all Connor Artman in this event. He finished sixth at the New Balance Indoor Nationals earning All-American status. Bet on him to win in this meet. In the six meets he has jumped in, he has gone past 23-feet in every meet. The next closest athlete, Tate Walcott, has jumped 22-3.5. No other athlete in 1A has gone past 22-feet.

Triple Jump – It could be interesting in this event with four athletes having gone past 42-feet this season. Ramsey Hunt of Shiloh has jumped into the spotlight. The sophomore has the top seed in this meet (43-5) capable of going 44-feet on Friday. Michael Hill of Illini Bluffs finished second last year at state and has jumped 42-5 indoors. Jacob Donaldson of Ridgeview has gone 42-11 on this runway and could leave the Shirk Center with the event win.

High Jump – It took 6-8 to win this classification in this meet last year. It could get that close on Friday. Four athletes have gone past 6-6 in 1A with Cameron Getz of Macon Meridian the best clearance (6-7). Pleasant Plains teammates Zach Ely and Tristen Tewes have both cleared 6-6 this season. They could win this championship along with Jorden Telford of Warrensburg-Lathan who has cleared the same height. Ramsey Hunt has cleared 6-5 and could be a surprise in this event as well.

Pole Vault – Garret Bachtold of Paxton-Buckley-Loda only cleared 13-0 feet last season before an injury sidelined him for the rest of the year. He’s having a pretty good winter including clearing 15-0 last week at Charleston. Cameron Witts of Williamsville also cleared 15-0 in that meet finished second in this meet last year. The two will face off again Friday night. Zane Steele of Vandalia and Kyle Kruthoff of Erie-Prophetstown are the only other 1A athletes that have cleared 14-0 or higher. Both could be factors in this event. Jadon Nuzzo of Sullivan has cleared 13-7 and could also be in the top three mix with a big meet.

Shot Put – Three athletes at 55-feet or farther makes this event one to keep an eye on during the Friday session. Andy Bird of Warsaw is the defending champion looking to make it two in a row. Bird had a 56-1 personal best at Jacksonville at the beginning of the month and has the top mark in 1A. Hunter Woodard of Tuscola is also a favorite to win this. He achieved a personal best of 56-0.5 last week in winning at Charleston and will pressure Bird. Jackson Sheckler of Illini Bluffs threw 55-2 and finished second behind Bird at Jacksonville. One big mark gives Sheckler the win. He has the talent to do that. Brad Olysav of Williamsville is the only other 1A athlete past 50-feet with a 52-0.5 best. He could challenge for the top three if he has a great meet.