Brittny Ellis ends storied prep career with three titles; Juarez and Hackbarth sacrifice event for state championship

By Michael Newman

[email protected]

Charleston, Ill --- Lincoln-Way East assistant coaches Dwayne Pierre-Antoine and Angelo Brown were jubilant as they watched the Griffins finished second in the 1600 Meter Relay with a squad that they said after the sectional race was their “B” team. That was a team effort,” Brown told Pierre-Antoine as they hugged. Close by Head Coach Brian Evans was quiet with a huge smile on his face enjoying the moment. Lincoln-Way East had a close lead with three scored events remaining. They got 19 in those events to score 51 points to capture their third straight state championship.

In the past two state meet wins, it was their relay wins that was the trademark to their wins. On this final Saturday afternoon, it was all hands on deck for this Lincoln-Way East team.

“This has been very special. First, hats off to such an amazing coaching staff,” Evans said. “Angelo Brown is a master of training. People in the stands would ask us who was this and who was that. It is just a testament of preparation that he gets the kids ready for. Throughout the season, the kids kept progressing. We let all of them know that they had to be ready if they got that phone call. They stepped up today.”

Lincoln-Way East only had one event win in this meet. Julia Junkroski, who spent most of the season, battling leg and knee injuries, cleared a personal best 13-2 to win the Pole Vault. The rest of the points came from this team scrapping for points. Ololade Ayoola, who was suffering from a upper leg injury, cleared 5-6 to finish second in the High Jump. Emma Haugen (Lyons Township HS, LaGrange) cleared 5-9 in that event for her third state championship ending her high school career.

On the track, Lincoln-Way East scored in all four of their relays including an unexpected seventh place finish in the 3200 Relay. They also received points from Asia Brown who finished sixth in the 100 and ninth in the 200. Alexis Pierre-Antoine clipped a hurdle in the 300 Meter Hurdles forcing her down. She paused for a second, but got up to finish the race giving her team one point. Even though she was coming back from a stress fracture that sidelined her most of the year, Pierre-Antoine still qualified for the 100 Hurdles finals gutting out a ninth place finish.

The individual spotlight fell on Brittny Ellis (Warren Township, Gurnee) as she attempted to end her high school career with three individual wins. “It was something that I thought of before the season started,” Ellis said, “It was my senior season. Why not go out with a bang.”

The realization that it could happen grew as the season progressed. It culminated in the prelims Friday afternoon when she had the fastest performances in the 100, 200 and 400. The biggest challenge would be the 100. She was more comfortable with the longer distances. She was not in her comfort zone when she dropped down in distance. It did not show in her face when she entered the blocks for the 100 finals.

She got off to a good start although Jayla Stewart (Homewood-Flossmoor HS) and Amira Young also started well. Ellis pulled away at 70 meters crossing the line in 11.85. A photo had to determine second and third. Jayla Stewart let out a huge scream when the scoreboard showed that she finished second by three thousandths of a second ahead of Young. It was also a personal best and the first time that she went under 12 seconds. For Ellis, the biggest hurdle for her was cleared.

Ellis was the big favorite in the 400 Meter Dash. It was an event that she had won a state championship her freshman and sophomore seasons. The third place finish in the event last year was one of the reasons that drove her this season she told reporters after the race. As she came around the north curve, Ellis opened up a insurmountable lead. She crossed the line in a season’s best 54.19. Ashleigh Wilson (Minooka HS) and Kierra Griggs (Bloom Township HS, Chicago Heights) finished second and third more than a second behind Ellis. Both runners went under 56 seconds.

It would be another showdown between Ellis and Stewart in the 200 Meter Dash final. Ellis got off to a good start and had the lead coming off of the turn. Stewart on her outside made a move. At the same e time that the Homewood-Flossmoor senior surged so did Ellis. “I did not realize that she was coming up on me, “Ellis said after the race. “That is when I usually make my move. Ellis crossed the line in 24.38 completing her triple. Stewart completed a great day finishing second (24.79) and the only other athlete to go under 25 seconds.

Ellis had scored 30 points for her team. Kelly Knobbe finished fifth overall in the Discus giving Warren five points. They scored 35 points and were in second place heading into the final event. Barrington would need to win the 1600 relay to move them into a tie for second place. Fifth place or lower could have them in jeopardy of not getting a trophy. Oak Park-River Forest had the lead through most of the race followed by Lincoln-Way East and Barrington. Anchor Kelsey McLaurin made her move for the lead for Barrington taking the lead immediately after the baton exchange. Lincoln-Way East’s Emily Karl followed. The two would push each other down the back stretch and then around the curve. McLauirn would not relinquish the lead. She crossed the line with the win (3:52.26) and importantly 10 points moving the Fillies into a second place tie.

Stewart’s day started with the 100 Hurdles and then coming back 30 minutes later for the 100 Meter Dash. The race was all hers in the hurdle race breaking away from the pack by the seventh hurdle and crossing the line in 14.01. It was her fastest “wind-legal” time of the season. Grace Cronin (Fenwick HS, Oak Park), who was all-state in both hurdle races in 2A last year, ran a personal best 14.42 for second place. It was déjà-vous for Cronin again in the 300 Hurdles. In last year’s final, she was involved in a close finish where Normal University’s Chante Stonewall dove across the finish line winning the title by hundredths of a second ahead of Cronin. The Fenwick junior had the lead approaching the final two hurdles. A final charge by Miya Dorsey (Belleville East HS) caught Cronin at the final hurdle. A final lean, including Cronin diving across the line, resulted in officials again going to the photo. Dorsey edged Cronin for the state championship by one hundredths of a second (42.95 – 42.96).

~~

The 3A distance races again failed to disappoint in the level of excitement that they provided. It was the case in the 3200 Meter Relay as they headed into the final 400 meters of the race with Fremd, Palatine, Downers Grove North, and Naperville North all within a second of each other. It was a move by Naperville North’s Claire Hamilton in the final 100 meters passing Palatine’s Kelly O’Brien and Fremd’s Nora Finegan to give the Huskies a state championship. Naperville North crossed the line (9:11.63) less than a second ahead of Palatine (9:12.43). With their second place finish, the Lady Pirates continued an incredible string where their relay team has placed in the top five for the last eleven years.

Judy Pendergast (Naperville North HS) and Rachael Lau (Plainfield North HS) had raced against each other the week before at the Naperville North Sectional with Pendergast coming up on top. The two broke away from the pack just after the 800 meter point. With a little more than 1000 meters to go, Pendergast finally broke Lau and was on her own. She went on to win the second title for the Naperville North distance squad in the last hour winning with a 10:35.15 time. Lau was caught by the chase pack but held on for third (10:51.99) just behind Brooke Wilson (Prospect HS, Mt. Prospect).

Michaela Hackbarth (Downers Grove South HS) had to make a choice after her sectional meet when she qualified for the 800 and 400 along with being on the Mustangs 1600 Meter Relay. Hackbarth wanted to run both individual races. But she wanted the 800 title more than running in the 400. It was a sacrifice she was willing to make.

The beginning of the race had some drama. 20 meters into the race the gun went off again after Yorkville’s Skyler Bollinger fell to the ground. She had some abrasions on her left shoulder and lower arm. Officials gave her a few seconds to compose herself and then she was back on the line. Hackbarth had the lead at 200 meters followed by defending 3A champion Lauren Van Vlierbergen (Jacobs HS, Algonquin), Emma Moravec (Downers Grove North HS),and Bollinger. The pack went through in 65 seconds with none of them willing to budge.

Hackbarth made a series of small moves on the back stretch trying to separate herself from the pack. Van Vierbergen refused to let her go staying on Hackbarth’s shoulder. Moravec faded a little. Bollinger fell off the pace passed by Imani Davis (Lane Tech HS, Chicago). Hackbarth made one more move coming off the north curve that Van Vlierbergen could not respond to. The Downers junior crossed the line in jubilation in a personal best (2:11.24, IL #1). Moravec passed Van Vlierbergen in the final meters to grab second almost a full second behind her Downers Grove rival. Van Vlierbergen was third another twelve hundredths behind.

Bollinger faded to eighth (2:15.84) but still earned all-state honors. It was a bitter sweet finish for her. It was the last race for her in a Yorkville uniform. Her father received a transfer for his job and will be moving to California in the next month. It was a courageous finish for her and her team as she has done so much to help Yorkville to where they are at now as one of the distance powers in Illinois.

The 1600 Meter Run was a memorable one. Kelly O’Brien (Palatine HS), who had the fastest time in the state heading into Saturday, took the pace out quickly. Very quickly. She went  by the first 400 meters in an almost unseen 64 seconds for a high school girl’s race. The rest of the pack did not bite staying back waiting for O’Brien to come back. One of the runners leading the pack was Gabby Juarez (Streamwood HS). Last year, Juarez was all-state in both the 3200 and the 1600. She qualified for both races the week before at her sectional meet. The choice was made that she wanted a state championship instead of two all-state finishes like she had the year before. The 1600 was the race that she chose.

O’Brien continued to push the pace the next quarter going past the 800 in a record breaking 2:16.4. She was on pace to run 4:33. The pack was still 12 seconds back as they went through in 2:28 with Juarez, Van Vlierbergen, and Audrey Ernst (St. Charles North leading the way. All of a sudden, the pack was starting to come back on back on O’Brien as the early fast pace was starting to take a toll on her legs. She passed the 1200 meter mark with the bell going off in 3:38. The pack at this point was only four seconds behind and gaining fast on the Palatine junior.

As they passed O’Brien, it was Torree Scull (St. Charles East HS) that took the lead with Ernst,  Van Vlierbergen, and Juarez close behind. O’Brien did not fade to the back. Even though she was exhausted, she would not let those runners get away from her.

It was Juarez the made the move at 200 meters to go that none of the other runners could match. She crossed the line in a personal best (4:53.68). Another two seconds back came in Scull also running her best race of the year (4:55.56). Another two seconds and it was O’Brien crossing in third. Considering the pace she went off on and to hold on to finish third, it was a gutty way that she held on. Ernst, only a freshman, finished fourth just ahead of Van Vlierbergen. It was a good double for the Jacobs senior closing her high school career with two more all-state honors. Brooke Wilson and Charlotte Nawor (Highland Park HS) both ran under 5 minutes finishing sixth and seventh.

~~

Both sprint relays lived up to pre-state meet expectations. Asia Brown (Lincoln-Way East HS, Frankfort) had a slight lead as received the baton for the final 100 meters of the 400 relay. The crowd rose as Bolingbrook’s Jessica Watkins, Oak Park’s Norma Abdur-Rafia, and O’Fallon’s Mya Watson-Blake closed in on Brown. They all crossed the line in what seemed to be a blanket finish. It took 30 seconds before the scored popped up Bolingbrook’s name winning by one hundredth of a second ahead of their area rival Lincoln-Way East (47.58-47.59). O’Fallon was a tenth of a second back in third (47.68). Oak Park-River Forest finished fourth (47.82) just ahead of Westinghouse (47.92).

The form charts played out as expected in the 800 Relay. Oak Park-River Forest was the pre-race favorite in the event and it showed throughout. They ran away with the win (1:39.39) ahead of O’Fallon and Lincoln-Way East

~~

Brianna Driver (Mother McAuley HS, Chicago) jumped 19-7 in the prelims. That jump held up in the finals winning her a state championship. None of the other athletes in the field went past the nineteen foot barrier. LaJarvia Brown defended her crown in the Triple Jump just missing the IHSA meet record in the process. She jumped 41-2 in the finals just missing the state record by three inches.

Aaliah Herron (East St. Louis Senior HS) won the Shot Put (43-1) a half a foot ahead of Olivia Griswold (Neuqua Valley HS, Naperville. Holly Julifs (Metea Valley HS, Aurora) threw 142-7 to win the Discus five feet ahead of second place Michaela Smith (Lake Park HS, Roselle).