Dunlap wins three of four relays; Tina Martin 100m/200m wins; Evangelynn Harris comes from behind to win Shot Put as well as Discus; Hickey wins second title in 800m; Carothers wins 4^th straight title in 100 Hurdles

By Michael Newman

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Charleston, Il – Their 2017 2A team win was not a one-time shot.

“It definitely shows that we are not a one and done team,” Dunlap’s Kiara Pauli said. “We came to prove that we have the talent and the same talent that we had last year. People thought we came down one time and it was luck. It wasn’t luck”

Dunlap put on one of the most impressive team performances in the 46 years of Illinois Girls State Meet History if not the best. The Eagles scored in 14 of the 18 scored events to score the most points ever for an Illinois team at a state meet (102 points). East St. Louis-Senior scored half of what Dunlap had (51 points) to finish second. Urbana edged Brooks Prep by 1/2 point for third. It was the first team trophy for Urbana.

Pauli is the heart and soul of this team. You could tell it by the way she performs. She had hidden the fact that she had a knee injury for most of the outdoor season. You could not tell it by the way she ran. She started out by anchoring her school to a win in the 400 Meter Relay. She pulled away for the win (47.26) just ahead of Rich East (47.60) and Lindblom (47.94). There was no doubt that Dunlap would lose in the 800 Meter Relay. Their Pauli anchored team ran 1:38.38 al for the win more than two seconds ahead of East St. Louis-Senior (1:41.56). Pauli picked up seven points in the 100 Meter Dash (12.03) and eight points in the 200 Meter Dash (25.09) to finish second.

“In the 4x1, I knew that there was a handoff already made (with Rich East leading),” Pauli added. “I just had to trust my training. I knew I could get her.”

Dunlap’s run to their second started in the 3200 Meter Relay with the never give up attitude that surrounds the team. Eureka had built up huge lead during the first part of the race. It was down to two seconds by the time that Franny Verville got the baton for the anchor leg. She would have to run against Eureka’s Emma Argo who won the 1A State Championship last fall. Argo was resilient in giving up the lead. Verville took over in the final lap holding off Argo to run 9:25.29 for the win with Eureka second (9:26.94).

In the 3200 Meter Run, Jenna Schwartz of Waterloo pulled away half way through the race and won her second career state title with a 11:01.86 time. Campbell Petersen of Dunlap was fourth entering the final lap, she pulled ahead of Morton’s Aspen Gordon just before the line to finish second (11:10.63) just eight hundredths ahead of Gordon. Petersen had that never quit tone in her stride in the 1600 Meter Run. Schwartz took the lead again at the beginning of the race with Rachel Hickey of LaSalle-Peru close behind. Petersen held back in the pack for the first two laps. She made a strong move on the third lap catching Hickey and taking the lead from Schwartz in the final lap. Petersen pulled away down the stretch to run to win (5:05.97) ahead of Hickey (5:08.06). Jenna Mirande of Limestone edged Verville at the line to place third (5:09.09) by just 16 hundredths of a second.

I wasn’t feeling great in the 3200. I don’t know why,” Petersen said. “For some reason, I felt great during the 1600. I told myself I did not want to walk away from the race upset.”

Meet Highlights

LaSalle-Peru’s Rachel Hickey had long day running three distance races. It was a fun one. She took the baton for her team in the 3200 Meter Relay in fifth. The senior ran a 2:14 split to bring her team to a third-place finish in which no one expected them to do that. Their time of 9:29.06 was a school record by over 20 seconds.

Her race in the 800 Meter Run was amazing. No one wanted to lead the first lap as Hickey and Delicia Chen of Dunlap led the first circuit in a sluggish 69.5 seconds. Hickey took over with 300-meters to go showing a burst of speed that no one else in this field had. She captured her second state title running a 63.4 last 400 to finish in 2:12.95. Illiana Christian’s Gillian Fiene (2:15.43) and Brooke Delahanty of Rosary (2:16.45) finished second and third. Hickey then came back to finish second in the 1600 Meter Run.

“Before the 800, I felt nothing but excitement. I had a peaceful serenity and confidence,” aid Hickey. “I had a lot of fun. By far, it was the best state meet that I have ever had.”

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It was improbable at the beginning of the season what happened in the 300 Meter Hurdles Saturday afternoon. Jessica Franklin of Mahomet-Seymour was not a known athlete at the beginning of the year. Franklin was home schooled for her first three high school years before enrolling at Mahomet-Seymour in the fall of 2017 and went out for the track team this winter. In only her fifth race ever in this event, Franklin is a state champion. Her time was a personal best (43.45) as she came from behind to win ahead of 2017 champion Karyn Best of Wheaton Academy (43.78).

Franklin does not use blocks for her starts whereas everyone else in the field did. “I tried using blocks earlier in the year in the sprints,” Franklin said. “I just did not feel comfortable in them. I still get a good start standing.”

She may start out slow in the race, but Franklin does have a great finish.”

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Tina Martin of Decatur Eisenhower won the sprint double running a personal best of 11.80 to win the 100 Meter Dash edging Serena Bolden of Springfield Southeast by six hundredths of a second (11.86). Martin came back to run 24.78 to win the 200 Meter Dash with Dunlap’s Pauli placing second (25.09) just ahead of Mt. Vernon’s Tredaja Harris (25.12). Jayla Campbell of Rich Central was in control of the 400 Meter Dash. The junior ran 56.38 for the title ahead of another sophomore Raven Moore of Springfield Southeast (57.23).

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The expectations were high for Brooks College Prep’s Imani Carothers heading into this state meet. She did not seem to have the meet she wanted but still came up with two individual state titles. She did win the Triple Jump for the third year in a row jumping 40-3. She moved up improving her mark in the Long Jump but finished second (19-3.75) in the event. Erika Furbeck of Geneseo jumped a new 2A meet record in the event (19-11.25) for the win.

Carothers was pushing for the new meet record in the 100 Hurdles. On the second to last hurdle, she clipped it slowing her down. She crossed the line seemingly disappointed that she did not get the meet record. Carothers did run 14.19 to win the event for the fourth straight time. Brittany Rainey of Dunlap finished second (14.70). She did have to come right back in the 100 Meter Dash finishing eighth in the finals. Carothers did score 30 of her school’s 36 points to place them fourth overall.

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East St. Louis-Senior stopped Dunlap’s winning streak of relay state wins in the 1600 Meter Relay. The Flyerettes took the lead early and never looked back. Their time of 3:53.26 won the event by over four seconds ahead of Dunlap (3:57.51) and Mattoon (4:00.95).

In field events, Evangelynn Harris of East St. Louis-Senior trailed in the Shot Put heading into the finals. Her second-round throw in the finals of 46-1.25 was enough to overtake Nikita Maines of Centralia to win the state championship. Maines throw of 45-3 finished second. Tayla Schwartz of Dixon won her second state title in the Discus. Her prelim throw of 133-6 held up as she won ahead of Harris by just one inch.

Diamonasia Taylor of Urbana won her second straight state title in the High Jump clearing 5-7. Eve Meintz of Marian Central Catholic and Bryleigh Buchanan of Harrisburg both cleared 5-6 to finish second and third. Josie Held of Mt. Zion cleared a new IL #1 and personal best of 12-9 to win the Pole Vault. Aliyah Welter of Monticello, who won in 2017, finished second clearing 12-6.