East St. Louis win in 4x4 gives them the points to win team title; Taylor sets new 2A record in third High Jump win

Photo: Teammates Raven Moore and Serena Bolden after Bolden’s 4^th individual win (Laura Duffy Photo).

By Michael Newman

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Charleston, Ill – Not too many athletes in the history of the Illinois High School State Track Championships, either Boys or Girls, has won four individual events in a state meet.

Add Springfield Southeast’s Serena Bolden to that select list.

Bolden, who had never won an individual state championship in her high school career, achieved winning a state championship times four in winning the Long and Triple Jumps along with the 100 Meter Dash and 200 Meter Dash.

Bolden and teammate Raven Moore scored 61of their teams 65 points to help Springfield Southeast take the lead in the team standings. That changed when East St. Louis-Senior dominated the 1600 Meter Relay to win the event and the state title with 72 points. Monticello scored 48 points to finish third.

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The Springfield senior entered Championship Saturday with the lead in three of her four events. She was trailing Rantoul’s Tanaya Young who had jumped 18-10.50 in the prelims. Bolden would need to do work in winning her first state title. Diamonasia Taylor of Urbana jumped past both athletes taking the lead with a 19-0.25 jump. Bolden responded jumping 19-0.75 to win the state title by half an inch.

The rest of her wins seemed easier. She jumped a seasonal best of 40-2.50 inches for her second state gold with East St. Louis’ Ahmia Dorsey jumping 38-6.25 to finish second.

Bolden won the only sprint race of the day that was wind legal. Her 11.74 time won the 100 Meter Dash with Treasure Keyes of Lindblom (11.98), Seven Hicks of Peoria Richwoods (12.01), and Moore (12.21) taking the next three spots. Bolden completed her events in a close 200 Meter Dash final. Bolden held off Jessica McDowell of Normal University (24.53) and Moore (24.73) to capture her fourth state title (24.41).

East St. Louis-Senior used three relay wins and individual state title to help them win their first state title since they won the 3A title in 2011.

The Flyerettes took the lead on the second exchange to run 47.41 to hold off Carbondale (47.51) to win the 400 Meter Relay championship.

They flew solo in their other two relay wins. ESL ran 1:40.86 to win the 800 Meter Relay by more than three seconds ahead of Monticello (1:44.26) and Chicago Clark (1:44.78).

The gap was even greater in the 1600 Meter Relay. The quartet of Shonjahnea Griggs, Faith Mitchell, Maysha Vickers, and Jariah Turner ran to the state title (3:52.96) by almost 10 seconds ahead of Peoria Notre Dame (4:02.44) and Carbondale (4:02.95).

The Flyerettes only individual win came in the 300 Meter Hurdles. Veronica Sherrod had the lead coming off the final curve with the lead that only grew in the final three hurdles. Sherrod’s winning time (43.97) was ahead of Monticello’s Emelia Ness (44.77) and Pittsfield’s Katie Cox (45.00). It close in the final of the 100 Meter Hurdles. South Shore’s Shanisa Stinson ran a personal best of 14.72 to edge Ness by four hundredths of a second (14.76) to win the state championship in the event.

Diamonasia Taylor achieved a new personal best in winning the High Jump at the state meet for the third straight time. Taylor cleared 5-11 to set a new Class 2A State Meet record for her win ahead of Metamora’s Carly Tucker who cleared 5-8 to finish second.

Jayla Campbell of Rich Central used every ounce of energy to win her second straight state title in the 400 Meter Dash. Campbell collapsed at the finish after she ran 56.36 for the win ahead of McDowell (56.58).

The distance race times suffered from temperatures in the 80’s and winds gusting to 20 mph on the home stretch. Lydia Roller of Staunton felt the effect of the conditions when she started to falter in the final 600-meters of the 3200 Meter Run as she had led for most of the race. Olivia Rosenstein of Urbana took over on the final lap with Morton’s Aspen Gordon close to her side. Also hanging on was Jordan Harmon of Tolono Unity. In the final 20 meters, Harmon passed both athletes and crossed the line with the state title (11:09.06). Rosenstein (11:09.82) and Gordon (11:11.17) finished second and third with Roller running 11:24.96 to place fourth.

Harmon crossed the line with her hand over her mouth not believing what she had just done. The Tolono senior had missed last year’s meet due to an injury that she thought she would never come from. With plenty of faith, Harmon now had a state title.

The conditions did not see to bother Payne Turney of Clinton in the 800 Meter Run. She had the lead at the break at 100-meters and just rolled from there. Her winning state title time of 2:17.54 was more than three seconds ahead of Benton’s Amelia McLain (2:21.12) and Josie Brown of Geneseo (2:21.40).

Lianna Surtz of Rosary did not race until the end of April this season. The freshman was going through growth spurts and had shin splints. Her doctor told her to rest. She looked strong in the four races they she ran in including running in the 3200 Meter Relay earlier on Saturday.

It seemed like she was never threatened in the 1600 Meter Run as she held a slight lead the first half of the race. She pulled away in the final 500-meters to win her first state title (5:09.07) with Roller (5:11.80) and Ella Bittner of Normal University (5:12.68) following. All three runners will be in Class 1A for the cross country season. It will be exciting to see the three race against each other.

Bittner had a great anchor leg for her team in the 3200 Meter Relay. She caught Dixon’s Grace Johnson and went on to give the Pioneers a state championship (9:41.81) ahead of Dixon (9:45.86) and Eureka (9:48.41).

Jayden Ulrich of East Alton-Wood River finished fourth in the Shot Put as a freshman. She bettered that in this state meet with a personal best 46-9.50 put to win the state title. Aliyah McDaniel of Tolono Unity was more than feet behind in finishing second (43-0.75).

Sydney Apgar of Carbondale held on to her prelim lead in the Discus. The senior won the state title with a 142-9 throw. Ulrich achieved another personal best in this event (139-11) to finish second.

Samantha Spencer of Providence Catholic had a clutch clearance of 12-6 to win the state title as Mt. Zion’s Rhiannon Held and Lillianna Ifft of Prairie Central both cleared 12-3 to finish second and third.