Road to Charleston - A view of the 2023 IHSA 1A Girls Sectional Distance Events

By Michael Newman

Ahry Comer of Pope County and Kennady Anderson of Kewanee Wethersfield will look to repeat qualifying in three distance events like they did in their sectional meets. The two juniors were all-state in all three events last May. Comer is the defending state champion in the 800 Meter Run.

Elana Rybak of Father McGivney has some of the top times in Class 1A in both the 800 Meter Run and 1600 Meter Run. She will look to qualify in each of those events along with helping her team qualify in the 4x800m Relay. Molly Farrell of Marshall most likely qualify in the 3200 Meter Run and the 1600 Meter Run in her sectional meet. Farrell has the fastest Class 1A 3200 Meter Run time and will be the favorite when steps to the alley line at next Saturday’s State Finals.

14 Sectionals will take place in Class 1A on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. Here is a view of each of those sectionals focusing on distance events.

Class 1A State Qualifying Standards

800 2:28.20 – 1600 5:36.90 – 3200 12:26.20 – 4x8 10:35.90

Wednesday, May 10

Erie – Jolee Larson of Indian Creek could be the runner to watch in this sectional as the top seed in two distance events. The senior comes into this meet with the top seed time and the only runner under 12-minutes in the 3200 Meter Run. Clarissa Ostrowski of Rock Island Alleman is a solid second seed in the 3200 Meter Run. She is almost 30 seconds ahead of the next runner in the field, Victoria Browning of Sherrard. Larson leads the field in the 1600 Meter Run with a 5:34.97 seed time. There are seven runners between 5:46 to 6:00 that will be chasing after the second auto qualifying spot including Ostrowski, Caroline Bend of Indian Creek, and Mattea Wuest of Riverdale. Bend and Wuest are the top two seeded runners in the 800 Meter Run with Bend leading at 2:30.75. Erika King of Morrison and Madisyn Skelley of Sherrard also could vie after the auto qualifying spot. Sherrard will be the big favorite in the 4x800m Relay. The Tigers have the top seed time of 10:22.06 ranked #14 in Class 1A. Fulton looks to be the next team to make it to Charleston.

Farmington – This is one of the most competitive Class 1A Distance Sectional Meets this season. All four events are loaded. Kennedy Anderson of Kewanee-Wethersfield was all-state in all three distance events last year. The junior enters this meet as the top seed in those events. Anderson ran 11:03.25 (1A#3) to win at the Lincoln-Trail Conference Meet just ahead of Eden Mueller of Mercer County who ran 11:06.52 (1A #6). The two will chase after the sectional title with the two possibly pushing each other under 11-minutes. Six runners are at or under the Class 1A qualifying standard including Emily Downing of Cambridge (11:37.00, IL #10). Three runners are under qualifying in the 800 Meter Run led by Anderson, Dowling, and Claire Alberton of Eureka. Anderson’s 5:08.43 (1A#5) leads the field in the 1600 Meter Run. This should be another strong race with Dowling, Mueller, and Meika Bender of Eureka all having season times under qualifying. The 4x800m Relay should start the evening right with Eureka at 10:02.78 (1A #3) leading a field with five other teams under the 10:35.90 qualifying time. Cambridge (10:08.33, IL #5), Knoxville (10:12.34, 1A #8), and Stark County (10:12.61, 1A #9) all ran those times last week at Lincoln-Trail Conference last Friday and will look to better those performances.

Rushville-Industry – There should be good showdowns occurring in both the 3200m and 1600m Runs. Arianna Neisen of Liberty ran a solo 11:03.37 (1A #4) in a Missouri meet in the middle of April and will lead the field in the 3200 Meter Run. Louisa Wilson of Williamsville has a season’s best of 11:49.40 and should be Neisen’s top competition. Hannah Nation of Williamsville and Maggie Zimmerman of Petersburg PORTA also are under state qualifying and could be making a trip to Charleston in this event. Neisen and Wilson have both run 5:22 for the 1600 Meter Run and should be the top qualifiers. Nation and Zimmerman both have times within 10 seconds of state qualifying. A good race could get both under that mark. Pleasant Plains ran 10:04.41 (1A #4) this season and will be the favorite in the 4x800m Relay. Williamsville is within 10 seconds of Pleasant Plains and could challenge for the win. Pittsfield is at the state qualifying time of 10:35.9. They could also qualify for state. Abigail Wolters and Alaina Hawker of Pleasant Plains will come back from the 4x8. The two runners are the top two seeds in the 800 Meter Run. Hannah Williams is within a second of Hawker and could get that second qualifying position.

Thursday, May 11

Carlinville – This is not a distance heavy sectional. We will most likely see only the two auto-qualifiers make it to next week’s state meet. Myka Fenton of Litchfield has run 12:47.5 in the 3200 Meter Run. The senior will be the favorite in that race and has a 75 seconds advantage ahead of this 11 runner field. Mackenzie Mallicott of Auburn, Olivia Thoroman of North Mac, and Caroline Peters of New Berlin all have run between 2:33 to 2:34 in the 800 Meter Run. Two of those runners should advance to state in that event. Freshman Madigan Burger of New Berlin is about 30 seconds ahead of the rest of the field with her 5:25.50 season’s best in the 1600 Meter Run. Fenton and Thoroman are the only runners in this race under six-minutes and will challenge for the second qualifying spot. Burger will lead New Berlin as one of the favorites in the 4x800m Relay. Alton Marquette could challenge for the win along with their quartet qualifying for state.

Chester – This could be a big meet for Father McGivney especially if they qualify who they expect to in this meet. This St. Louis area school has the talent in the distance events to challenge for a state trophy at next week’s state meet. Elena Rybak and Kaitlyn Hatley will be the key runners for the success of Griffins. Rybak with the Class 1A top time of 2:11.41 and Hatley at 2:16.87 (1A #3) are the top two seeds in the 800 Meter Run and should sweep the event if both run. Carolie Tepe of Okawville has run 2:21.43 (1A #9) should also qualify if she gets close to her personal best. Rybak has a 5:02.45 outdoor best (1A #3) and should be the favorite in the 1600 Meter Run. The sophomore’s best time is 32 seconds ahead of the rest of the field. Teammate Jane Cummins and Alexis Kampwerth of Breese Mater Dei are the likely runners to challenge for the second qualifying spot. Cummings and Sarah McGowen of Christ Our Rock Lutheran have both run under the 12:26.9 qualifying time and should advance in the 32000 Meter Run. Father McGivney has the state’s fastest time in Class 1A in the 4x800m Relay (9:33.61). The Griffins are almost two minutes ahead of the rest of this sectional field. We may not see Rybak in this relay. It might not be necessary. Nashville, Breese Mater Dei, and Okawville all could challenge for state qualifying.

DuQuoin – This sectional could be the “Ahry Comer Show.” The Pope County junior was all-state in three events last year including winning the state title in the 800 Meter Run. She is the favorite in all three of those events on Thursday by a wide margin. Comer has only raced at 3200-meters once this season with a 11:12.20 time (11:12.20) at the beginning of April at Carterville. She is ahead of the field by 60 seconds in this race and should cruise to the win. Maggie Kellerman of DuQuoin and Ella Sager of Fairfield will challenge for the second spot and could both qualify for state. Comer at 2:12.97 (1A #2) is the big favorite in the 800 Meter Run with Molly Merrill of Goreville and Ava Gregory of DuQuoin close to 20 seconds behind. Comer ran a 1A state lead of 4:59.69 last week in her conference meet and should win this sectional race. Kellerman, Merrill, and Sager are all more than 40 seconds behind Comer. Pinckneyville has more than a one minute gap ahead of the rest of field and should win the 4x800m Relay in this meet.

El Paso-Gridley – There is a lot of talent in this meet. We could see personal bests falling left and right. Nora Brady of Bloomington Central Catholic is one runner to watch entered in three events. Brady has run 11:03.88 (1A #5) this season and leads all runners in the 3200 Meter Run. All-state runner Kate Ahmari of Urbana University has an 11:26.21 best (1A#8) and will be one of the runners to push Brady. There could be up to seven runners that qualify in this race including Kara Mathias of Urbana University and Emily Anand of St. Thomas More. Brady ran 2:20.61 (1A #6) and is seven seconds ahead of the rest of the field in the 800 Meter Run. Brady and Ahmari are the top seeds in the 1600 Meter Run with Brady at 5:09.07 (1A #7) having the best time. Four runners have run under the 5:36.9 qualifying time in the event. Up to six runners could advance in the 1600. El Paso-Gridley and Urbana University look to be the favorites to qualify to state in the 4x800m Relay.

Hope Academy – Not a hotbed of distance running in this sectional meet. Only 29 runners are entered in the three individual races. Francoise Lechner of Willows Academy has a best time of 11:56.70 to lead three other runners in the 3200 Meter Run. Freshman Jojo Husbeck of Francis W Parker is the only runner under six-minutes in the 1600 Meter Run and could win in this race. Dallyce Harrell of Francis W. Parker, also a freshman, is the top seed in  the 800 Meter Run. Her season’s best of 2:25.98 is 15 seconds faster than the rest of the field. Only three teams are entered in the 4x800m Relay. Beacon Academy should be the favorite in the event.

Mackinaw-Deer Creek – It could be a great evening for Meg Simmons of Astoria. She is entered in three events. Simmons has a good chance to qualify in all three. Simmons enters with the top seed time of 2:28.02 in the 800 Meter Run. Josie Bryan of Illini West and Annabelle LaFary of Delavan will challenge for the second qualifying spot. LaFary could also qualify for state in three events. The freshman enters with an 11:35.95 best. Simmons looks like a solid second qualifier. Addelyne Nehmelman of Delavan has run under the state qualifying standard. She could also make it to state. LaFary and Simmons are also the top two seeds in the 1600 Meter Run and should qualify. Delavan will have LaFary and Nehmelman a part of their quartet in the 4x800m Relay. If the two runners compete in this relay, Delavan could roll to the win. Monmouth United and Deer Creek-Mackinaw will challenge for the other state qualifying spot.

Newton – Marshall could make it a sweep in the two long distance events led by freshman Molly Farrell and senior Isabel Arthur. Farrell ran 10:34.17 establishing her with the fastest state 1A time and the huge favorite in the 3200 Meter Run. Teammate Isabel Arthur ran 12:04 and could push for the second state spot. It should be the same story in the 1600 Meter Run with Farrell entering with a 5:00.03 (1A #2) seed time. Arthur ran 5:37.69 and could be pushed Kayla Clark of Casey-Westfield for the second spot. Ella Tingley of Robinson and Kyla Engel of Patoka are the big favorites to advance in the 800 Meter Run. The two runners are 11 seconds ahead of the rest of the field with Tingley at 2:23.20 having the best seed time. Tingley could anchor Robinson to the win in the 4x800m Relay. The Maroons have a 10:10.70 (1A #7 best. Host Newton at 10:52.40 should also qualify in the relay.

Okaw Valley – Kate Foltz of Tuscola is having a great track season. The freshman could leave this meet with two sectional wins. Foltz ran 10:54.20 (1A #2) at the end of April at Monticello. She will be the favorite in this race leading the field by over 90 seconds. Foltz ran 5:16.96 the week before in the 1600 Meter Run in a home invitational. She is 20 seconds ahead of Klaire Eighner of Maroa-Forsyth and Anna Tynan of Shelbyville. It will be three runners challenging for two qualifying spots in the 800 Meter Run. Aly Douglass of Okaw Valley has a 2:23.46 best and leads Tessa Bowers of Shelbyville and Eighner by eight seconds. Shelbyville has run 10:16.26 and is 30 seconds ahead of the field in the 4x800m Relay. Sangamon Valley and St. Teresa should challenge for second in this relay.

Paxton-Buckley-Loda – We should have three good individual distance races in this meet. Trixie Johnson of Paxton-Buckley-Loda is the top seed in the 800 Meter Run in her final home meet. We could see up to four runners qualify in that race including Macie Russell of Salt Fork, Savanna Franzen of St. Joseph-Ogden, and Evita Martinez of Kankakee McNamara. Martinez ran a season’s best of 5:33.28 and is the top seed in the 1600 Meter Run. Russell and Franzen are good bets to make it to state. Aleah Potter of Bismarck-Henning (12:15.09) and Samantha Hartke of Iroquois West (12:58.71) are the only two runners in the 3200 Meter Run under 13-minutes in this meet. St. Joseph-Ogden and Kankakee McNamara are the top two seeds in the 4x800m Relay. Both teams should advance to the state meet.

Seneca – It could be two runners that could step to center stage in this sectional meet. Grace Mullin of Chicago Christian stepped up big at Distance Night in Palatine running 5:07.65 (1A #4) and will be the top seed in the 1600 Meter Run. Evelyn O’Connor of Seneca ran 5:11.42 (1A #9) in the same meet and should challenge Mullin for the win. There are four more runners in this sectional that are under the state qualifying time. We could have up to six runners advancing in this meet. O’Connor at 2:21.17 (1A #7) and Mullin are the top seeds in the 800 Meter Run. Sydney Bonham of Beecher has a good chance also make it to state in this race. O’Connor and Mullin should also be factors in the 4x800m Relay. Seneca has a best of 10:10.43 (1A #6) with Chicago Christian at a 10:13.62 (1A #10) best. Up to four runners could make it to state meet in the 3200 Meter Run. Anna Enderle of Chicago Christian leads the field with a 11:49.87 season’s best.

Friday, May 12

Winnebago – Grace Erb in her final meet on her home track will be the favorite in the 800 Meter Run. Erb ran 2:17.58 outdoors (1A #4) and is six seconds ahead of her closest competition Skylar Palmgren of Byron. Winnebago’s Kaylee Woolery at 5:09.00 (1A #6) and Marissa Roggensack (5:15.91) are strong best to finish 1-2 in the 1600 Meter Run. Abigail Baumann of Rockford Lutheran ran a season’s best of 5:29.27 and could also make it to state in the event. Baumann will be the big favorite in the 3200 Meter Run with a seed time of 11:50.27 almost wo minutes ahead of the rest of the field. Roggensack, Woolery, and Erb have been on two straight state championship 4x800m relay. Along with Morgan Capriola, the quartet ran 9:35.25 (1A #2) at their conference meet last week. They have an 80 second advantage over the field led by Byron.