2023 IHSA State Track & Field Championships - Class 2A Girls Meet Storylines

By Michael Newman

The explosion that you heard last Thursday from East-Central Illinois was when Tatum David of Richland County crossed the finish line in the 800 Meter Run at the Class 2A Rantoul Sectional Meet. David, who had run 2:11.07 during the indoor season, gave us an indication she was due for a fast time at this distance. What resulted was that she ran a seven second personal best (2:05.29) to become #2 athlete all-time in the 800 Meter Run. She now trails Allison Ince for the all-time state best by just two seconds.

What made it even more significant was that she finished ahead of Becca Heitzig of Lincoln who also ran a personal best of 2:08.04. Heitzig holds the all-time state meet record in Class 2A she set last year heading into this weekend’s state meet.

David had hinted in the last year that she may want to attempt this triple. We got an idea of her mindset the week before when she ran 10:26/2:12/4:40 to collect the triple win at the Little Illini Conference Meet. It was 11:05/2:05/4:54 last week at Rantoul.

Getting this triple is tough in Illinois. She will have to run prelims Friday morning in both the 800 and 1600 along with running in the 4x400m Relay. She will have 24 hours to rest before she heads to the line for the 3200 Meter Run on Championship Saturday. She will become the first runner in Class 2A if she achieves this. Katelynne Hart did it in Class 3A in 2019. (You can read about that accomplishment here).

There will be a lot of things going on inside O’Brien Stadium on Saturday. The spotlight will definitely be on David when she steps to the line.

Here are some storylines to watch for Class 2A this Friday and Saturday.

David’s quest for three state titles

It has been quite a senior season for this runner from Olney, Illinois. She was the Class 2A State Champion last fall as well as earning All-American honors at Nike Cross Nationals. This spring she’s run fastest times ever in Illinois for the 3200 Meter Run, 1600 Meter Run, and the 1 Mile Run. Her achievement last Saturday in the Rantoul Sectional makes her #2 All-Time in the 800 Meter Run.

The question will be if she sets IHSA State Meet Records on Saturday or just goes after the three wins. It could be both. (See IHSA Meet Records)

David has run that state all-time best in the 3200 Meter Run (9:48.94). In last Thursday’s sectional meet, she closed with a 64 second final lap to win the sectional title by 18 seconds ahead of Erica Woodard of Tolono Unity. Mia Kotler of Latin School would have been one of the runners that could have been close to David. Kotler was forced to scratch from her sectional meet due to injury. The one runner that could push David in this race is Sundara Weber of Sandwich. The freshman concluded her indoor season by running 10:50.11 to win at Illinois Top Times. She has the best sectional time of 10:39.72 happening last week at the Sterling Sectional. Weber is hard to break pace wise and could produce a spectacular race on Saturday. How hard will she push David in this race? Louisa Diamond of Benet Academy and Zoe Carter of Normal University are the only other 2A runners that have gone under 11-minutes this season. Woodard, Colette Kinsella of Nazareth Academy, and Joy Dudley of Morris are runners that you will see challenge for a top five finish.

The battle for the Class 2A title between David and Becca Heitzig of Lincoln will be high drama on the biggest stage Saturday afternoon. The race win is not a given for David in this race and she knows that. Heitzig’s time of 2:08.04 moves her to #7 all-time. The big thing will be what did both runners learn after last week’s race as well as tweaking up their race plan for the state final if both make it that far. They should. The state meet 2A record by Heitzig (2:09.99) should fall. Which runner will break that record is the question. Colleen Zeibert of Rochester will be coming back from the 4x800m Relay and will be someone to keep an eye on chasing the front. Isabella Orozco of Aurora Central Catholic, Gabrielle Walker of DePaul College Prep, and Mia Menendez of Fenwick will also be in the mix for a top five finish.

Hart’s 1600 when she achieved her triple in 2019 seemed like it was a victory lap as the rest of the pack let her go. David’s triple in her conference meet was a state leading 4:40.39 in this race. It might not be as easy race for David. Heitzig will also be coming back from the 800. She has run a 4:53 best. Will she push David again in this race? Weber, Diamond, Kinsella, and Woodard will be doubling back in the 3200 Meter Run. Ava Boyd of Mahomet-Seymour is a fresh face that we could see challenge for a top five finish.

Another three-peat for Scales

It was a rainy state final last year for everyone especially Emmi Scales of Saint Viator. She persevered running through the raindrops to capture three Class 2A state titles. They say that repeating a triple title is tough to do. Scales has the mettle to achieve state titles in the 100 Meter Dash as well as the two hurdle races.

Scales had a great indoor season earning All-American honors at the New Balance Indoor Nationals as well as setting a new 2A meet record at Illinois Top Times. Scales has only raced in the 100 Meter Hurdles in three meets. Her best time of 14.25 in Class 2A #2 this season in the event. Brianna Dixon of Rantoul ran a personal best of 14.13 last week in her home sectional. Dixon might be the runner to push Scales in this race. Kennedy Ross of Lindblom and Anna Barr of Normal University both have run under 14.5 this season. Both should be factors in this race.

How fast Scales will be the question in the 300 Meter Hurdles. She does have a 2A best of 43.03 seconds. Phoebe Shoemaker of Geneseo is the only runner under 45 seconds in this event (44.81) and will be the chief competition to Scales. Ross, Giana Huerta of Glenbard South, and Anne Wirth of Geneseo all will challenge for a top three finish.

The 100 Meter Dash will be a mystery in this meet with sprint newcomer Kayda Austin of Cahokia leading the 2A state with an 11.78 time. Austin ran 11.94 at the Civic Memorial Sectional looking she could run away with the field. Scales ran 12.25 last week in her sectional and has a 12.15 season’s best. I would not count out Scales in this event. Symone Frison of Lindblom will be a factor as well as Reese Mitchell of Normal University, Angelena Bullocks of Westinghouse, and Nevaeh Lowe of Kankakee.

A family affair in the 4x800m Relay for Rochester

Natalie Nichols is the only non-Zeibert in Rochester’s quartet in the 4x800 Meter Relay heading into this weekend’s state meet. Maybe she could become an honorary Zeibert if the Rockets capture the Class 2A relay title. Senior Colleen, sophomore Brooke, and freshman Ashley are three of the engines that make this relay go. It helps having Coleen Zeibert as their anchor as she has a best of 2:12 for the distance. Rochester realized how good they were until they ran 9:30.38 in winning at the Central State Eight Conference Meet. They dd what they had to do to win last week running just 9:42.73 for the win.

There are three teams that could challenge for the relay title on Saturday. Tolono Unity ran 9:34.32 at Monticello at the end of April. The Rockets did that with Erica Woodard in their lineup. Woodard most likely will be in both individual distance events. Morton ran 9:44.95 to win last week at Kankakee and could be the team to push Rochester in this race. Mt. Zion is the defending champion in this event and did not run their star runner Sofia Munoz last week running 9:54.01. Putting Munoz in the quartet could boost their chances to defend their title.

Wirth looks for all-state performances in four events

Geneseo’s Annie Wirth most likely will move to multi events when she heads off to college at the University of Iowa this fall. Wirth was all-state in four events in last year’s state meet including winning the High Jump for the second time. Geneseo will contend for a state title this weekend. One of the main reason’s is because of Wirth.

Wirth is the top athlete in the state in the High regardless of classification with a 1.80m best. She again will be the favorite in the event with Brianna Dixon of Rantoul and Molly Grohmann of Waterloo her chief competition. She has also excelled in the Long Jump. Wirth will be one of the favorites in the event. She is close to Na’Kyrah Cooks of Kankakee in the event with a 5.93m best. Cooks jumped a Class 2A state leading 5.95 meters at last week’s sectional at Kankakee.

Wirth enters the 300 Meter Hurdles as the second seed with a 45.50 time. Emmi Scales ran 43.23 to lead the field by almost two seconds. Geneseo will be the third seed in the 4x400m Relay with Wirth a part of it. Normal University (3:58.90) and Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin (3:59.74) are the top two seeds.

Miscellaneous Class 2A Notes

One of the reasons why Kankakee won the 2A State team title in 2022 was because of the success that Naomi Bey-Osborne had for her team winning the 200 Meter Dash as well as being a part of her team’s winning quartets in the 4x100m Relay and the 4x400m Relay. The sophomore will run in two individual events this weekend. She ran the fastest 2A time in the state (56.85) in winning her sectional race in the 400 Meter Dash. Kennedy Ramshaw of Champaign Central ran 56.95 at the Rantoul Sectional ready to challenge for the 2A title. Rose Talbert of Monticello and Paige Greenhagel of Burlington Central will be among the athletes to watch. Bey-Osborne and second-place finisher from last year Kayda Austin of Cahokia will challenge for the title in the 200 Meter Dash. Austin is running hot this spring getting the 2A best in the state (24.42) last week at the Civic Memorial Sectional. Kankakee, Champaign Central, and Peoria Richwoods are the top teams to watch in the 4x100m Relay. Richwoods, Kankakee, and East St. Louis-Senior with separated by 22 hundredth of a second last week in sectional meets. The three are the top teams in the 4x200m Relay.

Chelsea Wetzel of Dunlap established herself as the favorite in the Pole Vault clearing 4.00m last week at the Galesburg Sectional. Libby Saloga of Rosary, Katie Schneider of Mascoutah, and Nicole Grimes of Benet Academy will be Wetzel’s chief competition.

Alice Sotelo of Sterling will look to defend her state title in the Triple Jump. Sotelo enters this meet with a 11.76m best. Abby Venhaus of Columbia had the top sectional mark of 11.57m ahead of Karli Mann of Herrin (11.47m) and Sotelo (11.35m).

Claire Allen of Sandwich enters the meet as the favorite in the Discus Defending state champion Madyson Swope of Carbondale did not compete in her sectional due to an injury. Allen threw a state leading 42.79m personal best in winning the Discus at the Sterling Sectional. Alice Mihas of Latin School (39.92m) has the next best throw. Madelyn Bishop of Rockford Boylan looks to defend her title this weekend in the Shot Put. Bishop enters the meet with a 2A leading put of 13.24m. Allen could get a double win. She has a 13.17m best. No other athlete in Class 2A has gone past 13-meters.