David sets new IHSA State Meet Record in winning 2A Girls 3200 Meter Run

Kankakee repeats as 2A Girls team champions; Heitzig lowers own record in 2A 800m Record; Scales repeats double hurdle win; Wirth claims double wins in Long Jump and High Jump

By Michael Newman

Charleston, Ill – Tatum David of Richland County showed a demeanor of calmness with a smile on her face yet had determination in her eyes as she stepped to the line in the Class 2A 3200 Meter Run. In her 1600 Meter Run prelim on Friday afternoon, David was in flats for the race easily winning the heat. On this day, spikes were worn telling the world inside O’Brien Field she was ready for business in this race.

Results | Video Interviews | Photos

The start of the race proved that as she had a big lead already at 200-meters. Her closest competitor was freshman Sundara Weber of Sandwich who was already 24 seconds behind running 5:14. David was on pace for a record at a sizzling 4:50 at the halfway point

Her lead continued to grow after each finished lap, but the pace was slightly slowing down. David now had 34 second lead at the race locked up. Now it was a matter of whether the record would be something that she would soon have. She accelerated down the back stretch as she started to lap runners. The crowd rose to their feet as she headed for home.

9:53.96.

A new record was set that was held for 12 years by Woodstock’s Kayla Beattie. A smile came across her face as she crossed the track. She found her grandmother and hugged her. She found her parents and a long embrace. Maybe there was relief that she got the record behind the smile. Maybe it was all of the hard work that David had put in to put her where she was at.

“I was supposed to go slower in the first few laps of the 3200 Meter Run,” David said. “I knew I was on a good pace in the 3200. I felt good throughout. I slowed down towards the end. I knew I had to keep pushing in that final lap if I wanted to get that record.”

Weber ran a huge personal best of 10:31.67 to finish second. Three more runners were under 11-minutes including Louisa Diamond of Benet Academy (10:38.37), Zoe Carter of Normal University (10:47.38), and Colette Kinsella of Nazareth Academy (10:51.62).

Her pace in the 3200 Meter Run at 800-meters of 2:19 would have been all-state in the open 800 this meet. She went out hard in the 1600 Meter Run but was off record pace at 800-meters passing in 2:21.3 with two laps to go. She already had 13 seconds on the rest of the pack.

“I felt that 3200 race in my legs once the gun went off,” David added. “All I wanted to do was win that race. A good time would be a bonus.”

The pace went from near a 73 second lap to close to 75 seconds on the third lap. Her 73.5 final lap brought the crowd to their feet. It would not be a record but what a way to wind her high school career with her sixth state title. It was a repeat of titles from 2022. “I’m thankful for my parents and grandparents for always supporting me, always being at my meets” David said.

Becca Heitzig of Lincoln coming from an early race ran 5:00.44 to finish second. Sundara Weber off the double back from the 3200 Meter Run ran 5:02.91 to finish third. She could be the next runner to challenge for the record. Ava Boyd of Mahomet-Seymour (5:07.64) and Zoe Carter (5:07.64 were fourth and fifth.

Kankakee once again was in charge in the 2A team battle. The Kays scored in eight events including three relay events to claim the team title with 66 points. Geneseo, behind two wins from Annie Wirth, finished second with 58 points. Cahokia, with Kayda Austin winning the two sprint titles, took home the third-place trophy scoring 42 points. Normal University (36 points) and Sandwich (35 points).

It was the sprint events that was the key to the second straight title for the Kays. The big scorer for this team was Naomi Bey-Osborne who repeated as champion in the 400 Meter Dash and then all-state in three more events. The sophomore came off the curve with runners close to her. In a matter of strides, she had separated herself from them. Bey-Osborne ran a personal best of 56.20 for the win. Madalyn Marx of Mahomet-Seymour, only a freshman, ran 57.18 in finishing second ahead of Syria Boyd of Galesburg (57.34). Rose Talbert of Monticello (57.59) and Kennedy Ramshaw (57.71) finished fourth and fifth. Bey-Osbourne came back to finish second in the 200 Meter Dash. She was an influence as the anchor in the 4x100m Relay taking the baton in a tie for the lead edging Champaign Central at the line for the win. Kankakee ran 47.72 for the win with Champaign Central at 47.92 for second.

Nevaeh Lowe, who finished second in the 100 Meter Dash and was part of all three of her team’s relays, anchored in the 4x200m Relay to a convincing win with a 1:41.78 time ahead of Champaign Central and Normal University who were timed in 1:43.63 for second and third. Champaign Central had the edge for second by seven thousandth of a second. Kankakee was in a battle for the lead with Geneseo and Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin until Bey-Osborne took the baton. She ran a 56.6 to secure the race and team title for her team. The Kays ran 3:57.65 for the win ahead of Sacred Heart-Griffin (3:58.56) and Geneseo (3:59.55). Na’Kyrah Cooks got her team points by finishing fourth in the Long Jump. Nikkel Johnson helped her team by finishing sixth in the Long Jump.

Heitzig re-writes her own 2A record in the 800 Meter Run.

The thought before the IHSA Girls State Meet started that one of the featured races this weekend would be the 800 Meter Run between defending champion Becca Heitzig of Lincoln and Tatum David who had defeated her the week before at the Rantoul Sectional. It never materialized as David scratched from the event to concentrate on the two longer distance races.

Heitzig did not change her strategy although different from the prelims to the finals. The pace on the first lap was 61.6 with long time rival Colleen Zeibert of Rochester just a second behind. Heitzig closed the door on the third 200 of the race passing 600-meters in 1:34. Zeibert was starting to feel her early race in the 4x800m Relay as she started to drop back.

Heitzig started to power down the final 100-meters getting in reach of her own record. She crossed the line in 2:08.48 breaking her record by 1.5 seconds. Zeibert ran 2:13.00 to finish second for the second year in a row. She finished third as a sophomore in 2021.

Heitzig finished second in the 1600 Meter Run behind David with a 5:00.44 time. Heitzig anchored Lincoln to eighth-place (4:07.42) and a 57.5 split.

Scales almost re-writes the record book in the 100 Meter Hurdles

Emmi Scales was nervous before the start of the finals in the 100 Meter Hurdles. Scales was the returning champion and looked good running 14.10 in her preliminary heat, the best time for her this season. Briana Dixon of Rantoul is her chief competition. She ran the same time of 14.10 but was three thousandth of a second ahead of Scales.

Scales needed a good start and she got that. The two athletes were almost even at the eighth hurdle. Scales surged and crossed the line first in an incredible 13.15 time. Dixon was second in 13.71. Kennedy Ross of Lindblom ran 14.36 in finishing third. Scales time was the fastest ever run in the IHSA State meet surpassing the time that Dawn Harper ran 22 years ago. The time won’t be considered a record as the wind speed was over the 2.0 m/s allowable with the 2.5 m/s wind speed during the race.

Scales was looking for the double win this meet over the hurdles after scratching in the 100 Meter Dash in the prelims. She was in control in this race running 42.61 to win by more than a second claiming a career fifth state championship. Kennedy Ross of Lindblom ran 43.63 to finish second while Gianna Huerta of Glenbard South ran 43.76 to place third.

Wirth on a roll to finish her high school career

Annie Wirth, before heading to the University of Iowa this fall, had some unfinished business to attend to in her final high school meet. Geneseo finished second with 58 points with Wirth scoring 33 of those points. She started with a pair of wins in the field events. Wirth took nine attempts in the finals. Her first attempt at 5-6.50 was successful closing the door on the rest of the competition. It was the second year in a row that she has won this event. Brianna Dixon and Makenna Witham of Troy Triad both cleared 5-5.25 to finish in the top three.

Wirth took all six jumps in the Long Jump even though she had the lead after prelims. Her jump on Friday morning carried over on Saturday not improving on that 18-7 best.  Teagan Sullivan of Dunlap came the closest jumping 18-2.25 in her final jump to finish second.

Wirth ran 45.02 for a new personal best and to finish fourth in the 300 Meter Hurdles. Wirth ran a 59.2 split on the team’s third leg to help her quartet to finish third. Wirth ended up all state 11-times winning the High Jump three times.

TRACK HIGHLIGHTS

Perhaps the most exciting finish that happened in the 2A meet was the final 800-meters in the 4x800m relay. Colleen Zeibert got the baton on the anchor leg for Rochester in sixth place ten seconds behind Tolono Unity, Zeibert made up that deficit in the first 500-meters of the final leg. She ran a 2:11.3 anchor leg to give Rochester the state title ahead of Tolono Unity (9:34.22) and Morton (9:35.37).

Kayda Austin of Cahokia helped her team in finishing third in this meet’ being a part of the teams 24 points. Austin had the fastest time in the state in the 100 Meter Dash heading to Charleston. The junior ran 11.83 in the prelims and 11.85 in the finals capturing her first state title finishing ahead of Nevaeh Lowe of Kankakee (12.03) and Symone Frison of Lindblom (12.05). Austin had to come from behind in the 200 Meter Dash catching defending champion Naomi Bey-Osborne with 50 meters to go. Austin ran a personal best of 24.23 for her second championship of the day. Bey-Osborne ran 24.58 to finish second ahead of Syria Boyd (24.81).

FIELD EVENT HIGHLIGHTS

Claire Allen of Sandwich had a best of 42-11 after the Friday morning prelims in the Shot Put. That mark held up in the finals. Olivia Marshall of Geneseo moved from sixth to second on her final attempt of 40-11. Madelyn Bishop of Rockford Boylan had a 40-0.50 to place third.

The story was the same for Allen in the finals of the Discus capturing her second state title. She was sixth after prelims. She threw 138-9 in the fifth round which held up for a state title. Alice Mihas of Latin School had the lead heading into the finals. She finished second with a 132-6 throw. Olivia Marshall threw 126-2 to finish third.

Jocelyn Crum of Lakes, Chelsea Weitzel of Dunlap, and Nicole Grimes of Benet Academy all finished with best clearances of 12-2.50 in the Pole Vault. Wetzel had the advantage clearing on all of her made heights on the first attempt. Crum and Grimes finished second and third.

Abby Venhaus of Columbia took the lead on her opening attempt on Saturday jumping 37-11.25. She had all three finals attempt over 37-feet on Saturday helping her take the state title. Defending champ Alice Sotelo of Sterling did not improve on her prelims mark of 37-3.75 and finished in second. Angela Gersch of Richmond-Burton improved to 36-11.75 to finish third.