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Mendota’s Mariyah Elam, Morris’s Ava Conley heading to state in trio of events from 2A sectional · Illinois Valley - Shaw Local

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  Speaker 1: Mendota's Maria Elam Morris's Ava Conley heading to state in
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  trio of events from two A Sectional. Written by Brian Hoxey,
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  This article is being read by an automated voice brought
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  to you by Everlett. Mendota junior Maria Elim and Morris
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  senior Ava Conley both put together strong efforts, qualifying for
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  the state finals in three events in Wednesday's essay Class
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  two A Mendota Girls Track and Field Sectional. The state
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  preliminaries begin Friday, May twenty second on O'Brien field at
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  Eastern Illinois University in Charleston. Elam earned individual titles in
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  the high jump one point five nine meters and triple
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  jump eleven point three to two, while also helping the
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  four x two hundred relay team along with junior Aby Buttner,
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  freshman Ragan Atherton, and freshman Jenia Francis finished second in
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  a time of one minute forty eight point six three seconds.
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  It's a lot, but it's something I've been doing since
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  grade school, so I've got it down, Elim said of
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  competing in the multiple events. I feel like for me,
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  both the high jump and triple jump, it's all about
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  staying consistent. I felt like having a little wind at
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  my back really helped me mentally in the long jump,
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  then in the high jump, I just really wanted to
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  make sure I was refocusing with each height and not
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  be thinking two or three heights ahead. Adding us making
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  it in the relay, it was a great day for sure.
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  Francis also qualified for state in the one hundred, finishing
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  first in twelve point four to one. Conley won the
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  four hundred one o'clock twenty four, finished second in the
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  two hundred twenty six point zero two, and was the
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  anchor on the four one hundred relay team with freshman
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  Sincare Ricker, sophomore Dynasty Brooks, and freshmen Aniston Capudo that
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  placed runner up in fifty one point zero zero. This
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  year our Fox one hundred, I mean I knew from
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  our very first race of the season it was going
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  to be Specialley said it was the best really I'd
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  ever been in Sincere, Dynasty and Anniston are all just
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  so fast, So my job as anchor is to bring
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  it home. The four hundred is something I've worked so
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  hard on. It's been a lot of trial and error,
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  try this and try that. I finally broke sub one
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  minute earlier this season, which was a goal. The two
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  hundred was something new for me this year, so to
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  qualify for state with a personal record today was icing
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  on the cake. Also for Morris, sophomore Leah Martin won
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  the one hundred hurdles fifteen point four to five. Brooks
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  placed second in the one hundred twelve point four to eight,
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  and sophomore gray Sie Swartz finished fourth in the pole
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  vault with a state qualifying height of two point ninety seven.
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  Sterling senior and Essa Johnson advanced to state by finishing
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  second in the one hundred hurdles sixteen point one four
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  and three hundred hurdles forty eight point sixty five. She
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  qualified for three events last year but missed state after
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  a car accident. The wind was perfect for the one
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  hundred hurdles because it was pushing us, but three hundred hurdles,
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  the wind in your face made it tough. Johnson said,
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  you always want to lead forward over the hurdles, so
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  my mindset was just to mentally slice through the wind.
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  I want to run in the fifteen s in the
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  one hundred hurdles at State, and I know I can
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  do it. I'm just going down there and do everything
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  I can to earn a medal. Sterling also advanced. Sophomore's
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  Emma fam three thy two hundred second twelve forty four
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  point nine to one, Kendall Bias discus second thirty four
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  point five to three, Mary Kerkhoff high jump second one
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  point five to four, and Chloe Stumpenhorst pole vault fifth
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  two point nine to seven qualifying height. Lasal Peru junior
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  Aubrey Dutlinger advanced after winning the long jump five point
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  three eight and placing third ten point seven eight, but
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  with a qualifying distance in the triple jump. Cavalier's freshman
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  Aubrey Urbanski is also heading to state after a second
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  place finish in the eight hundred two twenty eight point
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  nine to two. My seated jump first at five point
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  six y five isn't something I've been at consistently. It
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  was just a really good jump, Dutlinger said. It was
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  actually competing in the triple jump first today and hitting
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  the qualifying standard on my second jump that really helped me.
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  In the long jump. It gave me confidence and really
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  set my mode right. I went into my last jump
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  in second by point seven so I just told myself
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  I needed to really lock it in. I had nothing
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  to lose, so I just put it all out there
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  and it was just enough. Hersher senior Kelly O'Connor placed
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  first in the eight hundred two twenty seven point five
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  to one and second the sixteen hundred five point thirty
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  five point four to seven, while classmate Fabien Huberg finished
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  second in the pole vault three point two eight. I
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  knew my adrenaline was going to take out the first
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  two hundred, so when I hit the win the first time,
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  I really didn't feel it. O'Connor says of the eight hundred.
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  Normally my strategy is to really pick up my pace
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  the final three hundred, but that second time into the
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  wind was really tough. I just tried to power through
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  and stride it out, knowing the wind would help push
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  me home. My main goal was clearly the state qualifying height,
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  said Huberg. Then after that, just keep pushing myself. I
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  just really had the adrenaline pumping. When I cleared three
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  point two eight, I knew right when I started my
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  run it was going to be a good one. Ottawa
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  had two athletes place second to advance freshman Kendall Justice
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  in the four hundred one three twenty nine and junior
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  Gwen Jimenez in the shot put eleven point zero two.
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  For me, it's all about having a good pace and
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  then really turning it on towards the end, said Justice.
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  I ran a personal best today, but it was still
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  three seconds off the qualifying time. I know I want
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  to go out fast, but sometimes, like today, I get
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  nervous and don't go out as fast as I should.
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  I'm really going to concentrate on sticking to my strategy
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  at State. I'm excited to see how I do. Others
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  heading to State include Streeter sophomore Kinsley Sweden discus first
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  thirty six point zero eight, Coal City junior La Wills
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  triple jump second ten point nine two and freshman Marina
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  fig long jump third five point twenty six qualifying distance.
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  And the Rock Falls four x eight hundred relay team
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  of sophomore Ashley Rodriguez, senior Breneburlac, sophomore Miley Bickett, and
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  senior Kat Scott second ten twenty three point six to two.
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  R f Kala Hackbarth also qualified. In the discus, Geneseo
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  captured the team title with one hundred and twenty three points,
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  followed by runner up Galesburg seventy eight, Morris seventy four,
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  Sterling sixty eight, Ottawa fifty nine and a half, Mendota
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  fifty four, Coal City seven forty one, LaSalle Peru nint
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  thirty six and a half, Princeton eleven thirty, Rock Falls
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  twelfth twenty nine, and Streeter thirteenth twelve pup