Thursday, May 21, 2009 10:11 AM CDT
27 from area in Class 1A state track meet
By MIKE MONAHAN, Staff Writer
mmonahan@jg-tc.com
CHARLESTON -- The first year of the Illinois High School Association’s three-class system in girls’ track has brought a record-number of Journal Gazette/Times-Courier Class 1A participants. A total of 27 from seven different schools are to compete in 15 of the 18 events (17 events are today as the 3,200-meter run doesn’t have preliminaries). The previous high was 23 in 1997 in Class A.
A total of 11 are competing for the first time at state. Twelve seniors, six juniors, three sophomores and six freshmen are set to compete starting at 11 a.m. today at Eastern Illinois University’s O’Brien Stadium. The finals in all three classes are set to start at 10 a.m. Saturday with the first heat of the 3,200.
“Going in the first place is really nerve-wracking,” said Shelbyville junior Sarah Eberspacher, who is one of five competitors going to state for the third time. “Other than that is just a wonderful feeling to be there. You are the cream of the crop and it is going to be really hard and there is going to be great competition, but we made it and that was our goal.”
Eberspacher is on the Lady Rams 4x800 relay team. Shelbyville has the most contestants with 10, while Neoga is second with eight and Arthur-Lovington third with four. Neoga has the most events as it is in 10 different events, while the Lady Rams are in six and Sullivan-Okaw Valley in four.
Returning for the fourth time is S-OV’s Lauren Taylor, while Arthur’s Tiffany Beachy, Neoga’s Jaimee Roy and Shelbyville’s Paige Biehler along with Eberspacher and Erin Yockey are making their third appearances.
According to sectional rank, nine individuals would make the finals as well as one relay team. Roy is ranked in all three of her individual events, 100, long jump, triple jump, while Biehler is in both the 400 and 800 and S-OV freshman Olivia Herzog is in both the shot put and discus.
Others currently seeded to make the finals are Beachy (high jump), Casey-Westfield-Martinsville’s Kristen Vitaniemi (200) and Neoga’s 4x800 relay team of Taylor Walk, Courtney Cornell, Amanda Coen and Ashley Deters.
Roy is going in four events as he is part of the 4x200 relay.
Sullivan-
Okaw Valley
Taylor, who is headed to continue her basketball career at Parkland next, has the Sullivan school record in the 400 and is ranked 12th (five heat winners plus four best times advance to finals) with a time of 1:00.3. She is in a three-way for 23rd place in the long jump at 16-4.
“My goal is to go under a minute,” said Taylor, who19th in the 400 last year (1:01.41). “I thought I did that at the sectional (Shelbyville). I am definitely going to get it.”
Taylor said her goal in the long jump is to get 17-0.
“That (17-0) has been my goal all season and I have slowly progressed towards it,” said Taylor, who is to graduate Friday.
“It is exciting to go to state again (she has been since the sixth grade),” said Taylor. “I think I am well prepared to place my best. I have not placed as well as I have wanted in the past, but hopefully this is the year.”
Herzog won the shot put title as an eighth-grader and was third in the discus. The freshman enters as No. 9 in the shot put and No. 12 in the discus. The top 12 advance to the finals.
“My goal is to place in the top eight so I can medal,” said Herzog. “I think it is going to be challenging and that will push me to work harder.”
Herzog is one of only five to have put the shot 40-0 or better in the state. Her best discus throw is 125-10 and she has heaved the shot 40-0.
Shelbyville
All four relays qualified for state for the second time in three years and Biehler enters with the second best time in the 800 at 2:20.14. She has run a 2:17.7 and has not lost in the outdoor season.
“I really want the second place medal,” said Biehler. “First would be amazing, but Stephanie Brown (Arkansas recruit) is a great athlete so, you have to be realistic, but anything can happen.”
Biehler, who is headed to Eastern Illinois University next year, is hoping to get the school record of 2:16.8.
“Our goals for the year would be to get our best times of the year at the state meet,” said Shelbyville coach Stephanie Shoaff.
In the 400 Biehler is ranked fourth with a time of 59.24, a season-best.
“My goal in the 400 is to run hard and try and medal,” said Biehler. “I don’t really have expectations for the 400 since it is right after the 800, but anything extra would be awesome.”
Biehler was out last year with a hamstring injury but was in state as a freshman (4x400) and a sophomore (4x400 and 4x800).
“I decided before the school year started that I am going to give it my all in track and try as hard as I could and see what happens. I dedicated myself to track and I see the results.”
Biehler also anchors the 4x400 relay which starts with Jamie Bruder, who is the 4x100 and 4x200 as well. Freshman Kayle Brown and sophomore Laura Jesse make up the rest of the relay team, which enters in 11th (five heat winners plus four best times qualify) place with a school record time of 4:13.24.
“We would like to break the school record again in the 4x400,” said Shoaff.
The 4x800 consists of Eberspacher, freshman Katelyn Duckett, who finished ninth in the Class 1A state cross country meet, Yockey and Jesse, who making her first appearance at state. The relay team is hoping to run a 10:10. Their best time is 10:13 and they are ranked 16th.
Myria Hibbler anchors both the 4x100 and 4x200 relay teams, while Bruder starts things off. Brown runs the second leg of the 4x100 and the third leg of the 4x200, while senior Mary-Grace Polk is in the 4x100 and freshman Alexis Hall is n the 4x200. The 4x100 is ranked 14th with a time of 41.84, while the 4x200 is ranked 17th and ran a season-best 1:51.19 Tuesday at the Herald & Review Area Best meet.
“It is really exciting to be going as a freshman,” said Hall who said she had no idea what state is going to be like.
Neoga
Neoga has set numerous records this year. In fact, all but six events have a new record. One of the record holders is Roy, who has placed both the long and triple jumps the past two years, earning fifth last year (36-11.8) in the triple and sixth in the long jump (17-8).
“In the long jump my goal is to place,” said Roy, who is second going in with a jump of 18-8.5. “I think if I can go better than my best (18-8.5) I will have chance at winning it.”
Roy holds the record in both the long and triple jumps.
“In the triple jump my goal is go 37-0,” said Roy, who is to graduate Saturday along with teammates Amanda Coen, Whitney Haskett and Kristen Jansen.
Roy has run the 100-meter dash twice. She thought she had set the school record in the Shelbyville sectional, but it was timed manually, making her fully automated time 12.74, which tied her best.
“I might not run it if it interferes with my jumping,” said Roy. “I have only run it twice so to make finals would be great.”
Neoga doesn’t have a track and Roy said she has gone to Mattoon to practice before.
Coen, who is in the 400 and ranked 17th with a time of 1:01.54, but has run a 1:01.1 said, “I have not run the 400 in practice before because the parking lot is only 300 meters plus it has four curves and not two.”
Haskett is in the 100-meter high hurdles and the high jump.
“In the high jump I would like to get the school record of 5-4,” said Haskett. “I know that is two inches better than my best, but it is possible. In the hurdles by goal is to break 16. Getting to state is not a guarantee (Haskett is making her second straight appearance after placing 26th in the300 hurdles and 18th in the high jump last year.
Freshman Courtney Cornell, who went to state in eighth grade at Sigel St. Michael, is in the 1,600 where she has run a 5:44.24 and she hopes to run a personal best.
The 4x200 relay is Roy, Jansen, who is making her first appearance at state, Natalie Walk (also first appearance at state) and Haskett. They are ranked 16th with a time of 1:51.04, but have run a 1:50.7 this season.
“We are two tenths of a second away from the school record,” said Jansen. “We want to beat our record and make it to finals. It is my first time gong to state so it will be a pretty exciting day for me. When the rest of the team cheers us on and when there is good competition is usually when we run our best.”
The 4x800 is ranked 10th with a time of 10:06.74. Taylor Walk, a junior, who is also in the 4x400, Cornell, Coen and Deters make up the 4x800. The 4x400 includes Coen, Natalie Walk and sophomore Ashley Deters. There best time is 4:15.64.
Cumberland
Lacey Eggers is making her second straight The senior tied for 35th last year at 93-5.
“She has improved steadily this year and hopefully that will continue,” said Cumberland girls’ coach Justin Roedl. “My goal for her in the preliminaries is to improve on the 111-8 and see where that puts her as far as advancing.”
Casey-Westfield-Martinsville
Kristen Vitaniemi, a junior is making her second straight appearance in the 200. She was 15th last year with a time of 26.57. After running a 26.74 in the sectional at Shelbyville Vitaniemi ran a career-best 26.16 Tuesday at Millikin University in the Decatur Herald & Review Area Best meet. She is in a two-way tie for fifth place. Her time at Decatur would place her fourth.
Casey was scheduled to have semester exams Thursday and Friday. Because of the state meet Vitaniemi took exams Wednesday.
Arthur-Lovington
Beachy, who finished sixth in the high jump last year, is in a five-way tie for sixth this year and has gone 5-6.
“I want to place higher than I did last year and possibly get my best jump ever or at least tie my 5-6 record,” said Beachy. “I would love to get 5-7. This is my third straight year and I am senior so I am really excited to be going again. I am glad I am not the only one going on the team this year. I am excited for the relays (Beachy is part of the 4x100 and 4x200 relays). I think I can do better and I think it will be a lot more fun this year.”
The 4x100 team of Beachy, freshman Hannah Davis, junior Katie Davis and senior Stacie McMillan also make up the 4x200 relay team. The 4x100 has run a 52.2, while the 4x200 has run a 1:51.74.
Both relay teams use a sliver baton called the Silver Bullet, one that they used in junior high to set the 4x100 record in.
“He (Silver Bullet) has got a great past and he is lucky,” said McMillan, who is making her first appearance at state. “We want to break the record again and place in the 4x100.”
Katie Davis missed some of last season with a broken foot.
“It is definitely good to be able to finish out the season because last year I was only in about half the season,” said Davis. This year has been a lot better. We would like to do well in the 4x200, but we have a better chance to do better in the 4x100.”
Hannah Davis, Katie’s sister, was only in track as a sixth grader.
The 4x200 has only run a couple of times.
Hannah and Katie Davis are the daughters of coach Doug Davis. Doug Davis is assisted by his wife Leslie (Morr) Davis, who finished third in the 100 and in the long jump for Cerro Gordo in the 1987 state meet.
Arcola
Fortney, was 28th in the discus last year with a throw of 102-10. This year she has thrown 120-3 and threw 117-4 in the sectional, which ranks her 16th.
“Last year I threw but it was the worst of the season,” said Fortney. “As a senior I would like to make it to finals.”
Contact Mike Monahan at mmonahan@jg-tc.com or 238-6854
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bob wrote on May 21, 2009 6:54 AM: