By Michael Newman, ILXCTF.com Editor

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There were not too many Illinois athletes that made the trip east to the New Balance Track & Field Center at the Armory to participate in last weekend’s New Balance Indoor Nationals. The athletes that were there did come away with some hardware.

Kathleen Young of Warrensburg-Latham earned her third indoor All-American honors by finishing second in the Shot Put. Her best effort of 51-9 came in third round of the event solidifying her position in second place. It was her seventh time that she has gone past 50 feet this indoor season. Young also competed in the Weight Throw on Sunday finishing tenth overall with a 55-0 throw.

Jaimie Robinson of Homewood-Flossmoor finished the national championships in style finishing third in the Triple Jump Sunday afternoon. The senior jumped an indoor personal best 41-8.5 in the third round and held her third place spot. Her jump was only two inches off her overall personal best achieved in last June’s New Balance Outdoor Nationals (41-10.5). She was also a part of Homewood-Flossmoor’s 800 Meter Relay that ran 1:45.96 in Saturday’s preliminary heats.

What was lost in Saturday’s epic Boys Pole Vault where Armand Duplantis of Lafayette, Louisiana set a new high school record clearing 19-1 was the performance of Bloomington’s Zachery Bradford who achieved a new personal best in finishing fourth. The defending 3A champion cleared the best Illinois indoor performance this indoor season 16-9.25 on his first attempt. We could see a 17-foot vault coming from the junior soon.

Danny Kilrea of Lyons Township was not on the line for the first section of Sunday’s 2 Mile Run along with three other runners. They were confused thinking that the section would be run in the afternoon just before the second section. Kilrea was put in the second section after explaining what happened to the meet director. He ran his own race in the final letting the front pack pull away from him early in the race. The junior moved in the final 800-meters finishing seventh (9:07.25) achieving a new personal best and the second fastest time in the 2 mile/3200 in the state. His teammate Vince Zona was in fifth place in the Emerging Elites 1 Mile Run with 400-meters left in the race. He moved in those final two laps finishing second (4:17.35) with the fastest time in the state in the 1600/1 Mile Run.

Elizabeth Drab of St. Viator ran 55.90 to finish third in the Emerging Elites 400 Meter Dash. Her time is currently ranked #2 in the state.

Other highlights from meets in Illinois:

(Batavia Distance Madness Recap)

York Girls Invitational #3

The big news in the state this past weekend was another great run by Katelynne Hart of Glenbard West. This time it was in the 1600 Meter Run where she ran 4:48.60 (US #3) to win the race ahead of teammate Lindsey Payne (5:13.37). The two were part of Glenbard West’s 3200 Meter Relay along with Janie Nabholz and Katie Hohe ran 9:32.08 (IL #2) to win ahead of York (9:59.43) and Palatine (10:04.45). In Hart’s 1600 race, she went out in 71 seconds like what she did the week before in running 10:15 in the 3200 at Proviso West. She settled into a 2:26 pace for the next 800-meters, then closing in a 71 second final 400-meters.

Charleston Girls Invitational

Latavia Maines of Centralia had the best performance of the meet unleashing a 49-3 effort (IL #2) to win the Shot Put. Her sister Nikita also achieved a personal best with a 45-5 effort (IL #4) to finish second. Mariya Hudson of Cahokia won three events starting with a 18-4.5 leap to win the Long Jump. She went to the track to win the 60 Meter Dash (7.74) and then the 400 Meter Dash (58.24).

Anna Sophia Keller of St. Anthony was in the spotlight in the 1A meet in the morning picking up two wins in the distance events. She started by running 2:19.62 (IL #8) to win the 800 Meter Run nine seconds ahead of St. Thomas More’s Marguerite Hendricksen. Keller came back to run 5:04.83 to win the 1600 Meter Run to win by 29 seconds ahead of St. Thomas More’s Fran Hendrickson. Keller’s teammate and defending 1A state champion Kristin Slaughter cleared 11-6 (IL #4 tie) to win the Pole Vault. St. Joseph-Ogden had a good day in the relays winning the 800 Meter Relay (1:49.33) finishing five seconds ahead of Pleasant Plains, and winning the 1600 Meter Relay (4:14.28) winning by 10 seconds ahead of Teutopolis.

Proviso East Lady Pirate Invitational

Jelena Rowe of Bloom Township continues to improve having a great day in the High Jump. Rowe, along with teammate Hannah Morris, decided not to go to New York for nationals focusing on Illinois Top Times and then outdoors at the national meet. Rowe improved on her personal best clearing 6-0 for the first time along with raising her national leading height. Morris did not compete as she still recovers from an injury that she had at North Central College almost three weeks ago.

Imani Carothers of Brooks College Prep had a good day both on the track and in the field winning two events. Carothers jumped a season’s best 19-3 (IL #2) to win the Long Jump. She then came back to run 8.14 (IL #1) to win the 55 Meter Hurdles.

Jocelyn Long of Barrington won a close 3200 Meter Run with Juliana Stogsdill of Plainfield North right on her side. Long’s time of 11:04.52 was just seven hundredths of a second ahead of Stogsdill. East St. Louis-Senior won the 1600 Meter Relay (4:03.40) finishing more than a second ahead of Proviso West (4:04.66).

Danville Open

Ameia Wilson of Danville continues to have a great sophomore season winning two events in this small meet. Wilson ran the state’s best time (7.14) to win the 55 Meter Dash. She also jumped 17-9.5 to win the Long Jump.

NLCC Conference Championships @ UW-Parkside

Jack Aho of Grayslake Central ran great in winning the 3200 Meter Run last Thursday. He ran by himself running 9:13.90 (IL #4) to win by 55 seconds lapping the field. Aho came back to run 4:32.66 to win the 1600 Meter Run ahead of Grant’s John Schmidt (4:36.92). Cameron Ruiz of Lakes Community was a triple winner jumping 21-6.5 to win the Long Jump, 44-11.5 to win the Triple Jump, and ran 51.26 to win the 400 Meter Dash. Lakes Community scored 110 points to win the Boys Conference title.

Sierra Herrington of Grayslake North had the best performance in the Girls meet clearing 11-6 (IL #4 tie) to win the Pole Vault. Grant scored 134 points to win the Girls title.

Edwardsville Tiger Invitational

Travis Anderson of Edwardsville continues to dominate the 60 Hurdles in this state. He was untouched in running 8.04 to win the 60 Meer Hurdles. Keondre Wells of Cahokia ran 8.73 to finish second. Edwardsville’s Devonte Tincher jumped 22-3.75 to win the Long Jump. Cary Lockhart of Bloomington ran 7.01 (IL #6 tie) to win the 60 Meter Dash. Chris Conrad of O’Fallon went under two minutes for the first time this season running 1:59.02 (IL #8) to win the 800 Meter Run.

Lockport Boys Quad

With Lockport’s John Meyer done with basketball for this season, he can now concentrate his efforts in the throwing ring. The junior improved on his personal best in the Shot Put with a mammoth 64-2 effort. It is the best currently in the state and fifth nationally.

York Boys JV Meet

Neuqua Valley coaches were smiling in this low-keyed JV meet at York after seeing Kai Larsen run the 400 Meter Dash. The junior missed all his sophomore season due to an ACL injury. It did not show Saturday morning as he ran a hand-timed 49.6 in the 400 Meter Dash. Neuqua Valley’s Jake McEneaney ran the fastest time in the state with 4:19.6 in the 1600 Meter Run. Danny Peterson of Fremd ran 1:58.2 in the 800 Meter Run with the third fastest time in the state at that distance.

Sterling First Chance Indoor

Brayden Hamblen of Rock Falls came back from a strong 3200 at the U of I to run 4:21.54 (IL #5) to win the 1600 Meter Run. Nyrell Sullivan of Sterling jumped a personal best 22-8.25 (IL #4) to win the Long Jump.

Jersey Indoor Winter Thaw

Three runners under 9:40 in the 3200 Meter Run in his 1A/2A meet is a cause to take a closer look. Wyatt McIntyre of Athens ran the fastest 1A time in the state (IL #11 overall) to win the race ahead of Freeburg’s Charlie Parrish (9:37.50) and Shelbyville’s Tyler Pasley (9:38.92). Tristan Tewes of Pleasant Plains and Torrey Deal of Granite City both cleared personal bests of 6-6 in the High Jump. Tewes won on fewer misses. Deal also jumped 44-3 to win the Triple Jump.

Jaylon Bester of Althoff Catholic was a double winner jumping 21-7 to win the Long Jump and running 7.13 to win the 60 Meter Dash. Josh Cable of Rochester also won two events running 2:00.10 to win the 800 Meter Run and running 4:34.14 to win the 1600 Meter Run.