32 track and field athletes to follow this outdoor season around Springfield
Lincoln’s Becca Heitzig and Chatham Glenwood’s Katelyn Lehnen already have state titles to their names in track and field.
Who else from the Springfield area will contend for the top podium at the IHSA state finals at O’Brien Field in Charleston come May? The recent indoor Illinois Top Times meet in Bloomington suggests more than a few.
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Here are the top track and field athletes to follow around Springfield this spring:
Natalie Alexander, Chatham Glenwood
The senior won the Central State Eight Conference title in the 300-meter hurdles and wound up 18th place in the Class 3A girls state finals in Charleston with a time of 47.38 seconds. She assisted the 4x400 relay to third place at the indoor state meet on Saturday, along with teammates Ali Londrigan, Lydia Gurnsey and Katelyn Lehnen.
Jack Arends, Rochester
The senior set a personal best 2:00.78 in the boys 800-meter run at the Illinois Top Times meet for sixth place in Class 2A.
Jamarion Bardwell, Sacred Heart-Griffin
The junior landed in eighth place in the 2A boys high jump with a height of 1.85 meters (6 feet, 1 inch) at the Illinois Top Times meet.
Madigan Burger, New Berlin
The sophomore recorded 5:32.29 for ninth place in the 1A girls 1600-meter run at the Illinois Top Times meet.
Parker Campbell, Lincoln
The junior posted 8.52 seconds for sixth place in the 2A boys 60-meter hurdles at the Illinois Top Times meet.
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Emma Crawford, North Mac
The junior flourished at the Illinois Top Times meet among 1A girls. She helped catapult the 4x200 relay to first place in 1:49.02 with teammates Alexis Bowman, Addison Earley and Kaelyn Swift. She was also fifth in the 60-meter hurdles (9.80 seconds) and sixth in the 60-meter dash (8.07)
Ben Crombie, Lincoln
The senior mopped up fourth place in the 2A boys 800-meter run (2:00.40) at the Illinois Top Times meet. He also helped the 4x400 relay to fifth place in 3:34.30 with teammates Braxton Eilertson, Luke Jones and Kani Carson.
Drew Farnsworth, Williamsville
The junior ushered a personal best 23.22 seconds for seventh place in the 2A boys 200-meter run at the Illinois Top Times meet.
Maggie Fleischli, Sacred Heart-Griffin
The senior anchored the winning 2A girls 4x400 relay in 4:07.96 with teammates Antonette Bartletti, Macie Rolf and Maria Bartletti at the Illinois Top Times meet. They will seek the top podium after taking second place in Charleston last season. Fleischli also anchored the 10th-place 4x800 relay (10:02.27) with teammates Reese Watson, Kate Lambert and Kyra Kersting at the indoor state meet.
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Hannah Gibson, Carlinville
The junior hurled 123-2 ¾ for fourth place in the 1A girls discus throw at last year’s outdoor state meet in Charleston. She also qualified for the state finals in the shot put.
Mason Gilpin, Carlinville
The junior pole vaulter climbed 4.31 meters (14 feet, 2 inches) for fourth place among 1A boys at the Illinois Top Times meet. He was state runner-up in Charleston last spring behind Bloomington Central Catholic’s Isaiah Whitaker.
Keagan Greff, North Mac
The senior ascended 1.89 meters (6-3) for third place in the 1A boys high jump at the Illinois Top Times meet.
Becca Heitzig, Lincoln
The Iowa State University commit has certainly forged a dazzling athletic career at Lincoln. Over the fall, she not only won the 2A girls cross country individual state title but also romped to second place on the 3A volleyball team. The senior standout subsequently netted the 3A girls basketball state title over the winter, and she’s poised for more success to end the school year. Heitzig will chase a third straight state title in the 800 after setting the 2A record the past two years. She was also second in the 1600 (5:00.44) in Charleston. She took home gold in both events at the indoor state meet on Saturday.
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Madison Kacevicius, Greenview
The senior yielded two top-10s in girls 1A at the Illinois Top Times meet. She went 17-7 3/4 for second place in the long jump and 27.23 seconds for seventh place in the 200-meter dash. Her best event was the long jump last season, going 17-2 ¼ for fourth place in Charleston.
Griffin Kimbrel, Pana
The senior starred at the Illinois Top Times meet. The 1A boys pole vaulter nabbed second place in 4.31 meters (14-2).
Alannah Lowery, Southeast
The sophomore picked up eighth place in the 2A girls triple jump with a distance of 34-9 at the Illinois Top Times meet.
Katelyn Lehnen, Chatham Glenwood
The star sprinter placed second in the 3A girls 60-meter dash in 7.56 at the Illinois Top Times meet on Saturday, just behind Chicago Simeon’s Mariyah Robinson’s 7.55. The junior additionally anchored the third-place 4x400 relay (4:02.62). Perhaps more importantly, Lehnen avoided the injury bug. She pulled her hamstring at last year’s indoor state meet before rehabilitating and taking third place in both the 200 (24.58) and 400 (55.87) in Charleston. She previously won the 3A state title in the 200 as a freshman in 24.75 and was named The State Journal-Register's Large School Girls Track and Field Athlete of the Year.
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Ali Londrigan, Chatham Glenwood
The freshman soared to seventh place in the 2A girls cross country state finals en route to a historic team title. She will now make her outdoor track debut. She was the lead runner on the bronze 3A 4x400 relay at the Illinois Top Times meet and earned 10th in the 1600-meter run in 5:09.47.
Owen Morgan, Taylorville
The senior garnered third place in the 2A boys 1600-meter run (4:14.99) at the Illinois Top Times meet. He was named The State Journal-Register's Large School Boys Cross Country Runner of the Year as the highest local finisher in the 2A boys cross country state finals at 22nd. Freshman long-distance teammate Liam Bettis clocked in at 9:40.04 for fourth place in the 3200 at the indoor state meet, too.
Sophia Paul, Sacred Heart-Griffin
The junior raced 9.84 seconds for seventh place in the 2A girls 60-meter hurdles at the Illinois Top Times meet.
Keenan Powell, Litchfield
The senior landed 44-3 ½ for first place in the 1A boys triple jump at the Illinois Top Times meet. He claimed third place in Charleston last season with a leap of 44-0 ¾.
Camden Quarton, Litchfield
The senior is The State Journal-Register's two-time Small School Boys Cross Country Runner of the Year. He most recently took 15th place in the 1A boys cross country state finals. He reached as high as sixth place in the 1A 3200 (9:42.23) in Charleston last spring.
Isaac Rennecker, Petersburg PORTA
The sophomore pulled off 43-7 ¼ for second place behind Keenan Powell in the 1A boys triple jump at the Illinois Top Times meet. Senior teammate Bryson Schachtsiek was eighth in the long jump at 20-8.
Addie Stadsholt, Athens
The junior secured her first indoor state title. She threw 38-7 for the top podium in the 1A girls shot put. Last spring, she finished seventh and sixth in the discus throw and shot put, respectively, in Charleston.
Kendall Stewart, Litchfield
The senior bolted to 45.21 seconds for second place in the 300-meter hurdles at last year’s 1A girls state meet in Charleston. She was also 22nd in the pole vault, reaching 8-7.
Elijah Teefey, Pleasant Plains
The sophomore earned two medals in boys 1A at the Illinois Top Times meet. That included third in the 3200 (9:39.16) and fifth in the 1600 (4:34.06). Over the fall, he earned 18th place in the 1A boys cross country state finals. Sophomore teammate Ryan Driskill also thrived at the indoor state meet with ninth place in the 3200 (10:01.83).
Ephriam Vuwa, Rushville-Industry
The senior tossed 49-8 ½ for fifth place in the 1A boys shot put at the Illinois Top Times meet.
Jack Willenborg, Pleasant Plains
The senior achieved a pair of top 10 finishes in boys 1A at the Illinois Top Times meet. He helped usher second place in the 4x800 relay (8:23.89) with teammates Cole Payne, Dominic McDonald and Garrett Beebe. He was also seventh in the individual 1600 (4:35.90). Plains also posted fifth in the 4x400 relay (3:39.09) with Cayden Donnelly, Michael Carter, Beebe and Payne.
Louisa Wilson, Williamsville
The junior was unfazed by the 2A girls field with sixth place in the 3200 at the Illinois Top Times meet. Wilson, a three-time Small School Girls Cross Country Runner of the Year recipient, set a personal record in 11:14.04. Junior teammate Belle Shoufler also shined in the 400 at 1:01.89 for 11th place.
Reese Wolfe, Chatham Glenwood
The junior pole vaulter ascended 12 feet, 1 inch for fourth place in the 3A girls state finals in Charleston last season. She reached near that mark for seventh place at the indoor state meet on Saturday.
Abigail Wolters, Pleasant Plains
The junior fueled a pair of relay teams into the top 5 in girls 1A at the Illinois Top Times meet. She anchored the third-place 4x400 relay (4:16.73) with teammates Alaina Hawker, Alli VanVeldhuizen and Teagen Galloway. She was the lead runner with the same group on the fifth-place 4x800 relay (10:04.20).
Brooke Zeibert, Rochester
The junior will look to reclaim the 2A girls 4x800 relay state title without older sister Colleen Zeibert, who departed to Illinois State University. Brooke and her younger sister, Ashley, garnered seventh place in the event at the Illinois Top Times meet. They finished at 10:00.31 with teammates Natalie Nichols and Jillian Conlon. Brooke also took eighth place in the individual 1600 (5:16.68) at the indoor state meet.
This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: Top track and field athletes around Springfield for the 2024 season
