'This year is amazing': How two friends from two schools ended up IHSA pole vault champions

CHARLESTON — Talk about a golden friendship.

Training partners Chelsea Wetzel of Dunlap and Elmwood/Brimfield’s Mya Strahm each won an Illinois High School Association pole vault state championship Saturday at O’Brien Stadium on the Eastern Illinois campus. Wetzel cleared 12 feet, 2.5 inches to take the Class 2A crown, while Strahm won in 10-6.5 to capture the Class 1A title.

The pair workout together at the Normal-based Flying Dragons Pole Vault Club.

“This year is amazing,” Wetzel said. “I’m so proud of her.”

Live updates: 2023 IHSA girls track and field finals recap: Who won gold at state?

Overcoming injury

Wetzel has a lot to be impressed with regarding Strahm, who was walking wounded into the final weeks of the season. She had torn her hamstring in January, then upon returning to practice, she suffered a bicep tear.

Nevertheless, the sophomore, who tied for second statewide last season, won in a jump-off with Maroa-Forsyth’s Livia Binder, who is also a member of the Flying Dragons.

“It’s great,” Strahm said of winning. “We’ve never had a girl pole vaulter (state champion) before, so I’m happy to be the first.”

Her hamstring, though, had flared up again, causing her an immense amount of pain over the course of the last week.

“I thought I had a chance (to improve off last year’s finish),” Strahm said, “but then with all my injuries happening, I didn’t think I would be able to compete at sectionals or state.

“I think my injuries brought me the most motivation.”

Dunlap's solid state

As for Wetzel, the junior beat out Joycelyn Crum of Lake Villa Lakes and Lisle Benet’s Nicole Grimes to capture the program’s first-ever pole vault state championship. She attributes a greater sense of confidence to better last season’s sixth-place finish.

Wetzel holds the Peoria-area all-time pole vault record of 13-1.5, set earlier this season.

“I definitely just wanted to improve,” she said, “and just to see improvement overall not in just the place but in my technique and everything.

“It was definitely like a relief on my last attempt because no matter what happened I knew that I was going to take home the state champion title and it just felt great because it was my one goal for the season.”

Dunlap also got a second-place finish from Teagan Sullivan in the long jump (18-2), as well as a fourth-place high jump by Samantha Yeh (5-4.25) and a seventh-place by Abby Tudeen in the 3200 run (11:03.73). The Eagles finished seventh as a team with 28.5 points.

“I really think like (Friday) going into it, I was really nervous,” said Sullivan, who also ran on the eighth-place 4x200-meter relay team (1:45.80), “and knowing that I made it to finals (on Saturday) really helped my confidence.”

'Just a thrill': Dunlap athlete vaults into the Peoria area track and field record books

Richwoods came in right behind Dunlap at 28 points off the strength of Lena Jackson.

The sophomore captured a fifth-place in both the 100 (12.08 seconds) and 200 (25.04) dashes. She was also a member of the third-place 4x100 (48.54 seconds) with Mariah Cade, Jessy Tran and Olivia Skibinski.

“I think every meet we kept going stronger,” Skibinski said. “Mentally and physically together, pushing through every race. Trying to PR. Trying to just get better every race.”

The Knights were also fifth in the 4x200 (1:44.36) and took home a fourth-place 4x400 finish (4:04.49).

Class 1A

Cambria Geyer capped her Tremont career with a trio of Class 1A state medals — all in brand-new shoes. The senior’s track cleats were stolen Saturday morning, forcing her to run in spikes she had never worn before.

She won the 100-meter hurdles going away in a personal best of 14.23 seconds, over half of a second faster than the runner-up finisher. This came after taking second in the same event during the 2022 campaign.

“I wanted to come back and go faster,” the Illinois State recruit said. “I was just hoping to be better than what I did last year because my finals weren’t my best.”

Honor roll: Here are the top times, distances for Peoria-area high school track and field in 2023

Geyer, however, was unable to make it back-to-back state titles in the 300 hurdles. She hit the third-to-last hurdle and stumbled, finishing fifth at 46.82 seconds. Her 200-meter dash time was 25.67 seconds for another fifth place.

“The 300 and 200 weren’t my best,” Geyer said. “If I was 100 percent, I would have been great, like I would have gotten a PR in both of (the events).

“I don’t think I should blame it on my spikes. I think it was just the race. I don’t know what else I could have done. I’m not really sad about it”

Henry/Midland’s Laney Lester gave the program its second-ever state champion, claiming the discus in 130-1. Her toss outdistanced second-place finisher Brianna Brodie of Princeville (126-4.25).

Lester also was second in the shot put, helping the Marshall County-based co-op finish fifth place in the team race with 36 points, just seven points out of a state team trophy.

“I knew that I was going to place pretty high from those marks,” said Lester, who was the top thrower coming out of Thursday's preliminaries. “I just had to come out today and kind of act there were no prelims and just kind of throw like I didn’t have something to rely on.”

Brodie’s runner-up finish was the school's highest girls finish since Mary Ellen Hill took second in the 1996 Class A 3200-meter run. This comes after Brodie didn’t get out of the sectional last year.

“I was devastated,” the junior said. “I’m glad I got to redeem myself this year and make it pretty far. … I was just so excited to be here that I just had fun with it.”

Lester’s teammate Daniella Bumber was a three-time all-stater by medaling in the 100 (sixth, 12.67), 200 (fourth, 25.35) and 400 (second, 57.63). The freshman and only athlete from Midland says she’ll take the lessons learned from this state finals appearance and build off it for the next three years.

Most of all, she looks up to Nakieta Kessling, who won the first Henry state title winner last year in the 400.

“She’s a huge inspiration for me,” Bumber said. “Seeing someone who started off in such a small school and peaked at her senior year and did so well. It’s really inspiring for someone like me, a freshman, and I think, ‘OK, I can do this.’

Predictions: Here are 9 Peoria-area girls athletes that can win IHSA track and field state titles

“So, coming in, I don’t want to people to think that I’m just some farm girl. I’m more than that and I want to prove it to people that I have talent to show.”

Stark County’s Lindley Johnston garnered all-state in three events. She was second in the 200 (25.07) along with being third in the 400 (57.71) and high jump (5-2.25).

Class 3A

Sophia Ramirez made another big splash on the state’s biggest running stage. Following an all-state performance during the Class 2A cross country season, the 2022 Journal Star girls cross country runner of the year ran the 1600 meters in a personal best.

The freshman covered the four-lap race in 4:54.85 for a fifth-place finish.

“As a freshman, being able to be here,” Ramirez said. “Everyone talks about the ‘big blue track,' so I was just so excited. … I was a little bit nervous with it being the finals and having to run against such fast girls, but I definitely wasn’t as nervous because I had run it. … I felt a lot better.”

Adam Duvall is a Journal Star sports reporter. Email him at aduvall@pjstar.com. Follow him on Twitter @AdamDuvall.

This article originally appeared on Journal Star: IHSA girls track state finals: Dunlap, Elmwood pole vaulters friends, champs