PREP BOYS TRACK: D'Mario Jackson qualifies for state finals
May 25—CHARLESTON — Speed, speed and more speed.
That was the basic theme for Friday's prelims in the IHSA Class 3A State Track and Field Meet at O'Brien Field in Charleston.
Danville freshman D'Mario Jackson was a part of a pair of blistering events, qualifying for the finals in the 200-meter dash with a time of 21.68 seconds — third fastest in Class 3A — and he just missed advancing in the 100 with a time 10.80 seconds, which was tied for the 12th fastest.
Jackson and Dontrell Young of Oswego in the 400-meter dash are the only freshmen to qualify for the Class 3A state finals in individual events.
"It is just an amazing accomplishment of what D'Mario has been able to do this year and what he did today," Danville coach Tyler Arnholt said. "It's pretty amazing to see a freshman not only qualify for the state meet, but to now advance himself into the finals. It's a tribute to the hard work that he has put in this season."
Arnholt added that Jackson is setting a good example for the rest of the program — especially future athletes.
"The freshmen that we have now or even the ones we get in future years can look and see what he has done this year," Arnholt said. "It gives them something to strive for and it shows them that anything is possible."
Jackson was also part of the Vikings 800 relay team along with senior Devari Boyd, junior Jerry Reed III and sophomore Aidan Henderson that wound up with the 42nd fastest time out of 56 teams.
"Just getting that state experience was a big deal for that group," said Arnholt, noting that sophomore Jayden Rowell had been a part of that relay until injuring his hamstring in the Big 12 Meet. "We got three of those guys coming back and Jayden will slide right into that fourth spot. Seeing this type of competition should only make them better next season."
Danville high jumpers PerSirus Menifield, a senior, and Victor Jones, a sophomore, missed all three of their attempts at 1.85 meters on Friday. Both Menifield and Jones had to deal with a nearly 1-hour delay in the middle of their competition.
"Both of them missed their first jumps and the meet got delayed by lightning," Arnholt said. "They started to warmup when it was delayed again. It was just a bad break for them, but qualifying for state was a major accomplishment."
The finals in all three classes will begin today at 10 a.m. at O'Brien Field on the campus of Eastern Illinois University.
