5 Things To Watch: Illinois Girls State Track & Field Championships

By Michael Newman for DyeStat

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The Illinois IHSA Girls State Track & Field Championships begin Thursday morning at O’Brien Field on the campus of Eastern Illinois University. The 46th edition of this meet should produce some great national class performances.

Here are five things to keep an eye on over the next three days.

What Will Hart Do Next?

Katelynne Hart of Glenbard West started off her track season with the come-from-behind win in the girls mile at New Balance Indoor Nationals. In April, it was the win in the 3,200 meters at the Arcadia Invitational. Two weeks later, at an invitational on her home track, Hart ran the fastest time ever for a high school sophomore running, clocking 9:52.02 for 3,200 (since surpassed by Katelyn Tuohy of North Rockland NY). At that time, it was the fastest time in the nation and it is currently No. 6 on the all-time 2-mile/3,200 list. 

Hart’s time was an all-time Illinois record. The sophomore could go after the seven-year-old state meet record of 9:56.96 set by Kayla Beattie. She will run the prelims of the Class 3A 1,600 meters on Friday as well as take a leg on the 4x400 relay. She has been running more under control the first half of her races this season, leaving more left in the tank for the final stages of her races. The record time was a solo race with no one around her. The same will apply on Saturday. Chances are good for a sub 9:50 race.

Carothers Chasing 100 Hurdles Meet Record

When Imani Carothers of Brooks College Prep crossed the line in the 100-meter hurdles final last spring in this meet, she screamed in excitement when she saw the time of 13.72 on the scoreboard. It was a new Class 2A meet record. In her final run at the IHSA State Championships, chances are good that Carothers could surpass the 13.54 record set by Olympic gold medalist Dawn Harper-Nelson. Her times compared to last year are about three-tenths of a second faster than in 2017. If she wins, Carothers will have won this event for four straight years.

Carothers In The Jumps

Carothers will go for a repeat in the triple jump. She had the best mark ever in Illinois at the time regardless of conditions when she jumped 42-10 for the title in 2017. She jumped 41-9 last week in her sectional qualifying meet. If the conditions are right, there could be a jump over 43 feet.

Erika Furbeck of Geneseo will go for her second straight 2A title in the long jump with Carothers and Springfield Southeast’s Serena Bolden her chief competition. All three athletes have personal bests beyond 20 feet. Furbeck unleashed a US#5 jump of 20-7 in her sectional qualifying meet Friday in Plano. It could be the most compelling field event of the weekend. You could have an athlete jump over 20 feet and still not win.

State Meet Record Possible In The 800

Courtney Clayton’s 2013 meet record of 2:07.05 could fall in Saturday’s 3A 800 meters final. Evanston Township’s Enyaeva Michelin gave an indication that she could get close to it when she ran a solo 2:09.16 at the Niles West Sectional. It will be a repeat showdown between Michelin and Schaumburg’s Madison Marasco. The two runners faced off in March at the Illinois Top Times Championships, with Marasco winning by just 0.23, running 2:11.44. This one is expected to be faster, and possibly as close. 

The record could be broken before those two runners step up to the line. In the 2A race, Rachel Hickey of LaSalle-Peru could be the one to get that record. She won the 800 at the Distance Night in Palatine in April over a top-flight field by running 2:10.70 in less-than-optimal conditions. A month later and a month of good workouts could get Hickey to the record first.

Team Favorites?

Homewood-Flossmoor and Naperville North are the leading contenders for the the 3A team championship. The Vikings have the strength in the sprints and could put up big points in three relays. Naperville North has defending champion Halle Bieber in the 300 hurdles and she will also help on team’s 4x200 and 4x400 relays. If Naperville North wins, the Huskies would become the first Illinois 3A school to win a cross country championship and a team track title in the same school year.

Dunlap qualified 19 entries to the state finals and is the favorite to win its second 2A title in a row. Just like Naperville North, the Eagles won the 2A cross country title in the fall and would become the first 2A school to accomplish that double. East St. Louis-Senior could challenge Dunlap for the team title with 14 qualifiers. It has been an emotional week for the East St. Louis community as the school’s boys track team saw its season canceled following a fight in the stands at the conference meet, which reportedly included some of the school's athletes. That incident and its aftermath could be a motivator for the Flyerettes to do big things this weekend.

The 1A team title could come down to two individuals. Milledgeville will be powered by Rebecca Waite, who is running the three sprint events as well as the 4x100 relay. She could supply the bulk of her team’s points. The same holds true for St. Teresa’s DaeLin Switzer. The junior will be the favorite in both the 100- and 300-meter hurdles, as well as the high jump, in which she is the defending champion. She will also compete against Waite in the 200. The team title could hang in the balance of that race.