Ellis, Lakes relay mine downstate gold
CHARLESTON — Warren freshman Brittny Ellis and Lakes’ 3,200 relay made quite a splash on a warm day at the girls track and field state meet finals at Eastern Illinois O’Brien Stadium in Charleston.
Ellis lived up to her hype by winning the Class 3A state title in the 400 (54.08). The Blue Devils freshman also took sixth in the 200 (24.88) and anchored her team to a ninth-place finish in the 400 relay (48.66).
Lakes didn’t miss a beat with senior Hannah Wittman, senior Grace Dean, and freshman twins Brittani and Danielle Griesbaum combining to lead the Eagles to their first girls track state title in the Class 2A 3,200 relay (9:24.02)
Carmel senior Megan Paul added to her legacy by securing three state medals in Class 2A — a second-place finish in the 400 (55.21), a third-place finish in the 200 (25.05) and a fourth-place finish in the 100 (12.05).
Springfield Southeast won its third consecutive Class 2A title with 63 points, Walter Lutheran took second with 46 points, and junior Shamier Little led Chicago Lindblom to a third-place finish (38 points) all by herself. Little won and set Class 2A state records in the 100 (14.02), 400 (54.19), and 300 low hurdles (42.80). Little also finished second in the 200 (24.48).
Edwardsville won the Class 3A title with 51 points, edging Belleville West (48.50 points) and Evanston (47 points).
Ellis entered the season with plenty of accolades, and the Blue Devils freshman didn’t disappoint on the biggest of stages.
Ellis used an explosive start to take control to take control of the 400 over the first 200 meters, then grinded out the final 200 meters, holding off a late charge by Chicago Payton junior Cameron Pettigrew (54.41) to secure the title.
“The final 200 meters was all guts, and I had to dig really deep,” said Ellis. “It was a lot of pressure, but the victory felt really good. My 400 has come a long way — last year I could never dream of breaking 54.”
Ellis also combined with sophomore Marquesa Daniels, senior Aly Lowe and freshman Autumn Santos on the 400 relay.
The Blue Devils freshman completed her day taking sixth in the 200 — not too bad a start for the sensational freshman. So, does the future hold more state glory for Ellis?
“I hope so,” said Ellis. “I tried to ignore all the preseason hype and just do my thing.”
Lakes’ 3,200 relay certainly did its thing. Wittman and Dean led off the relay to put the Eagles in contention. Brittani Griesbaum gave Lakes it first lead in the third leg, and Danielle Griesbaum finished the deal.
“I can’t believe it’s happening right now,” said Dean of the Eagles’ title run. “We really wanted this race today. It was all adrenaline. We just went for it.”
“No one has ever heard of Lakes,” added Wittman. “We have never run a time like that before, it was the best race by far.”
Danielle Griesbaum added a sixth-place medal for Lakes in the high jump (5-4).
Paul entered the day with plenty of high expectations, and the Arkansas-bound senior delivered with her three medals.
“I’ve come so far,” said Paul who won a total of 7 state medals in her four-year career. “I’m happy with how I ran all my races, I just can’t believe it’s over.”
Senior Shannon Baucus also aided Carmel by taking seventh in the high jump (5-2) and leading the Corsairs to an impressive eighth place finish in Class 2A.
Grant has had plenty of outstanding throwers in its history. It’s time to add junior Melissa Dunham to the list.
The Bulldogs junior finished second in the discus (137-10) to lead Grant.
“Earning a medal was my goal the entire year,” said Dunham of her finish. “To be able to reach it is awesome.”
Senior Kim Heersche added to Grant’s attack by tying for seventh place in the high jump (5-3).
“I wasn’t really expecting this, but it’s a great way to finish,” said Heersche of her first state medal.
Lake Zurich senior Kaeley Ferguson made her mark in the triple jump (37-10.75) on Friday and it held up for a seventh place medal on Saturday.
“It’s a great way to end senior year,” said Ferguson.
Alli Tran powered Vernon Hills in Class 2A on Saturday. The junior took seventh in the long jump (17-0.75) and combined with sophomore Taylor Pearson, senior Taylor Krue and junior Allie Peacock in leading the Cougars to a second-place medal in the 1,600 relay (3:56.39) and a fifth-place medal in the 800 relay (1:43.12).
“It’s really special,” said Tran of the Cougars’ performance. “We work so well together on the relays, we know each other so well it just works out well.”
Senior Abbie Letts, junior Tara Rooney, freshman Samantha Hershman, and Danielle Fiarito combined to lead Vernon Hills to a seventh-place medal in the 3,200 relay (9:38.23).