Girls track and field: Downers South’s Boakye brings home state title in triple jump

After showing potential freshman year as an all-state triple jumper, Downers Grove South senior Karen Boayke spent four seasons chasing the accomplishments of 2011 graduate Tori Franklin.

“Every meet I’m always going into it with the thought of breaking her record. And then let’s break it even more,” Boayke said.

Boakye surpassed and equaled Franklin one last time Saturday at the Class 3A girls track and field state finals at Eastern Illinois University.

Boakye joined Franklin as the Mustangs’ only state champions in the event by comfortably winning triple jump with 12.15 meters/39 feet-10 1/2 inches. Two more of her six jumps between Friday and Saturday would have won.

“I never thought (a title) would happen because I just started freshman year,” Boayke said. “I was hoping for a little more but I’m still proud of that because I never thought that I’d be in this position, let alone to win first place.”

Montini senior Sydney Gertsen and the St. Francis 4x800-meter relay were state champions in 2A. Gertsen won the 3,200 (10:08.43) and the Spartans’ same foursome of senior Margaret Andrzejewski and juniors Elena Mamminga, Allie Sheldon and Erin Hinsdale (season-best 9:18.81) won for the second time in three seasons.

At the May 7 conference meet, Boakye’s 40-1 1/4 finally broke Franklin’s 40-0 1/4 outdoor school record after Boayke’s 39-10 at her final indoor meet broke Franklin’s 39-9 1/4 indoor school record.

Boayke will continue jumping at College of DuPage. Boayke was sixth at state as a freshman and fourth last year. Franklin won triple jump state as a junior with her 40-0 1/4 and was second twice.

“Honestly, indoor season, when I hit almost 40 feet, that’s when everything clicked, maybe I could actually do something,” Boayke said. “And then I just did it.”

The St. Francis 4x800 won by 15.22 seconds after the same group won the 2024 title in a 2A-finals record 9:12.80 just ahead of second-place Morton’s 9:13.17.

“It’s great running with your best friends and bringing it home like that,” said Andrzejewski the Georgetown-bound runner whose mother Joline was this season’s head coach. “There’s nothing like winning state. Two years ago was a little more unexpected and it was a tighter fight at the end. So much joy for that and so much joy now.”

Gertsen will run at Saint Louis University. She added to her 2A state cross country title from November, when she took the lead down the final straightaway after the frontrunner became fatigued.

On Saturday, Gertsen was right behind Sandwich senior and Duke recruit Sunny Weber until finding a small opening on the inside lane to break through and surge to victory by 2.80 seconds.

“I feel like it’s cross country all over again. I’m kind of in shock,” Gertsen said. “The best outcome was Sunny would pace it and the last lap I had energy to try and take the lead. I really picked it up. On the curve, she started to gap (the inside). I took it hard and I just went for it.”

Later in the 1,600, Weber defended that 2A title (4:47.46) with Gertsen second (4:53.94).

Glenbard West’s 4x800 relay of junior Nora Jannick, sophomore Shayne Dietzen, Katie King and senior Alexa Novak (season-best 9:04.03) also was second in 3A to St. Charles North’s 8:54.50 – a state-finals record by 4.53 seconds.

The Hilltoppers posted their second-fastest 4x800 to the 2012 state finals – when Wheaton Warrenville South (8:59.03) and Glenbard West (9:00.72) ran the state’s then two-fastest times.

Novak later was seventh in the 1,600 (outdoor-best 4:57.45) after being 10th last year. Dietzen and Novak were part of last year’s sixth-place state 4x800.

“At sectionals we got (a state-best) 9:12 and we were impressed with ourselves. None of us would have expected that (9:04),” said Novak, who had a 2:12 anchor split. “I was just trying to give it my all. I just knew I needed to push.”

Also in 3A, York sophomore Karlin Janowski was fourth in 3A the 3,200 (personal-best 10:24.62).“I was very happy,” Janowski said. “I did pretty much how I wanted to do. I don’t think I could have given it any more.”

Hinsdale South senior Kennedy Ruff was hoping to win the 3A 300 low hurdles. She was third in a personal-best 42.36 after taking second last year in 42.96.

“That’s what I was going for so a little disappointing but it’s OK,” said Ruff, the Arizona recruit who also was seventh in the 100 high hurdles (14.96). “I think I stuttered on a couple of (300) hurdles that cost me a lot of time. I got out fast and tried to maintain my speed.”

Hinsdale Central senior and Villanova recruit Lily Hodneland (800 in school-record 2:10.64) was fifth. Benet senior Gabrielle Brown (300 hurdles in personal-best 44.33) and York freshman Abby Barz (3.50m/11-5 3/4 in pole vault) were sixth.

York junior Jillian Booth (personal-best 24.86 in 200) and Downers Grove North junior Sophia Solecki (41.28m/135-5 in discus) were ninth.

Booth became the Dukes’ first 200 state finalist since 1985 after helping the 10th-place 4x200 break its school record (1:41.65) for the second straight time Friday.

Competing individually after their 2A relay championship, Andrzejewski was third in the 800 (2:12.48), Hinsdale was fourth in the 1,600 (5:04.92) and Mamminga impressively came back to get fifth in the 3,200 (11:00.68).

Montini senior Ashlynn Lindt, who will run at Dayton, was seventh in the 3,200 (11.05.98) and eighth in the 1,600 (5:09.28). Wheaton Academy’s 4x800 (9:44.71) was sixth and Fenwick juniors Mia Bagato (800 in school-record 2:15.67) and Maeve Bonakdar (11.62m/38-1 1/2 in shot) were sixth and seventh.

Lake Zurich senior Polina Krupsky placed second in the 800-meter run while teammate Arisa Bisofa took third place in the shot put (13.06 meters). Lake Park's Klara Volkova (43.42 meters) edged Bisofa (42.95 meters) for fourth place in the discus. Hersey's Sadie Marks took 11th in the discus.

Prospect's streak of five straight titles in the 4x800 ended with a fourth place in that event behind Allison Kalkwarf, Caitlin Resac, Ella Benassi, and Meg Peterson. Lake Zurich placed fifth in the 4x800 behind Krupsky, Celia Blaylock, Abigail Kocher, and Avert Muhr, and ninth in the 4x400.

Prospect's team of Nikki Niebrugge, Samantha Skowronski, Elyse Freeman, and Charlotte Conner took fourth in the 4x200. The Knights took eighth in the 4x100.

Lakes freshman Bryn Garnier took fifth in the pole vault while Rolling Meadows' Patrycja Lewicki was eighth. Neuqua Valley's Alexandria Richmond took sixth in the triple jump followed by Warren's Anna Iwuagwu in eighth, Neuqua Valley's Olivia Dalson in 10th, and Glenbard North's Janelle Mosley in 11th. Naperville North's Leah Davis placed fifth in the long jump followed by Schaumburg's Serena Green in 10th. Hoffman Estates' Faith Boss tied for eighth in the high jump.