Barrington’s Sirois conquers Hayward Field in preparation for world championship

The last time Barrington rising senior Mia Sirois ran at the University of Oregon’s Hayward Field was at the 2023 Nike Outdoor Nationals after she finished eighth grade.

Sirois, who owns the fastest time in Illinois High School Association girls cross country finals history and has won the last three Class 3A 3,200-meter races in Charleston, tested the fast track again June 18 at the USA Track & Field Under-20 Championships.

“They’ve got a nice, new track, it’s nice to run there, it’s beautiful,” Sirois said Wednesday.

Her time in the 5,000-meter race likewise sparkled, a personal-best 15 minutes, 46.74 seconds, cited by DyeStat as the sixth-fastest time in history by a high school girl.

“It was pretty amazing. I felt I was in shape to have a big (personal record), but you never know how you’ll show up on the day, how the legs feel and how the race plays out,” said Sirois, who committed to Notre Dame in March.

“Coming through and seeing that I was going to have a big PR was definitely a very rewarding feeling to know that the pieces had come together and my work had paid off.”

This continues to be great news for the 17-year-old Sirois and Illinois prep track in general, as she feels strong after a training accident in Colorado last August left her with a broken left fibula and heel.

At Hayward she let incoming Florida State sophomore Rylee Blade do most of the work through the first 3,000 meters, “a bit slow,” Sirois said, at a 16-minute pace.

With her parents, Mary and Evans Sirois, shouting encouragement with each lap, in the final 1,200 meters Mia made a move that gained separation and made up time. She watched herself on the big Hayward Field scoreboard.

“I could see myself kind of break away,” Sirois said. “I didn’t want to slow down because I thought I could have a big PR.”

Eclipsing her prior best at the distance of 15:58.06 at the New Balance Nationals Indoor in March — ninth all-time — Sirois beat five collegiate runners.

Sirois had a busy June, running at the Brooks PR Invitational in Washington, the U20 event in Oregon, and then just two days later at the New Balance Outdoors National in Pennsylvania. Plus a grandfather’s birthday in West Virginia.

She said for the next little while she’ll relax and have a little fun, visit Chicago and her grandparents’ summer place in Wisconsin.

But then, having qualified with her June 18 run, she’ll return to Hayward Field to do the 5,000 again Aug. 5 at the World Athletics U20 Championships.

“I think I’ll kind of learn how to race in a more tactical environment. I’m pretty used to competing against the strong competition we have here in the United States, but I’m going to be racing against girls from all over the world,” Sirois said.

“It’ll be a little bit of a simulation of what I’ll see in the NCAA in a couple years, so it’ll be good to get that experience when I’m young.”

Wisely given her recent work load, after the U20 Championships Sirois said she’ll delay her start to the 2026 cross country season. The Class 3A champion in 2024, she missed nearly all of last fall including the state meet recuperating from the Colorado mishap, and she liked her 2026 track results after starting slowly indoors.

“Then, hopefully get ready for a big senior season,” Sirois said.

Ready for his close-up

The Big Ten Conference on Wednesday announced the players each school would send to its football media days in Chicago over July 28-30.

Michigan State’s crew, under new coach Pat Fitzgerald, will include redshirt sophomore quarterback Alessio Milivojevic, the former all-state three-year starter from St. Francis.

The Naperville product started the Spartans’ last four games in 2025 and passed for 1,267 yards and 10 touchdowns.

Winning in the City of Lakes

The 2026 Special Olympics USA Games are going on right now in Minneapolis. They began June 20 and run through Friday. A bunch of competitors came from these parts.

The women’s gymnastics contingent cleaned up at their respective levels of competition. Evie Diem of Elgin earned gold on the uneven bars, and Katie O’Neill (Elmhurst) earned gold in all-around, bars and floor.

At her level, Mary Roman (Schaumburg) won gold medals in all-around and vault and silver in two other events. Alexis Winegard placed second in all-around and earned three other medals at her level of competition.

Other podium finishers to date included Matthew Friedman (Hinsdale), bronze in the 400-meter dash; and April Papke (Naperville), sixth in bocce. In swimming, Melanie Harwood (Libertyville) won her 200-yard freestyle race, while Amanda Propheter (Geneva) and David Rochiltz (Huntley) both earned silver in swimming events.

doberhelman@dailyherald.com