Huntley’s Tseumah state high jump champ
CHARLESTON — Omo Tseumah took a calculated gamble.
But it paid off handsomely for the Huntley senior in her return engagement with Lyons Township sophomore Emma Haugen.
Last year at the girls Class 3A state track and field meet, Haugen defeated Tseumah for the championship in the high jump.
Tseumah made a bold move as the two dueled once again on Saturday at Eastern Illinois University.
“I decided to skip 5-(feet)-5,” Tseumah said.
The Marquette-bound senior then made her three following heights at 5-6, 5-7 and 5-8.
When Haugen followed suit, but with more attempts, Tseumah earned the state championship on criteria when neither athlete was able to clear 5-9.
“I didn’t want to use my energy up going for 5-5,” Tseumah said. “I knew I could make 5-6. (Haugen) beat me last year. She’s a sophomore, so she has two years left. I’m really happy I got this (state championship).” Katie Trupp came ever so close to earning a state championship in two events for Burlington Central.
But the Rockets’ SIU-bound senior had to settle for twin runner-up finishes in the pole vault and high jump.
Bloomington senior Sarah Bell set a new state record in the Class 2A pole by clearing 12-9; Trupp bowed out after making 12 feet.
Trupp then fell two inches shy of Morris’ Haleigh Knapp in the high jump as the junior defended her title in the event.
Trupp was second in the high jump with her 5-6 effort.
“I’m actually close friends with Haleigh,” Trupp said. “I knew she would jump 5-8. I was really close to 5-7 all season. I was never able to get it. I’m happy with the second place I got (in the pole vault).”
Kayla Wolf was also making her swan song for the Rockets on Saturday.
The Missouri-bound middle-distance runner was in contention in the open 800 until Rochelle senior Michelle Dobbs broke free from a congested pack en route to a new state record in 2 minutes, 10.78 seconds.
Wolf closed out her career with a 2:15.29 time to finish sixth.
“Disappointed,” Wolf said. “Life goes on. You can’t always have successes. It’s what you do with failures that makes you great. Somewhere (down the stretch), I forgot to believe in myself.”
The 20 points the Rockets’ senior leaders scored enabled the squad to tie Glenbard South for ninth place.
Lauren Van Vlierbergen and Ashley Fouch had similar days for Jacobs and Hampshire, respectively.
The former made a dramatic move on the anchor leg of the Class 3A 3,200 relay, passing six runners to improve Jacobs’ position to fifth overall.
The sophomore then easily broke five minutes for the second day in a row in an ultracompetitive 1,600 run. Van Vlierbergen finished fourth with her 4:55.94 posting.
“We were hoping we could win (the 3,200 relay),” Van Vlierbergen said of partners Molly Barnes, Tori Tamburrino and Sam Baran. “We had the No. 1 time from the sectional. I knew there were a lot of good runners in the mile. I just wanted to stay with the leaders and finish strong.”
Fouch was second to three-event champion Shamier Little (Chicago Lindblom) at 400 meters and ended her high school career with a blistering anchor leg, passing three runners in the final 10 meters, as the Whip-Purs were third in the Class 2A 1,600 relay.
“I’m missing graduation because of (the state meet),” Fouch said. “I’m not missing graduation for eighth place (the position the Whips were in when Fouch received the baton). That’s why I kicked it.”
Cary-Grove senior Joslyn Nicholson made the most of her last triple-jump attempt.
Nicholson leapfrogged five competitors with her last jump in the finals to place fourth.
“It was my last jump ever,” Nicholson said. “(The officials) said the distance, and I bumped up five places. That’s exactly what I wanted to do.”
Nikki Freeman was seventh in the shot put for Cary-Grove, and Hampshire senior Jenny Dumoulin ninth in the Class 2A shot for the Whips.