Wauconda's Meinhardt measures up again

Christina Meinhardt has been throwing downstate since her freshman year.

The Wauconda junior will be doing so again next weekend.

At Thursday's Class 2A Woodstock sectional, Meinhardt won both the shot put (40 feet, 2 inches) and discus (124-4). Meinhardt's teammate senior Dani Sturm also qualified for state in the shot put (36-8.75, second place).

Hampshire won the sectional championship with 101 points, while Grayslake Central (72) edged Woodstock (70) for second place. Vernon Hills (58) was fourth.

Grayslake Central's Leah Kloss won the 200-meter dash (25.98) and tied for first in the 100 (12.73), while the Rams qualified three of their four relays to the state meet at Eastern Illinois University in Charleston. Grayslake Central finished first in the 800 relay with Kloss, Sara O'Malley, Jazyman Foster and Maddy Jacobs (1:48.31). The Rams' 400 relay, which was a close second, featured the same four girls, who ran 51.35. Vernon Hills won the thrilling 400 relay thanks to Ali Pearson, Christine Tsai, Molly Wasserberg and Kiara Schuh (51.34).

Grayslake Central's runner-up 1,600 relay included Umaiyal Sridas, Kia Gomez, Mikala Wollmuth and O'Malley (4:16.52).

Vernon Hills was second in the 3,200 relay, as the foursome of Samantha Hershman, Lauren Kim, Lexi Reich and Cassie Lira (9:54.45) earned a trip downstate.

Antioch will be represented in Charleston by sophomore Alexis Duehr, who qualified in three events. Her 12.73 time in the 100 dash tied Kloss. Duehr finished second in the long jump (16-0.5) and 200 dash (26.05).

Other state qualifiers included Grayslake Central's Katie Schroeder in the pole vault (first, 10-9), Grayslake Central's Alexa Schmitt in the high jump (first, 5-0), Carmel's Hasana Huff (first, 34-8.5) and Vernon Hills' Shannon Healy (3-4) in the triple jump, Vernon Hills' Kasey Firnbach in the discus (second, 113-8) and Vernon Hills' Vivian Overbeck in the 3,200 run (third, 11:14.99).