Girls track and field: Cary-Grove's Freeman state discus champ
CHARLESTON - Nikki Freeman has company with her older brother Josh in more ways than one.
The Cary-Grove senior had few options after a subpar first day in her specialty event - the discus - at the Class 3A girls track and field state finals at Eastern Illinois' O'Brien Stadium.
"When I found out it was going to be nicer (weather-wise on Saturday), I was like, 'Perfect. Now I know it's time to go.' "
Improving her first-day performance by almost 14 feet, Freeman leapfrogged several athletes - including Metea Valley shot-put state champion Courtney Morgan - to win the second individual state championship in program history.
Freeman joined 2011 high-jump champion Carly Loeffel with her winning throw of 142 feet, 5 inches.
"(Josh) was a state champion in 2012 in both shot and disc," Freeman said. "When they were pulling the tape on Courtney's final throw (the last of the competition), my brother looked at me and said, 'Way to go, kid.' "
The Southern Illinois University recruit was also fourth in the shot put (41-5).
For the third straight year Lincoln-Way East (83 points) won the team championship behind its dazzling array of sprinters, but there were several notable achievements for the area finalists.
Geneva tied Downers Grove North for eighth place as four athletes secured six all-state performances for the Vikings.
McKenzie Altmayer had her Geneva career come to a close by earning her first state medals with a fourth-place finish in the 3,200 and a seventh-place verdict in the 1,600.
"I am so happy," Altmayer said. "All the hard work has paid off. The 2-mile (10 minutes, 39.37 seconds), I felt a lot stronger; the mile (5:03.27) was a little rough."
Junior Kristin Higgins cleared 5-6 to finish solo third in the high jump.
"I am really excited," Higgins said. "I am glad that Jada (Green, Downers North) got first because she is a senior. (Bloom runner-up Jelena Rowe and I) are coming back for another year."
Geneva sprinter Ndidi Ukaobashi was eighth and ninth, respectively, in the 100 and 200 dashes.
Georgia Reed was eighth for the Vikings in the 300 hurdles.
St. Charles North senior Hannah Schilb had an unexpected final day of her prep career.
The Iowa-bound triple and long jumper was considered far more dangerous in the former than the latter.
But Schilb was third in the long jump (19-0) and fourth in the triple jump (39-9).
"I was shocked," Schilb said. "(Homewood-Flossmoor junior Jaimie Robinson and Glenbard North senior Allison Wahrman) were all within an inch of each other (in the triple jump). I was not satisfied with my triple-jump form at all. I am very happy with how I did this season. I have good things to go on to."
Audrey Ernst also placed in both the 1,600 and 3,200 runs for the North Stars.
The final all-state performances came from the eighth-place 3,200 and 800 relays from St. Charles East and Batavia, respectively.