Girls track and field: Warren's Bynum high jump champ at weather-delayed state meet
CHARLESTON - Warren senior Annika Bynum welcomed the brief delay before her final high jump attempt at the Class 3A state girls track and field meet.
Bynum was all set to attempt her third leap at 1.73 meters (5 feet, 7 inches) at the Class 3A girls state track and field meet at O'Brien Field on the campus of Eastern Illinois University Saturday.
With temperatures soaring into the low 90s, Bynum needed to clear the height to avoid earning second place. Prairie Ridge sophomore Rylee Lydon, who won the state title in the 400 meters, failed to clear 1.70 meters on her three tries, but was slated to win the state medal if Bynum also missed her final attempt. Based on clearing 1.70 meters on her first try, Lydon was scheduled to walk away with the state title because Bynum needed three attempts at 1.70.
But right before Bynum was set to begin her third attempt, the competitors all rose for the scheduled 2 p.m. national anthem.
"That helped with my heart rate because I was trying to lower it," Bynum said. "It was crazy, so thankful for that. I was putting ice on my shoulders to cool them down. It gave me time to go through the emotions in my head, so I'm glad that happened."
Bynum took advantage of the extra rest, adding her name to Warren's growing list of state champions by soaring over 1.73 to win the state high jump title.
"This means so much, and I've been dreaming about it since middle school," Bynum said. "I'm so grateful we even had a state meet, so this is all so amazing."
Based on her stunning showing, Bynum concluded her career as the fourth individual state champion in program history and first since Brittny Ellis in 2015. She also topped her personal best of 5-7, but Bynum said she was motivated to follow in the footsteps of another Ellis - Brandon, who won the 3A state high jump in 2018.
"I was carrying Brandon Ellis' legacy at Warren, so that made it even more special and weird," Bynum said.
Led by a number of dominating performances in the first 15 events, Grayslake Central was in the running for the 3A state title until the second weather delay halted competition with three events remaining.
Before the first two delays, Grayslake Central senior Julia Reglewski achieved her goal of a double state champion on Saturday. The Dartmouth recruit started the day off by winning the discus (44.06 meters) and, after a brief rest in the oppressive heat, Reglewski added the shot put state title (14.04).
"When I came down here in my freshman year, I knew I wanted both state titles," Reglewski said. "In my junior year, I was ranked to win both of them, so when that was taken away, I really wanted to make it happen in my senior year. It pushed me in the weight room and I lived that mindset to make this happen.
"I trained so hard for this moment, so it was a relief for me, like a 'Wow' moment. My parents supported me so much during this whole process."
Stevenson's Ella O'Neall placed third in the shot put (13.10 meters) and Lakes' Gabrielle King took sixth (12.16). Grayslake's Bella Domier scored valuable points for the Rams by sprinting to a second-place medal in the 800 (2:12.64). Mundelein's Jordyn Miller took fifth in the race (2:13.40) and Lake Zurich's Brooke Johnson finished seventh (2:14.68).
"My goal was to stay with the second place until the 400 mark and try and close the gap," Domier said. "I think I did pretty well."
Lakes senior Brooke Stromsland relied on a strong kick in the last 50 meters to snare fourth place in the 3,200 in a time of 10:52.88. Grant's Aly Negovetich clocked a ninth-place time of 11:05.
Grayslake Central added a fourth-place effort in the 3,200 relay (9:31), while Mia Morello added to the Rams' special day with a second-place showing in the pole vault (3.62 meters).
Vernon Hills' Nia Hines recorded a seventh-place effort in the long jump (5.43).