By Fred Kroner

Junior Ava Boyd and freshman Madalyn Marx were individual winners on Saturday (April 8) in the 10-school Champaign County girls’ track and field meet at Urbana.

Boyd dominated the field in the 1,600-meter race, posting a personal-best time of 5 minutes, 19.71 seconds. She finished 9.48 seconds ahead of the runner-up.

In the 200 meters, an event with 43 contestants, Marx was timed in a personal-best 25.77 seconds. She had a .27 margin of victory.

Marx also achieved a personal-best 13.05 time in the 100 meter and placed third. There were 70 competitors in the race.

Overall, the Bulldogs registered nine personal-bests.

Two of the top times came in the 300-meter hurdles. Runner-up Kara Carney was timed in 53.40 seconds and eighth-place finisher Adelyn Boyd crossed the line in 1:01.85.

Ava Boyd wasn’t the only Bulldog in the 1,600 with her all-time best. Chloe Bundren ended in fifth (5:51.54).

The other three M-S PRs came in field events, including two in the shot put. Kendyl Petro was third (31 feet, 1 inch) and Grace Ribbe was eighth (28 feet, 5 inches). In the pole vault, Abi Weiss was fifth (8 feet, 5 inche).

Eleven other M-S athletes secured top-eight places in individual events. Nine of those placers were in field events.

Grace Rodebaugh captured second in the high jump (4 feet, 8 inches). Carney placed fifth (4 feet, 5 inches).

Petro added a third-place finish in the discus (89 feet, 1 inch) and Kelsie Fuoss was third in the pole vault (9 feet, 5 inches), an event where Hannah Hofbauer finished seventh (6 feet).

In the triple jump, Meah Beacham was third (31 feet, 2 inches) and Abi Weiss was eighth (26 feet, 11 inches).

In the long jump, Lauren Burr ended fourth (15 feet, 4 inches) and Karlie Fuoss took fifth (14 feet, 7 inches).

The Bulldogs’ other top runners were Burr (sixth in the 100 meters in 13.50 seconds) and Emma Frazier (seventh in the 800 meters in 2:47.42).

Four M-S relays also fared well.

The 1,600-meter foursome of Ava Boyd, Bundren, Frazier and Callie Jansen finished in the runner-up position with a time of 4:38.25.

The 400-meter unit of Kelsie Fuoss, Marx, Karlie Fuoss and Burr was timed in 52.63 seconds and ended in third place.

The 3,200-meter grouping of Jinan Abdo, Frazier, Morgan Waisath and Kaile Jeffers posted a time of 11:44.33, which enabled them to finish in fourth place.

Sharing the baton for the Bulldogs in the 800-meter relay were Holly Hawes, Beacham, Chloe Merkle and Rodebaugh. Their combined time was 2:02.21 and they took sixth.

There were no team scores at the County meet.

M-S will return to action on Monday (April 10) in their only home meet, against Monticello, at 4:30 p.m.