Boyd and Marx win at Champaign County girls’ track and field

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.