MSJHS 1,600-m relay places second at IESA state
By Fred Kroner
Mahomet-Seymour’s seventh-grade girls’ 1,600-meter relay team finished second on Saturday (May 21) in the IESA track and field state meet at the East Side Centre, in East Peoria.
The foursome of Ayla Finfrock, Emma Busch, Anniston Huff and Hannah Martin was timed in 4 minutes, 28.20 seconds.
First-place Chatham Glenwood’s winning time was 4:24.64.
Martin was a finalist in two other events. With a career-best time of 2:35.42, she took eighth in the 800 meters. Martin was also 11th in the high jump at 4 feet, 7 inches.
The top eight in every state event earned medals.
Taylor Mills ran 16th in the 1,600 meters (5:49.84).
The M-S 800-meter relay ended in 10th place. The unit of Annaleise Ruzich, Nyla Patterson, Evelyn Hillard and Ayla Finfrock was timed in 1:58.18.
M-S scored nine points at state and finished in 20th place. Overall, 49 seventh-grade girls’ teams scored points.
The M-S eighth-grade girls secured medals in all four events in which they qualified for state.
Included in that haul were back-to-back fourth-place finishes for Madalyn Marx, who broke the school record in the 400 meters for the third time.
Her final mark was 1:00.98. Marx’s fourth-place time in the 200 meters was 27.51 seconds.
Two Bulldog relays also fared well, each crossing the finish line in seventh place.
The 1,600-meter grouping consisted of Paislee Welge, Hadley Grotelueschen, Ella Walk and Marx. Their combined time was 4:26.68.
The 800-meter relay featured Grotelueschen, Welge, Camryn Nelson and Marx. They stopped the clock in 1:55.45.
M-S accumulated 14 points at state and ended in 16th place. A total of 44 schools scored points in the eighth-grade portion of the girls’ meet.
