MSJHS athletes secure spots at IESA State meet
By Fred Kroner
It took three days, but the Mahomet-Seymour Junior High seventh-grade boys’ track and field team secured IESA state-meet berths in eight events.
The 14-school Mount Zion Class 4A Sectional started on Saturday (May 13), but the meet was halted by weather conditions and concluded on Monday (May 15).
Jayvon Tompkins advanced to state in two events and five of his teammates moved on in individual events and two Bulldog relays qualified as well.
Tompkins was the shot put winner (39 feet, 2 inches) and the discus runner-up (126 feet, ½ inch).
Teammates who will compete at state in field events are high jumper Noah Snyder (second in a personal-best 5 feet, 1 inch) and Grant Morphew (fourth in a personal-best 7 feet, 9 inches).
Three runners continued their season, including two in the 800 meters: Liam Burwell (fifth in a personal-best 2:23.13) and Dominic Gaudio (sixth in a personal-best 2:23.23).
Also set for a state appearance is 1,600-meter runner Adam Smigielski, who ran third in 5:04.10.
The school’s advancing relays were the 400- and 1,600-meter foursomes.
Helping the Bulldogs to a second-place finish in the 400 were teammate Kiptyn Fan, Jude McWilliams, Dylan Heckman and Snyder. Their cumulative time was 51.03 seconds.
Joining forces on the 1,600 relay were Fan, Smigielski, McWilliams and Snyder. Their cumulative time was 4:03.57.
Two M-S non-state-qualifiers who ended among the top 10 individually recorded their personal bests: Morphew (eighth in the 1,600 meters in 5:36.34) and McWilliams (sixth in the 110-meter hurdles (18.63 seconds).
Other top 10-placers for the Bulldogs were Snyder (sixth in the long jump at 15 feet, 5 ½ inches), McWilliams (seventh in the long jump at 15 feet, 5 inches), Fan (eighth in the 100 meters in 13.01 seconds) and Smigielski (tied for 10th in the high jump at 4 feet, 7 inches).
One other M-S relay fared well.
The 800-meter grouping of Stephane Mwilambwe, Luca Vanderstraeten, Henry Welch and Brayden Thompson crossed the finish line in 2:00.41 and ended eighth.
Winning the seventh-grade sectional team title was Mount Zion (105 points), followed by Effingham (79 points). M-S was fourth with 53 points.
—
The M-S eighth-grade program secured one IESA state berth.
Tate Bode finished fourth in the 800-meter race and advanced with a personal-best time of 2:12.60.
Five other teammates achieved their personal-bests at the sectional.
They were: Bryson Tiefenthaler (fourth in the long jump at 17 feet, 11 ½ inches), Cody Moen (fifth in the 1,600 meters in 5:03.07), Brock Evans (fifth in the pole vault at 8 feet, 3 inches), Dylan Derickson (10th in the 110-meter hurdles in 18.67) and Xander Shanks (10th in the 400 meters in 1:01.57).
The other M-S top-10 individual was Jonathan Franklin (seventh in the discus at 117 feet, 7 inches).
All three of the Bulldogs’ relays wound up among the top 10, including the eighth-place 800-meter unit of Derickson, Evans, Shanks and Tiefenthaler. They were timed in 1:48.27.
Capturing 10th place was the 400-meter foursome of Jose Johnson, Cash Bryan, Charlie Richards and Wyatt Belz. Their combined time was 55.35 seconds.
The 1,600-meter grouping of Derickson, Evans, Moen and Bode ran 10th in a time of 4:04.57.
In the team standings, Charleston was first (95 points), followed by Mount Zion (63 ½ points). M-S was 10th with 12 points.
The two-day state meet will start on Friday (May 19) at the Eastside Centre in East Peoria. The Parade of Athletes will begin at 10:15 a.m. on Friday, with events beginning at 11 o’clock. Saturday’s events start at 9 a.m.
Mahomet-Seymour Junior High Girls’ track and Field
Mahomet-Seymour’s seventh- and eighth-grade girls’ track and field teams each qualified athletes for state after the conclusion of the Mount Zion Class 4A IESA Sectional, which started on Saturday (May 13).
The seventh-graders secured berths in five events.
The eighth-graders advanced to state in three events, including two runners in the 1,600 meters.
In the 1,600, Taylor Mills was the sectional champion (personal-best 5 minutes, 28.99 seconds) and teammate Anniston Huff ran third (personal-best 5:30.88).
Two eighth-grader relays will compete at state. Both claimed the third-place position at sectional.
The 800-meter unit features Erika Johnson, Evelyn Hillard, Huff and Ayla Finfrock. Their combined time was 1:50.92.
Handling the baton for the 1,600-meter relay were Finfrock, Cora Ummel, Huff and Hannah Martin. They were timed in 4:23.07.
Three M-S athletes, besides the 1,600 runners, also achieved their personal-bests.
Martin was fourth in the discus (80 feet, 7 ½ inches) Ummel was sixth in the 400 meters (1:07.59), and Paige Waggoner was fifth in the pole vault (6 feet, 6 inches).
Six other eighth-grade runners and three others in field events recorded top-10 performances.
The other field events leaders were: Alyssa Gray (fifth in the long jump at 14 feet, 1 inch), Lily Carlson (sixth in the pole vault at 6 feet, 6 inches) and Finfrock (ninth in the long jump at 13 feet, 6 ½ inches).
The other top runners for the Bulldogs were Mills (fourth in the 800 meters in 2:39.92), Jaci Kellenberger (sixth in the 800 meters in 2:47.12), Emma Busch (seventh in the 400 meters in 1:08.62), Finfrock (seventh in the 200 meters in 28.32 seconds), Hillard (ninth in the 200 meters in 28.68 seconds) and Johnson (10th in the 100 meters in 13.91 seconds).
The M-S 400-meter relay unit of Olivia Cox, Mollie Schifo, Carlson and Gray placed sixth with a time of 55.40 seconds.
Team honors in the eighth-grade portion of the meet were won by Effingham with 66 points. Runner-up Champaign Jefferson had 64 points. M-S was seventh with 44 points.
—
The M-S seventh-grade girls’ team has state qualifiers in three individual events as well as with two relays.
The individuals are 800-meter runner Norelle Eilts (a sixth-grader), who placed third in a personal-best 2:34.42, high-jumper Charlotte Sinclair, who was second (personal-best 4 feet, 7 inches) and pole vaulter Cecily Smith, who was also second (personal-best 7 feet).
The state-qualifying relays are the 800- and the 1,600-meter foursomes.
The 1,600 features Smith, Annie Clements, Nyla Patterson and Sinclair. Their combined time was 4:30.62 and they earned the second-place medals.
The 800-meter unit also ended in the runner-up position. The runners were Joella Snodsmith, Clements, Patterson and Sinclair. They crossed the finish line in 1:56.69.
Seven other Bulldogs, who placed among the top-10 individually, recorded their personal-bests.
They included Smith (fourth in the 400 meters in 1:08.94), Kennedy Ashby (fifth in the 1,600 meters in 5:59.05), Mackenzie Bonham (fifth in the discus at 73 feet, 11 ½ inches), Madi Bain (sixth in the long jump at 13 feet, ½ inch), Reagan Ericson (seventh in the discus at 67 feet, 4 inches), Patterson (seventh in the 200 meters in 29.49 seconds), and Rilynn Nelson (10th in the 100-meter hurdles in 20.23 seconds).
Bulldog seventh-graders recorded six other top-10 placements individually, including Patterson’s fourth-place effort in the high jump (4 feet, 3 inches).
Other team leaders were Clements (fifth in the long jump at 13 feet, 5 inches), Finley Smith (fifth in the pole vault at 6 feet), Phoebe Graham (sixth in the 1,600 meters in 6:07.58), Sinclair (sixth in the 200 meters in 29.13 seconds) and Paige Jansen (eighth in the 800 meters in 2:51.15).
The Bulldogs’ 400-meter relay wound up in sixth place, after registering a time of 58.12 seconds. Handling the baton were Cora Howard, Bain, Sydney Bohannen and Sierra Tuttle.
The seventh-grade team sectional champion was Mount Zion with 127 ½ points. Runner-up Champaign Jefferson had 58 points, edging M-S, which accepted third place with a point total of 57 ½.
The two-day state meet will start on Friday (May 19) at the Eastside Centre in East Peoria. The Parade of Athletes will begin at 10:15 a.m. on Friday, with events beginning at 11 o’clock. Saturday’s events start at 9 a.m.
