Girls vie at state Strong throwers lead Harlem to boys state track meet

By Bob Balgemann

Reporter

STATELINE – Harlem and Hononegah will be sending a combined seven individuals to this weekend’s boys state track meet at Eastern Illinois University in Charleston. The Indians also are advancing their 4-by-200-meter relay team.

Meanwhile, the Lady Huskies and Lady Indians were represented by five individuals and four relay teams at last weekend’s girls state track meet, also at Eastern. Hononegah’s 4-by-400-meter relay team finished fourth while senior Nicky Althoff took eighth in the 400-meter dash.

Strong throwers are leading Harlem in boys state track.

Seniors Josh Black and Josh Kowalski were 1-2 in the shot put at last weekend’s DeKalb sectional tournament. Black won with a toss of 61 feet, 9 inches, followed by teammate Kowalski, who reached a distance of 55 feet, 8 inches.

Another senior, Anthony McKinney, threw the discus 172 feet, 2 inches to win that event. His distance was almost four feet longer than the runner-up

In addition, junior Jayvious Johnson qualified in the 110-meter high hurdles by taking second with a time of 15.04 seconds. The champion, from Fox Lake Grant, competed the course in 14.21 seconds.

For Hononegah, their 4-by-200-meter relay team was second at the DeKalb sectional. Individuals advancing are senior Ryan Polfliet, second in the long jump by achieving 21 feet, 11 inches; junior John Terry, fourth in the shot put at 54 feet, 10 1/2 inches; and junior Vito Guerrero, fourth in the 100-meter dash in 10.91 seconds.

Girls state track

The Lady Indians’  4-by-400-meter relay team advanced Friday by winning Heat 1 of that event in 3:59.61. That time was second best among four preliminary heats. On Saturday, the team of Althoff, freshman Honesty Sandlin and juniors Katrina Meyers and Abby Bukowski knocked two seconds off their time, but other teams also improved and the Lady Indians finished fourth. The state champion was Lincoln-Way East out of Frankfort, in 3:49.22, which was eight seconds better than Friday when they had the top time in all of the heats.

Althoff turned in a time of 58.47 seconds while taking eighth in the 400. She advanced to the finals by taking third in Heat 1 of Friday’s preliminaries, in 58.16 seconds.

Also Friday, Hononegah’s 4-by-100-meter relay team was eighth in Heat 2 of that event and it didn’t move on to the finals.

Senior Maura Logan was fourth in Flight 2 of the discuss, with a throw of 109 feet, 11 inches; and junior Kelsey Wulf tied for ninth in the high jump; clearing 5 feet, 1 inch. Neither of them reached the finals.

Harlem sent two relay teams with neither of them getting to the finals. The 4-by-200-meter team made up of senior Taiah Gallisath, sophomore Katie Dietmeier, senior Emma Platzbecker and junior Cara Ogilvy was sixth in Heat 2 during Friday’s preliminaries. The 4-by-400 team, consisting of Platzbecker, Gallisath, and sophomores Klaire Boisvert and Tambryn Hecox took fifth in Heat 1.

Individually, freshman Olivia Lewis was seventh in the triple jump, going 34 feet 11 inches, while junior Kahley Logan threw the shot 35 feet, 4 1/4 inches, good for 10th place.