Girls track and field: Indian Creek’s Brooke Probst takes 1A high jump state title

CHARLESTON – A lot went through Indian Creek senior Brooke Probst’s mind as she considered her final attempt at 1.72 meters in the Class 1A high jump.

“I wanted it so badly,” Probst said. “I’ve done this for seven years, and my freshman year, my coach and my dad had me make goals and write down what I wanted to accomplish. I went through the end of high school, and every single list that I made my freshman, sophomore junior and senior year was win state by the time I graduate.”

Mission accomplished.

Probst cleared 1.72 (5-7 3/4 feet) on her last attempt and shed a few tears. Moments later, when Newark sophomore Kiara Wesseh missed, Probst had her title at the IHSA Girls Track and Field State Meet Saturday at Eastern Illinois University’s O’Brien Stadium.

“I cried a lot. There were a lot of tears,” Probst said. “Everybody, my dad, my mom, my coaches, all of my high jump friends from my club team came, and they were all crying too.

“I didn’t want her to miss because I loved watching Kiara jump, I love watching her grow and she’s going to do amazing. She had one more attempt that I had to wait and see, so it was nerve-racking at the end.”

Kaneland junior Jessica Phillipp cleared 3.5 meters (11-5 1/2) to take third in Class 2A pole vault.

DeKalb grabbed medals in the Class 3A 4x400 (fifth) and 4x100 (eighth). The team of Sariyah Watson, Korima Gonzalez, Ilanie Castorena and Heaven Williams set a school record with a 3:59.07 in the 4x400. Mia Adeoti, Watson, Castorena and Williams ran 49.92 in the 4x100.

Phillipp’s best vault was near her career-best effort.

“I”m so grateful and proud of myself,” she said. “I wanted to walk out with a medal and I’m super-pleased with third place. I was a little nervous and my first jumps weren’t that good, but I got more confident and I was doing better.”

DeKalb’s 4x400 relay was seeded second from Friday’s preliminary races at 4:01.97. While the Barbs placed fifth, they lopped almost 3 seconds off that time.

“(The rain) was stressing me out, I heard it coming down harder and harder,” Gonzalez said. “In the two heats before us (1A and 2A) it wasn’t that bad. But it got worse. Fifth-fastest in the state, that’s good.”

DeKalb’s sectional time was not one of the best coming into the state meet, but the Barbs rose to the challenge.

“We were seeded second in 4x4 and expected to exceed what we did yesterday,” Castorena said. “it was still a really good experience to just run. Even if we didn’t get the ideal place we wanted, we got the school record today and that was our main goal.”