2024 NewsTribune Girls Track and Field Athlete of the Year: Mendota’s Mariyah Elam

Going up against top athletes before a big crowd at Eastern Illinois University for the IHSA Girls Track and Field State Meet, Mendota freshman Mariyah Elam was nervous.

“I was scared that I wasn’t going to be able to deliver for everybody,” Elam said. “I was missing all my first attempts, and I was really anxious.”

Despite the nerves, Elam delivered.

She delivered Mendota’s first state championship since 1989, clearing 1.64 meters (5 feet, 4½ inches) to win the Class 2A high jump title.

“It meant that I worked hard and it paid off. That I didn’t do all that for no reason,” Elam said.

Elam delivered all season.

She won the high jump in every meet she competed.

She placed top two in the 100-meter hurdles in every meet before state, where she earned an eighth-place medal.

She learned the triple jump and qualified for state in the event.

She won Three Rivers Conference titles in the 100 hurdles and high jump and claimed sectional championships in the 100 hurdles, high jump and triple jump.

“She got fourth place at state for the high jump as an eighth grader so we knew she was pretty talented. With the work she put in and with our assistant (Patti Blumhorst) who high jumped at Northern Illinois, tweaking a few things with her approach just let her get to the fullest potential she possibly could in high jump.”

—  Joe Hughes, Mendota girls track and field coach

She competed in seven different events throughout the season.

For all she accomplished this spring, Elam is the 2024 NewsTribune Girls Track and Field Athlete of the Year. Elam is the first Mendota athlete to claim the honor since its inception in 1997.

“We knew she was pretty special coming in,” Mendota coach Joe Hughes said. “She got fourth place at state for the high jump as an eighth grader, so we knew she was pretty talented. With the work she put in and with our assistant [Patti Blumhorst], who high jumped at Northern Illinois, tweaking a few things with her approach just let her get to the fullest potential she possibly could in high jump.

“Everything else, my goodness. We knew she was athletic after seeing her a few days. We really didn’t expect her to be that competitive in hurdles, that competitive in triple jump, be that competitive in any event I put her in that day. I mixed it up. I didn’t want her to do the same stuff. Whatever I asked her to do, she would do it and it was fun to watch.”

Elam is still a relatively raw talent, having competed in track and field for the first time as an eighth grader last year at Northbrook.

“She’s just two years in, and she’s improved so much from where she was,” Hughes said. “I think she’s got a lot more to show.”

Elam credits her background as a self-taught gymnast for helping her succeed in the high jump.

“I did gymnastics. I do a lot of flipping and tumbling, so I feel like my legs are really strong, and I’m just really bouncy,” Elam said.

But Hughes said she also put in a lot of work on her form.

“She worked really hard day in and day out trying to get her footwork down and get her steps down,” Hughes said. “She spent a lot of time just doing run-throughs without ever jumping just to make sure everything before the jump was right. That made sure everything after the jump would be the best she could be.”

Elam spent plenty of time on her triple jump form, as well. Triple jump isn’t an event in junior high track, so she learned it for the first time this year.

She said it wasn’t too difficult to learn, and she had it basically down after two meets.

“Coach really helped me figure out my form and how I can use my length,” Elam said.

Besides her natural athleticism, Hughes said she has the drive to improve herself and learn new skills in the sport.

“Her best skill that helps her succeed is her competitiveness,” Hughes said. “You push her a little bit, and she’ll try to rise to the occasion.”