Mendota’s Mariyah Elam looks to defend high jump title: NewsTribune 2A girls track and field state preview

Last year, Mendota sophomore Mariyah Elam went into her first IHSA Girls Track and Field State Meet as a sectional champion tied for the top seed in the high jump.

She rose to the occasion.

Elam cleared 1.64 meters to win the Class 2A state title, the first for the program since 1989.

She’ll return to Eastern Illinois University’s O’Brien Stadium on Friday and Saturday looking to repeat as state champion.

“It’s going to make me way more competitive, because now I have to defend a championship,” Elam said.

Not only does Elam enter the state meet as the defending champion, but she also owns the top mark in the state this season regardless of class at 1.73 meters.

Elam had the second-best sectional jump at 1.64 behind Rosary’s Katie Kostro (1.69).

“That puts a lot of pressure on me,” Elam said. “There’s a girl who keeps jumping 5-[foot]-7, and I haven’t been consistent with my high jump. I haven’t been doing that good this year. I just want to be able to pull through at state.”

Elam said she’ll handle the pressure by giving her best effort.

“I just put in 110% all the time when I do my things so I know that I did the best that I could,” Elam said.

Along with trying to defend her high jump title, Elam wants to place top five in her other three events, as well. She was a three-event state qualifier as a freshman, as she placed eighth in the 100 hurdles and also qualified in the triple jump.

Elam is seeded 13th in the triple jump at 10.9 meters, 15th in the 300-meter hurdles at 47.4 seconds and 17th in the 100 hurdles at 15.87 seconds.

Elam recorded the ninth-best triple jump in 2A this spring at 11.35 meters. She’s also run a personal-record 46.35 seconds in the 300 hurdles.

“I think I’m in a good sitting for the 300-meter hurdles,” Elam said. “I’m running a top-five kind of time, but I want to get a PR and get first place. In the 100-meter hurdles, I want to do way better than eighth place like I got last year. I want to place this time for triple jump.”

Elam is one of three area athletes who will compete in the state meet in 2A along with La Salle-Peru senior Elli Sines and Princeton junior Camryn Driscoll, who are both returning state medalists.

Sines placed fifth in the 100 hurdles last season. She returns in that event and adds the 100 and 200.

“It means everything,” Sines said about finishing her career running three events at state. “This season has been full of hard work, and to finish my high school career at state in all three of my events is such a blessing. It’s a moment I’ve dreamed about, and I’m proud to see how far I’ve come.

“It’s not just about the races. It’s about the journey, the growth and everyone who supported me along the way.”

Sines won the 100 hurdles at the Sterling Sectional in 15.5 seconds, which was the 11th-best sectional time. Sines hasn’t lost a 100 hurdles race this season and ran a PR of 15.41 seconds.

Sines is seeded 16th in the 200 at 26.16 and 32nd in the 100 with a 12.62 at the sectional. She has PRs of 26.04 in the 200 and 12.58 in the 100.

“My biggest goal is to go out there, stay focused and run with everything I’ve got,” Sines said. “I want to compete with confidence, give 100% in every event and finish each race knowing I didn’t hold anything back. Placing would be incredible, of course, but more than anything, I want to challenge myself, make my team proud and hopefully break some personal records.”

Driscoll looks to return to the medal stand in the 400 after placing ninth last season. She enters state with the 11th-best sectional time (59.18) after winning the event at the Rock Falls Sectional.

Driscoll’s sectional time was her PR. She also ran sub-60 seconds in both races at state last season.