GIRLS TRACK & FIELD

At Charleston: Mendota junior Mariyah Elam didn’t compete in the high jump for the first half of the track and field season as she recovered from an ankle injury suffered during basketball.

But at the end of the season, Elam was the best in the state.

Elam cleared 1.64 meters (5 feet, 4.5 inches) Saturday at Eastern Illinois University in Charleston to claim the IHSA Class 2A high jump state championship.

“My season best all season has been 5-3 because I busted my ankle during basketball season, so I’ve spent most of the time getting back up to speed,” Elam said. “And when I cleared that height (1.64), I started crying when I won. I couldn’t believe it.”

Elam also won the high jump state title as a freshman and was runner-up as a sophomore.

“It’s a relief,” Elam said. “I can breathe again. I didn’t want to come up here and show that I was just a one-hit wonder. I had to show them I’m not just lucky, I’m for real.”

Elam capped her weekend by placing second in the triple jump with a leap of 11.65 to finish behind only South Shore International senior Jordan Hamb, who recorded an 11.9.

“I got that best jump in the triple jump on my first one (during Friday’s preliminaries),” Elam said. “I was like, ‘Wait a minute, this is going to be a good weekend.’

“It was a successful weekend. I’m just so happy.”

Elam wasn’t the only NewsTribune area- athlete to bring home hardware this weekend.

St. Bede senior Lily Bosnich earned medals in both Class 1A hurdle events, Henry-Midland senior Daniella Bumber won medals in the 400-meter dash, 200 and 4x100 relay, Bureau Valley sophomore Elise House medaled in the 400 and Amboy co-op’s Jillian Anderson placed in the high jump.

Bosnich was runner-up in the 100 hurdles in 14.63 seconds, finishing just behind Wilmington sophomore McKenna Van Tilburg, who clocked 14.6 seconds.

Bosnich placed third in the 300 hurdles in 43.86, finishing behind Oregon’s Jillian Hammer (42.84) and Lowpoint-Washburn’s Brianna Harms (43.74).

“I’m grateful for the opportunity to be here all four years,” Bosnich said. “And coming home with two medals, there’s nothing better. I can’t complain at all.

“This season I very much prioritized being a senior and making memories more than anything, so this season was a little rough for me. Being here, the adrenaline got to me, and so I’m happy with my time and my placements.”

Bosnich also had her eye on the St. Bede softball as the Bruins were playing in the Class 2A Prairie Central Regional championship Saturday. St. Bede beat the host Hawks 5-3 to give Bosnich the chance to play at least one more game as the Bruins face Seneca in the Pontiac Sectional on Tuesday.

“I was watching my softball game while they were playing and they won the regional title and I was so glad,” Bosnich said. “I had the GameChanger up while I was warming up.”

Bumber clocked the fastest preliminary time in the 400 and bettered that mark Saturday with a 56.63 but finished second in the finals behind Effingham St. Anthony’s Reese Hoene (55.48).

House placed third in 56.75.

“It’s kind of ironic. I had the (IESA) Class 2A 400-meter (record) in eighth grade until Hoene broke it her year,” Bumber said. “So I had her on my radar and she showed out today. But in the 400, I’ve been trying to get that state title the past few years. Last year I suffered a stress fracture and ran on it all year and then I got food poisoning the day of state, which was really unfortunate. But coming back this year, I was really able to push past that mental blocker and the nerves I had in that race. I am really proud of what I did in that race.”

Bumber also finished eighth in the 200 (25.74) and ran with Alison Mitchell, Taylor Frawley and Audrey Chambers to place seventh in the 4x100 (49.86).

“After the 400, I kind of left disappointed because I really wanted that state title this year,” Bumber said. “But walking out and seeing everyone that I’ve been running with for years and some of the new girls who are coming up, it’s just really exciting to see the new adventure track and field is taking and how awesome people are getting at it. But walking away with three medals, I did that. I’m one of those old heads that used to be a freshman running with the seniors and it feels good to walk away being proud of what I did today.”

Anderson cleared a personal record 1.61 to finish sixth in the high jump.

Bureau Valley freshman Madisyn Shipp leapt a personal record 10.61 to finish 11th in the triple jump and Henry’s Frawley recorded a 5.03 to finish 12th in the long jump.

Storm senior Maddie Wetzell ran a season best 12:26.56 to finish 35th in the 3,200.

In the 2A long jump, La Salle-Peru junior Aubrey Duttlinger finished 10th with a 5.25.

SOFTBALL

Newark 20, Earlville 5 (4 inn.): Addie Scherer doubled, drove in two runs and score two runs as the No. 2-seeded Red Raiders lost to the No. 3 Norsemen in the Class 1A Walther Christian Regional championship in Melrose Park.

Audrey Scherer had a double, an RBI and a run for Earlville (), while Riley Kelly was 1 for 2 and drove in two runs.

Addie Scherer was the losing pitcher.

BASEBALL

St. Bede 11, Roanoke-Benson/Lowpoint-Washburn 7: Maks Baker went 4 for 4 with a double, two RBIs and two runs as the Bruins won a Tri-County Conference game on the road.

Drew Carboni went 3 for 5 and scored two runs for St. Bede (22-12, 11-4 TCC), while Geno Dinges was 2 for 5 with two RBIs and a run.

Gino Ferrari started on the mound and pitched three scoreless innings, allowing two hits with one strikeout and two walks.

United Township 5, Hall 3: The Red Devils scored two runs in the top of the seventh inning but couldn’t complete the comeback in a nonconference loss in East Moline.

Geno Ferrari went 2 for 3 with a double and a run for Hall (23-10-1), while Clayton Fusinetti doubled and drove in a run.

Noah Plym was the losing pitcher.

Milford 4, Henry-Senachwine 2: Jayden DeWeerth was 2 for 2 and scored a run as the Mallards lost a nonconference game at Dozer Park in Peoria.

Carson Rowe went 1 for 3 with an RBI for Henry (13-18), while Ben Meachum took the loss on the mound.