April 19, 2024
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Girls Track and Field: Claire Allen claims pair of state titles for Sandwich

Newark’s Kiara Wesseh wins four medals, high jump title, Sandwich’s Sunny Weber medals twice

By Bob Narang
Claire Allen of Sandwich throws the discus Saturday, May 20, 2023, during the IHSA Girls Track and Field State Meet at Eastern Illinois University in Charleston.

Claire Allen of Sandwich throws the discus Saturday, May 20, 2023, during the IHSA Girls Track and Field State Meet at Eastern Illinois University in Charleston. (Alex T. Paschal - apaschal@shawmedia.com/credit)

CHARLESTON – Sandwich senior Claire Allen had a long wait to pick up her second state medal on Saturday afternoon.

Sitting in the covered tent area right behind the medal stand at Eastern Illinois University’s O’Brien Stadium, Allen soaked in the final few minutes of her storied track career.

Maybe that’s because she wasn’t sure she would even be competing at all this season.

She started throwing the shot put and discus in sixth grade, but worried about not being able to compete this spring. She had right shoulder surgery but wasn’t cleared until early January.

“I didn’t think I would be able to do it this year. I didn’t realize I would be able to maybe get here and compete until about a month ago. I didn’t think I would be here. I’ve just been working constantly and learned to take time off when I’m hurting.”

—  Claire Allen, Sandwich thrower

“I didn’t think I would be able to do it this year,” Allen said. “I didn’t realize I would be able to maybe get here and compete until about a month ago. I didn’t think I would be here. I’ve just been working constantly and learned to take time off when I’m hurting.”

Allen, an Eastern Michigan recruit, made a triumphant return this spring, capping off a stellar career by winning the Class 2A state championship in shot put and discus at the state track and field meet on Saturday. She won the shot put with a top mark of 13.08 meters and took the title in the discus with a heave of 42.29 meters.

Allen, who placed second in the discus and sixth in the shot put at state last season, wraps up her career with six overall medals in the last three seasons. She became the program’s first two-time state champion, and is just the second girls track athlete to win a state title. Mandy Gacek captured the state championship in the Class A triple jump in 1998.

Allen said she relied on her past state trips to calm her down to perform at a high level. As a sophomore, she placed second in the shot put and fourth in the discus.

“My experience last year made my anxiety go down because I usually have a lot of anxiety during this but it was ok today,” Allen said. “Once I got my second throw for shot yesterday, I realized I was more calmer. I can’t put into words how great this experience was this year.”

Led by Allen scoring 20 points, Sandwich finished with 35 points to earn fifth place in the 2A team standings.

Sandwich freshman Sunny Weber put her name among the best in the state with a pair of sterling performances on the blue track. She finished in second place in the 3,200 with a personal-best time of 10 minutes, 31.67 seconds, right behind superstar Tatum David of Richland County. She took third place in the 1,600 (5:02.91), which was also won by David (4:49.73).

“I’m happy with everything,” said Weber, who was the Class 1A state cross country runner-up last fall. “My goal in the 3,200 was to get runnerup and try to break my personal record. I just pushed through it in the 3,200. I wasn’t stressed because I had already put in the work, so there was nothing left.”

Newark’s Kiara Wesseh competes in the 1A high jump competition during the 2023 IHSA State Track and Field Finals at Eastern Illinois University in Charleston.

Newark’s Kiara Wesseh competes in the 1A high jump competition during the 2023 IHSA State Track and Field Finals at Eastern Illinois University in Charleston. (Sandy Bressner – sbressner@shawmedia.com)

Newark junior Kiara Wesseh made a busy day memorable by taking home four medals in the Class 1A meet. Wesseh captured the state title in the high jump with an effort of 1.67 meters but she added three more medals. She placed third in the 300 hurdles (45.25), fourth in the 100 hurdles (15.12) and fifth in the 100 (12.63). Wesseh placed second in the high jump in both her freshman and sophomore years.

“I just trusted all the practices I’ve done and being mentally prepared because I think that’s a big factor in the finals,” Wesseh said. “I just got used to the higher (height) in practices. This means a lot because I’ve had highs and lows this season. My experience helped me a lot. I felt mentally I was more prepared. I’m hoping to work hard next year and keep progressing.”

Yorkville senior Mia Boule was among the top athletes in the Class 3A meet, finishing in third place in the pole vault (3.68). Oswego’s Chaleica Booker took sixth in the Class 3A 400-meter dash. Yorkville sophomore Courtney Clabough earned an eighth-place medal in the shot put (12.26), and the Foxes’ 4x800 relay also took eighth. Oswego East junior Hailey Soriaga also claimed an eighth-place medal in the pole vault (3.43). Oswego senior Audra Soderlind closed out her career with a personal-best time in the 3,200 (10:55.05) to place 11th.