Last year, in his first season as a dual athlete playing baseball and running track for St. Bede, Tyreke Fortney was unable to compete in the track sectional due to a quad strain.

This season, Fortney went into the sectional healthy and made the most of it.

Fortney blazed down the track in 10.89 seconds in the 100-meter dash and in 22.52 seconds in the 200 to easily win both events at the Class 1A Wethersfield Sectional to earn a trip to the IHSA State Meet on May 26-28 in Charleston.

“It feels great,” Fortney said. “Last year I fell short with the quad strain and I couldn’t do anything. I didn’t go to sectionals. It was nice to bounce back for my coach.”

Although he was healthy, Fortney’s first sectional didn’t come without hiccups.

Before Fortney’s heat of the 100, there was about a 15-minute delay after a mix up of athletes in the prior two heats.

“The 15-minute delay kind of threw me off,” Fortney said. “I like to keep my arms tight to me, and I had one arm out. Everything was off in that race. The wind was toward us. Nothing much you can do, but 10.89 wasn’t a bad time with the wind at your face.”

Fortney also said his mechanics were off in the 200.

“Coming around the curve, I tried too hard to kick it in gear,” Fortney said. “I came through it, but I shouldn’t have to try that hard. I should just sprint the whole curve because it’s going to slingshot me into the straightaway.

“I have to figure out how to sharpen that up for state.”

Fortney, who helped the Bruins to a fourth-place team finish, will be joined at state by teammate Duncan Lawler in the high jump, Hall’s Caleb Savitch in the pole vault and Zack Bosi in the triple jump and Henry-Midland’s Connor Keinath in the shot put.

Unlike Fortney, Lawler is a state veteran, as he will be making his third trip to Charleston.

“It’s what I’ve been working for,” Lawler said. “I did a lot of offseason training and in-season training. It’s going to be really tough this year. Last year there were a lot of kids who weren’t seniors. Looking at the rankings this year, I’m noticing the same thing.”

Lawler cleared 1.85 meters to finish third but meet the qualifying standard.

“I did what I try to do before every jump, get into a dynamic rhythm of rocking and breathing, seeing myself go over the bar and then going in and giving it all I’ve got,” said Lawler, who narrowly missed another state berth with a third-place finish in the 300 hurdles in a personal best 43.65 seconds.

Savitch also is making a return trip to state after clearing 3.4 meters (11 feet, 2 inches) to win the pole vault.

“I’m feeling really good,” Savitch said. “I didn’t get the height I wanted today, but I’m glad I’m going back. I was hoping to get 12-2, which is state qualifying, but I’m still working on a new pole. So I’ll look to try to get that next week [at state].”

For Bosi, it’s his first trip to state, and it was a culmination of a long journey.

“It feels absolutely incredible,” Bosi said. “I’ve been doing track for eight years now, and [qualifying for state] has been my goal the entire time, and this is my first time making it. In grade school I had some hang-ups. One year in the 400 I was less than a second off the state time. My freshman year I was alright in the triple jump but not state-caliber yet. Sophomore year didn’t happen due to COVID, and junior year was a little forced due to COVID, but we did have it, and I got third at sectional.

“This year, I had a hamstring injury the first portion of the season, and I aggravated it a little later in the season, but I came back out here today.”

Bosi said he sat in third place entering his last jump before hitting 12.74 meters (41-9 1/2) to surpass the qualifying standard and win the event.

“I just remember telling myself, ‘I’m not getting third again. I can’t get third again,’” said Bosi, who had not jumped beyond 40 feet yet this season. “I went out and ran as fast as I could, pushed as hard as I could to make sure I held for as long as I could and got out as deep as I could into the pit as I did.”

Keinath also is making his first trip to state after placing second in the shot put with a toss of 13.93 meters.

“It feels great,” said Keinath, who said he was very anxious as he waited to see if he’d finish top two. “I’ve worked really hard for this and put in a lot of practice and it paid off.”

Keinath’s throw of 13.93 meters was a new personal record and he said the sectional was the first time he surpassed 13 meters on multiple throws in one meet.

“I went back to the basics and worked on my form a lot,” Keinath said. “I got a lot of advice and it really helped me.”

Just missing a state berth for St. Bede was Stephen Shaver with a third-place finish in the 400 in 52.59 seconds and the 4x100 relay of Shaver, Dylan Hunter, Anton Cain and Fortney in 44.7 seconds.