Track & field: Newman boys 4x800 relay wins indoor title, and more from Illinois Top Times championships

The 2024 Illinois Top Times indoor track & field championships were held Friday and Saturday at the Shirk Center on the campus of Illinois Wesleyan University in Bloomington.

In the Class 1A field, Newman produced medalists on the boys and girls sides with top-8 finishes in five events.

In the 4x800-meter relay, freshman John Rowzee, junior Wyatt Widolff, senior Lucas Schaab and senior Lucas Simpson placed first in 8:23.76, despite being positioned in last place after the first exchange. In the 4x400 relay, junior Cody McBride, freshman Matthew Blackert, Widolff and Simpson placed seventh in 3:41.30 for a medal finish.

On the girls side, first-year shot putter senior Kennedy Rowzee placed seventh in the shot put with a throw of 10.83 meters. Freshman Ella Ford placed seventh in the high jump with a leap of 1.47 meters, and freshman Elaina Allen placed eighth in the 60 meters with a time of 8.13 seconds.