West Carroll’s Emma Randecker sprints to 3 state titles, 2 records

CHARLESTON – West Carroll senior Emma Randecker prefers sprints. She’s loved those races since she started competing track in sixth grade.

They’re short, after all. Not like those dreaded 5Ks she started running with her mom, Loni, when she was in about the fourth grade.

“Thank goodness,” Randecker said with a laugh. “I don’t do any distance anymore. ... No more 5Ks.”

Saturday, she treated the many fans in attendance at Eastern Illinois University’s sun-splashed O’Brien Field with dazzling performances in three sprint races during the IHSA Girls Track and Field State Meet. She won Class 1A championships in the 100, 200 and 400-meter dashes, while breaking state records in the first two.

“I don’t think it’s really sunk in yet, but it was a good day,” Randecker said. “I got a lot of people here to support me, and they all believed in me the whole way. They made it possible for me.”

Among those watching Randecker sprint were family members, old coaches and her best friend and high school classmate Aubrey Wurster and her family. Wurster does not compete track and field and, in fact, Randecker was the lone representative at state for West Carroll, which counted 54 in its graduating class this year.

“She could have been good at track,” Randecker said of her best friend.

The Northern Iowa-bound Randecker started Saturday by successfully defending her title in the 100. She ran the race in 11.91 seconds, breaking the state record set by Rockford Lutheran’s Courtney Sockwell (11.95) in 2016.

After winning the 400 in 55.78, Randecker completed her trifecta by clocking a state-record 24.33 in the 200. That broke the mark set by Belleville Althoff’s Alaina Lester (24.49) last year.

Besides winning the 100 at state last year, Randecker also finished second in the 200 and fifth in the 400. Her three golds Saturday took her by surprise, however,

“I definitely wasn’t expecting three firsts,” Randecker said. “But I knew if I really believed in myself I could do it, and I’m glad I did. ... I’m definitely going to take a good nap on the way home.”

Sterling sophomore Kaelee Varden was competitive cheerleader for nine years before this spring. A transfer from St. Charles North, she took home the third-place medal in the Class 2A high jump Saturday, clearing a personal-best 1.61 meters.

“I’m very excited and happy that I got to participate at state this year,” Varden said. “It was definitely a cool experience.”

Competitive cheerleading took a physical toll on Varden, who tore her meniscus competing. But she has taken to track and field seamlessly and said she has fallen in love with the sport.

“I think this is a lot better fit for me because I’m not doing cheer anymore,” Varden said. “I love cheer, but cheer is not a big thing in Sterling. It was bigger where I was in the suburbs. Now I do volleyball, track and basketball cheer, not competitive.”

Fulton‘s foursome of Haley Smither, Brooklyn Thoms, Paige Cramer and Miraya Pessman won Class 1A state medals in the 4x100 (third, 49.36 seconds) and 4x200 (fourth, 1:45.23) relays.

Newman Catholic‘s young 4x100 relay finished ninth (50.42) in Class 1A with freshman Lauren McClain, sophomore Ella Ford, sophomore Elaina Allen and freshman Paizlee Williams.

“It was really exciting,” McClain said. “I’m just really glad that we made it here and we kept persevering through the season.”

“I was really happy with it,” Ford said. “We were kind of hit or miss if we were going to make it out of finals, and we did, so what we did here was our best.”

So much for the foursome’s lack of varsity experience. And EIU’s big stadium never rattled the Comets.

“I was very proud of our performance,” Allen said. “Us being a young team, it’s fun to come out here and place at state.”

“As a freshman, first year at state, it’s definitely a crazy experience,” Williams said. “But I’m proud of our team and what we’ve been through because we’ve PR’ed a crazy amount. We’re just ready to do it again next year.”

Williams then anchored Newman’s eighth-place 4x200 relay (1:47.12) with McClin, Ford and Allen.

Sophomores Bree Schneiderman (12.34 seconds) of Forreston and Allen (12.37) of Newman finished sixth and seventh, respectively, in the 100. Schneiderman (25.61) and Allen (25.76) went 5-6 in the 200.

Oregon freshman Jillian Hammer won Class 1A medals in the 100 hurdles (fifth, 15.17 seconds) and 300 hurdles (third, 44.46), setting personal-best times in both races.

Oregon senior Grace Tremble finished fifth (57.68) in the 400, and her junior teammate Skylar Bishop won the fifth-place medal in the high jump (personal-best 1.58 meters).