It was a big day for Sauk Valley area girls track and field athletes at the Class 1A Erie Sectional meet on Wednesday.

All but two of the 18 events featured at least one area state qualifier placing in the top two, or hitting state qualifying marks. Many events even led to multiple entries punching their tickets to next week’s state meet at Eastern Illinois University, which takes place Thursday through Saturday.

Sherrard won the 15-team event with 102.5 points while two-time defending sectional champion Fulton (90) was runner-up. Riverdale (84) took third, followed by Bureau Valley (70), Newman (66.5) and Amboy (45). Erie-Prophetstown (34) was 10th and Morrison (16) took 13th.

Although Newman’s team is small in numbers, the Comets are mighty in sprint speed as Elaina Allen and Paizlee Williams went one-two in the 100 and 200-meter dash. Fulton’s Brooklyn Thoms was third in the 200 and qualified in four events on the day.

“I’m very happy with how things went,” Allen said. “Just really excited to see how next weekend goes, that’s what we’re here for.”

Allen and Williams joined Ella Ford and Lauren McClain to win the 4x100, which featured six state qualifiers. Allen, Ford, Williams and McClain took third and qualified in the 4x200. McClain also qualified in the 300 hurdles and Harper Ford hit the state mark in the high jump.

“I think that just shows how we are as a team,” Allen said. “[A] very small team, but out here, we’re all mighty and not afraid to show it.”

Thoms and the Steamers closed the night with a win in the 4x400 by over five seconds. Kerby Germann, Jordin Rathburn and Jessa Read opened the winning relay. Rathburn also qualified in the high jump after taking second.

“I’m really excited with how everything went,” Thoms said. “We PR’d and we gave it our all. We had some new lineups here tonight and it went great.”

Germann, Haley Smither, Read and Thoms also qualified in the 4x100 and 4x200. Germann, a freshman, also qualified in the discus after taking second.

Another Fulton freshman, Paisley VanZuiden, qualified in the 800. VanZuiden, Lauren Falls, Peighton Stretton and Ellie Mulder also qualfieid in the 4x800. Smither won the triple jump with a personal best of 10.67 meters after VanZuiden also qualified with a personal best of 10.21.

“We’re all very, very competitive,” Thoms said. “Even in practice, we’re there to compete. Our coach says that every single day.”

Thoms said it’s been a privilege competing alongside the other seniors during a successful as a class.

“I think we all have such positive attitudes when we come to practice,” she said. “We gave it our all tonight, and I’m just proud of all of us. I think we’ve done great working together as a team this year.”

Thoms hopes the Steamers can continue to place at state next week.

“As long as we have positive attitudes and we put faith in ourselves that it’s going to turn out great, no matter what,” she said. “Everything will happen that’s supposed to.”

BV’s Elise House won the 400 and Amboy’s Maddie Althaus was runner-up to also qualify. House a PR in the long jump of 4.90, but was just short of qualifying.

House said it felt good to finish the night with a qualifying relay in the 4x400. A whopping seven teams qualified for state from the sectional.

“I was just happy that we were able to get state qualifying time and just do it as a team,” she said. “It means a lot, because I get to experience it with my team and my friends. It makes me very happy.”

BV’s additional individual state qualifiers were Harper Wetzell (1,600), Maddie Wetzell (3,200), Madisyn Shipp (triple jump) and Mya Shipp (long jump). Gemma Moore, Abby Stabler, Mya Shipp and House qualified in the 4x400; Maddie Wetzell, Stabler, Moore and Harper Wetzell qualified in the 4x800.

E-P’s Sarah Link qualified in the 800. Its 4x100 relay of Ellah Brooks, Lauren Malone, Faith Baar and Lexi Kapple also qualified. Brooks, Malone, Lia Milem and Kapple qualified in the 4x200; Brooks, Kapple, Milem and Link qualified in the 4x400; and Jennica Norman, Rozlyn Mosher, Jessie DeNeve and Link qualified in the 4x800.

Morrison freshman Zoe Milder qualified in the 100 hurdles and 300 hurdles. She was runner-up in both to St. Bede senior Lily Bosnich, and had a PR of 47.86 in the 300 hurdles.

Amboy’s 4x100 (Alexa McKendry, Maddie Althaus, Jillian Anderson and Bella Yanos) qualified. Anderson also qualified in the high jump and Bella Yanos won the long jump.

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Newman’s Paizlee Williams takes the baton from Lauren McClain in the 4x100 Wednesday, May 13, 2026, during the Class 1A Erie Sectional meet. (Alex T. Paschal)