Girls track and field: Wet conditions in Lockport can’t rain on advancers’ parade to state

LOCKPORT — Vince Lombardi wouldn’t quite know what to make of a track sectional. In those carnivals, winning isn’t the only thing. Second place is almost as good, because it still sends you to the IHSA championship the following week.

Plus, anyone beyond second matching or surpassing the state standard also advances to the final at Eastern Illinois.

That means seven pole vaulters at 10 feet, 2.75 inches or better in Friday’s girls 3A sectional at Lockport Township will be at next week’s IHSA grand finale. Lockport’s Makenna Skoczylas led the troupe with a best of 12-2.75, just short of her career best and two feet better than the necessary height.

That discipline provided the largest number of advancers, though the 200 meters advanced six, the 4x100 meter relay advanced five squads, and the 4x800 meter relay advanced four.

Neuqua Valley led the meet, advancing 13 athletes and relays, followed by Lincoln-Way East (10), Hinsdale Central (10) and Downers Grove North (9). Neuqua also led the team standings with 98.66 points to Hinsdale Central’s 87 and Lincoln-Way East’s 82. With Downers Grove North at 81, that quartet dominated the sectional.

Hinsdale Central’s Catie McCabe came in with a goal of 4:55 in the 1,600, but settled for 4:59.95 and a victory to guarantee a third trip to the state finals.

“I kinda dropped down on the second lap,” McCabe said, her arms adorned with motivational sayings such as “heart on fire” and “I don’t know if it works, but it’s fun.”

McCabe was pleased, but not as much as Romeoville junior Tania Miller, whose 12.030 timing in the 100-meter dash was second only to the 12.028 clocking of Neuqua Valley’s Zawadi Brown.

“This means so much to me,” said Miller, one of four Spartans to advance. “l’ve been wanting to do this since I was a freshman, and now I get another chance to do it next year.”

Brown swept the 100 and 200 to lead Neuqua’s effort.

Skoczylas, who finished third in the 2022 pole vault finals, dueled with Lincoln-Way East’s Jaiden Knoop, who also advanced.

“It’s nice to get more consistent at higher heights, because it makes lower heights less intense,” said Skoczykas, who finished third in the 2022 championship. “You can coast over those or come in later.”

Pole vault and high jump were held in the field house while a rainstorm rolled through, and the other field events were affected by wet grounds. As a result, only two athletes in three of those events moved on, but a quartet of triple jumpers, including winner Asha Pierre-Antoine (38-0.25) of Lincoln-Way East and runner-up Grace Griffin (37-3) of Romeoville, advanced to the finals.

Discus and shot put, which depend on firm footing at the moment of release, were most affected.

“It was like spinning in a baby pool,” one discus thrower said to her family as she trudged away.

Bolingbrook advanced three, including 400 winner Chinenye Ifeajekwu, who nosed out Lockport’s Sydney Fontaine at 59.06. Lincoln-Way Central also advanced three, including pole vaulters Gabriella Bush and Kylie Koehler.

Lincoln-Way East went 1-2 in the high jump, Zaria Searcy and Alania Pollard clearing 5-1.75 and 4-11.75, respectively, while Destiny Johnson (105-0) won the discus by two inches over Andrew’s Addison Butler on a sloppy track.