Girls track and field: Seneca scores 11th straight sectional crown; Newark’s Kiara Wesseh takes 4 titles

SENECA — During the past decade, Seneca has produced some very good girls track and field teams. All have sent qualifiers to the state finals at Eastern Illinois University and performed well, but never brought home any team hardware from the big blue track at O’Brien Stadium.

That may change very soon.

The Fighting Irish will compete next weekend in Charleston with possibly their strongest contingent in recent years after they dominated the Class 1A Seneca Sectional on Friday evening while qualifying for state in 13 of 18 events to earn an 11th consecutive sectional championship.

The Irish scored 170.5 points to easily outdistance second-place Newark (80), which saw the performance of the day from junior Kiara Wesseh, winning titles in all four of her individual efforts as the Norsemen qualified for state in 10 events.

“We just have a really deep and loaded crew with a lot of talent, and credit to a well-coached Newark team that battled hard against us all day,” Seneca coach Terry Maxwell said. “We’re going to go to state next week and try to hit our marks and hopefully win a team medal. We’ve never done that before in school history, so that’s been a goal of ours this year for sure.

“We’re all very excited to see what we accomplish next week.”

Seneca senior Anna Bruno had the best day for the Irish, advancing to state in all four of her events. She won the long jump with a leap of 5.65 meters and was part of three school records during championship efforts in the 4x100 relay (50.14 with Caitlyn O’Boyle, Teagan Johnson and Lila Coleman), in the 4x200 (1:44.67 teaming with sister Clara Bruno, O’Boyle and Coleman), then finishing her amazing meet by anchoring the 4x400 (4:02.80 with Clara Bruno, Coleman and Evelyn O’Connor).

“My long jump was great today, and our relays definitely killed it with three school records,” Anna Bruno said. “Hopefully we can go to state and bring back a team medal that we’ve never quite been able to get.”

O’Boyle was part of two of the record-setting relays, but also set a Seneca individual school mark in the 300 hurdles (46.26) after finishing a mere 1/100th of a second behind Wesseh (46.25) in the best race of the day.

“I knew in the 300 I had to come back down the stretch against her (Wesseh), and I thought I’d got it,” O’Boyle said. “But I was right there, and I know I can get even better at state and hopefully medal in three events with this great team.”

More Seneca track state qualifications came from Clara Bruno, O’Connor, Ashley Alsvig and Gracie Stefles in the championship effort in the 4x800 (10:02.78), Coleman in the 100 (2nd, 13.17), O’Connor’s sectional crown in the 800 (2:21.10) and Lilly Pfeifer in the 100 hurdles (2nd, 17.97).

In the field, the Irish also qualified a slew of competitors along with Anna Bruno. Johnson won the pole vault (3.58), while Addison Stiegler (2.76) made it to state on qualifying height while finishing in third place.

Johnson won the triple jump (10.57), and Gabi Maxwell and Faith Baker traded first and second places in the shot put and the discus. Gabi Maxwell won the shot (9.90) with Baker second (9.57). Baker (32.92) captured the discus crown, with Gabi Maxwell (31.09) going to state in second place.

For Newark, Wesseh was a beast winning the 100 (12.57), the 100 hurdles (15.55), the high jump (1.65) and just clipping O’Boyle at the line to win the 300 hurdles.

Wesseh will hope to add to the six state medals she’s already achieved during her freshman and sophomore campaigns.

“I was really prepared for this day, and I couldn’t have asked for a better outcome,” Wesseh said. “Last year we finished second as a team in 1A, and I hope we continue the momentum that we produced last year. After today, I think we can.”

The Norsemen also saw state qualification efforts from Tess Carlson in the pole vault (2nd, 3.06), Addison Ness, Madison Sittler, Isabella Creps and Brooklyn Hatteberg in the 4x100 (2nd, 52.45) the same combination in the 4x200 (2nd, 1:49.64) and the 4x400 (2nd, 4:18.88) with Ness, Sittler, Hatteberg and Carlson.

Ness a sophomore, also won the 400 (1:01.91) and will compete in Charleston in four events.

“We’ve put in so much work to get back to state after getting second place as a team last year,” Ness said. “We will keep fighting and hopefully bring home another team medal next week.”

Wilmington received state qualifications in the 3,200 from Chloe Proffitt (2nd, 12:22.93), Peotone in the 1,600 from Celeste Richards (2nd, 5:27.29), and IC Catholic off the feet of Kiely Kemph in the 400 (2nd, 1:02.17).

Yorkville Christian, Reed-Custer and Somonauk did not qualify an individuals or teams for the state meet.