The Times Area Roundup: Seneca relays lead locals into 1A State Track and Field Finals

At the Class 1A prelims of the IHSA State Track and Field Meet in Charleston on Thursday, all four relay teams from Seneca dashed to first-place finishes and top seeds in Saturday’s finals.

The Fighting Irish 4x100 team of Anna Bruno, Lila Coleman, Caitlyn O’Boyle and Teagan Johnson advanced in a school-record time of 49.56 seconds. In the 4x200, Clara Bruno, Anna Bruno, Coleman and O’Boyle also broke the school record, finishing in 1 minute, 44.32 seconds.

The 4x400 squad of Clara Bruno, Anna Bruno, Coleman and Evelyn O’Connor posted a time of 4:03.82. Then in the 4x800, O’Connor, Clara Bruno, Gracie Steffes and Ashley Alsvig broke a school record, finishing in 9:50.77.

Seneca also had three athletes advance individually into the finals. Johnson placed tied for second in the pole vault after clearing 3.06 meters, Anna Bruno placed second (5.37) in the long jump and O’Connor fifth (2:19.64) in the 800-meter run.

Newark junior Kiara Wesseh also put together a fantastic day in the prelims, advancing to the finals in four events. Wesseh finished second (1.55) in the high jump, third in both the 100 hurdles (15.42) and 300 hurdles (46.35), as well as sixth (12.49) in the 100. The Norsemen’s Tess Carlson finished tied for second (3.06) in the pole vault to advance.

Those participating but missing out for the Irish were Coleman in the 100 (23rd, 13.06), Lilly Pfeifer in the 100 hurdles (26th, 17.86), O’Boyle in the 300 hurdles (10th, 48.23), Gabi Maxwell in the shot put (24th, 9.62) and discus (18th, 30.42), Faith Baker in the shot put (25th, 9.59) and discus (16th, 31.91), Johnson in the triple jump (14th, 10.21), and Addison Stiegler in the pole vault (T-22nd, 2.61).

Newark individual athletes not advancing included Brooklyn Hatteberg in the 200 (25th, 27.73) and Addison Ness in the 400 (29th, 1:03.96). The Norsemen 4x100 (Ness, Madison Sittler, Isabella Creps, Brooklyn Hatteberg; 28th, 52.18), 4x200 (Ness, Sittler, Creps, Hatteberg; 14th, 1:49.07) and 4x400 (Sittler, Carlson, Hatteberg, Ness; 23rd, 4:21.51) all failed to move on to the finals.

Fieldcrest’s Macy Gochanour ended her season finishing 24th in the 300 hurdles in a time of 50.18.

SOFTBALL

Ottawa 5, Normal Community 3: At Normal, the Pirates — now winners of 13 straight games — scored three runs in the second and two more in the third in topping the Ironmen.

Maura Condon (3 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 2 K) earned the win in the circle, while McKenzie Oslanzi (4 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 9 K) picking up the save for Ottawa (23-5). Condon (triple, RBI) and Oslanzi each had two hits, while Kendall Lowery smacked a double. Brynne Sember had two RBIs with Grace Carroll also driving in a run.

BASEBALL

Sandwich 6, Lisle 5 (11 inn.): At West Chicago, after the Lions scored two unearned runs in the top of the 11th inning of the Class 2A Wheaton Academy Regional semifinal, the Indians rallied, and finished the walk-off win on Austin Marks’ two-run double.

Quinn Rome led Sandwich (11-17) with a single and double, while Marks scored two runs, walked twice and stole three bases. Tyler Lissman (4 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K) grabbed the pitching victory in relief of starter Chance Lange (7 IP, 10 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 4 K).

Sandwich advances to play the host Warriors in the championship game at 11 a.m. on Saturday.