Girls track and field: Romeoville’s Miller, Lincoln-Way East’s Hayden lead qualifiers at Lockport Sectional

LOCKPORT – If a baseball or softball player goes 4 for 4, that’s quite an accomplishment.

In track and field it is even harder.

Romeoville’s Tania Miller went 4 for 4 on Friday at the Class 3A Girls Track and Field Lockport Sectional Meet, qualifying for next weekend’s state meet in the 100- and 200-meter dashes as an individual and as a part of the 4x100 and 4x200 relays along with teammates Jayla Patterson, Milan Cadet and Taylor Cicero.

Miller won the 100-meter dash from Lane 1, recording a time of 11.98 seconds.

“I knew I could win,” Miller said after that victory. “That’s what I came here for. I’m 2 for 2 so far, and I have two more races to go. I know I can do well at state, too.”

Miller later won the 200-meter dash with a time of 25.16.

Homewood-Flossmoor won the team title with 164 points, followed by Lincoln-Way East (99.5), Lockport (79.5), Lincoln-Way Central (72), Sandburg (70) and Romeoville (47). Lemont (28) finished in ninth place in the 14-team sectional.

Lincoln-Way East had state qualifiers in 11 of the 18 events, highlighted by Kyra Hayden, who qualified in the 110 hurdles, 300 hurdles, the 4x100 and 4x400 relay.

Hayden took first in the 300 hurdles with a time of 44.92, was fourth in the 100 hurdles with a qualifying time of 15.38 and ran the opening leg of the 4x400, teaming with Jumi Aremu, Nora Keane and Alaina Steele to win with a time of 3:58.66, the only team to finish in under four minutes.

“I qualified in both hurdles last year,” said Hayden, a junior. “That will help me not be as nervous as I was last year. It’s still intimidating at state, but I’ve seen it before and I am not as nervous. We had a great day as a team. It’s nice to go down with a big group so there are a lot of people cheering you on.

“I prefer to run the 300 hurdles. The 100 is a lot more technical. In the 300, there is a lot more space between hurdles and you have a little more freedom.”

Lockport’s Ella Cline narrowly missed her own 4 for 4 performance, qualifying in the long jump, and the 100 and 300 hurdles. Her 4x400 relay team missed the qualifying time by just .19 seconds, coming in at 4:05.69.

“The other girls in the 100 hurdles race pushed me to go faster,” Cline said. “My PR [personal record] was 16.06 coming in.”

Cline ran 15.77 in the 100 hurdles, beating the qualifying time of 15.92. Seven of the eight runners in the final heat qualified for state. She ran 46.67 in the 300 hurdles to take fourth and beat the qualifying time of 47.23.

“This is about what we expected,” Lincoln-Way East coach Brian Evans said. “You want to get as many qualified for state as you can, and to get qualifiers in 11 out of 18 events is very good. We did what we came here to do.

“We had a lot of PRs, which is what we wanted.”

One of those PRs belonged to senior Katie O’Brien, who finished second in the 1600 with a time of 5:19.61.

“I was surprised to qualify,” O’Brien admitted. “I came into the race just wanting to PR, which I did, but I didn’t think I would finish in the top two. I qualified last year as part of the 4x800 relay, but I have never qualified as an individual before.

“It feels amazing to qualify, and I plan to go down to state and try to beat my PR again.”

Lincoln-Way Central’s Brea Counihan won the 3,200, with Lockport’s Katie Peetz finishing second to qualify for state. Peetz outsprinted Sandburg’s Lindsey Gerhardstein in the final 100 meters to grab second place.

The Knights’ 4x800 relay of Ava Dughetti, Nadia Bowden, Jillian Davies and Mia Forystek took first in 9:19.49, while the Lincoln-Way East team of O’Brien, Ava Conway, Maddie Yacobozzi and Maura Hanrahan qualified with a time of 9:36.61. The Griffins’ 4x100 team of Grace Murphy, Nora Keane, Hayden and Aremu took third and qualified with a time of 48.89. Forystek took second in the 800 to qualify with a time of 2:16.80, while the Lincoln-Way East 4x200 team of Murphy, Henry, Keane and Aremu finished second in 1:44.18 and Romeoville’s team took third with a time of 1:44.93 to qualify.

Lincoln-Way East freshman Alaina Steele won the 400-meter dash with a time of 57.63, holding off Lockport’s Sydney Fontaine (57.81), who also qualified.

In field events, Cline won the long jump, with Henry taking second with a leap of 5.56 meters (18 feet, 3 inches). Lockport’s Mckena Miglorini won the pole vault at 3.88m (12-8.75), while Jayden Knoop of Lincoln-Way East (3.58m, 11-9), and Lincoln-Way Central’s Cameryn Friedl (3.42m, 11-2.5) and Kylie Koehler (3.27m, 10-8.75) also qualified.

Lincoln-Way Central’s Nicole Demma qualfied in the high jump, clearing the state-qualifying height of 1.57m (5-1.75) and finishing second. Lemont’s Ashley Wrublik took second in the shot put (11.95m, 39-2.5) to qualify to state, while teammate Natalie Kowalski (36.55m, 119-11) and Lincoln-Way East’s Angelina Tadros (35.89m, 117-9) qualfiied in the discus. Lockport’s Veronica Walkosz finished second in the triple jump (11.17m, 36-7.75) qualfied in the triple jump.