MANLIUS – The Amboy girls’ track team qualified five girls in four events for the IHSA Class 1A State Track & Field Meet after the Lady Clippers participated in the Bureau Valley Class 1A Sectional on May 8.
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MANLIUS – The Amboy girls’ track team qualified five girls in four events for the IHSA Class 1A State Track & Field Meet after the Lady Clippers participated in the Bureau Valley Class 1A Sectional on May 8.
Senior Elly Jones will be going out in style as she will compete in three events at state. Jones finished in third place in the 100-meter hurdles (16.56) and the triple jump (33-10.75) at the sectional meet. While the top two placers in each event earn automatic bids to state, Jones ran under the state qualifying standard (16.86) in the hurdles and leaped past the state qualifying mark (33-5) in the triple jump.
Sophomore Jillian Anderson had the best finish on the day for Amboy, taking second place in the high jump at 5-0.25 and earning a trip to state.
“This is my first time going to state. I’m super excited,” Anderson said. “I always knew that I was capable of getting over the bar to go to state. At our first outdoor meet I jumped 5-2. I knew I could do it, but it was about being able to pull it out on the right day. It was exciting to be able to do that at the sectional.
“I wasn’t sure I cleared the bar at first, so once I landed, I had to double check. Once I realized I made it, I was so ecstatic. I started jumping up and down. I jumped off the mat and hugged coach Michael Robinson and all of my friends. I was hugging everyone I saw.”
The Lady Clippers 4x100-meter relay team, which even though finishing in sixth place with a time of 52.05, ran faster than the state qualifying standard of 52.12. Running the legs for Amboy were Jones, freshmen Maddie Althaus and Alexa McKendry, and sophomore Bella Yanos.
Yanos is also competing at state in the long jump after leaping 16-5 in Manlius.
“It feels really good to be going to state in two events,” Yanos said. “I’ve worked really hard all season. From the start of the season, I knew I had a very good chance of making the state meet. Having coach Robinson and all of my teammates beside me throughout practices and my meets helped me realize I could do it. I’m really happy for the chance.”
The IHSA Class 1A State Track & Field Meet will be held Thursday, May 16 through Saturday, May 18 at Eastern Illinois University in Charleston.
Amboy finished in the top five in four other events at the sectional meet. Maddie Althaus turned in a fourth-place performance in the 400-meter dash with a time of 1:03.83.
Individual fifth-place finishes for the Lady Clippers were by Lexi Ketchum in the high jump (4-7.75) and the 4x200-meter relay team posted a time of 1:53.69 to take fifth. Runners were Stephanie Nave, Anderson, Ketchum and Yanos.
Amboy placed sixth in the team standings with 56.5 points. Fulton easily won the sectional championship with 126 points.
May 8 – Bureau Valley Sectional
Fulton 126, Bureau Valley 88.5, Riverdale 81, Erie-Prophetstown 76.5, Henry-Senachwine 64, Amboy 56.5, Sterling Newman 54.5, St. Bede 48, Indian Creek 31, Rock Island Alleman 17, Milledgeville 15, Ottawa Marquette 15, Morrison 12, Earlville 10
Amboy 2nd place: *Jillian Anderson, high jump, 5-0.25
Amboy 3rd place: *Elly Jones, 100m hurdles, 16.56; *Jones, triple jump, 33-10.75
Amboy 4th place: Maddie Althaus, 400m dash, 1:03.83
Amboy 5th place: 4x200m relay (Stephanie Nave, Anderson, Lexi Ketchum, Bella Yanos), 1:53.69; Ketchum, high jump, 4-7.75; Yanos, long jump, 16-4.75
Amboy 6th place: Grace Althaus, 400m dash, 1:06.41; Alexa McKendry, 300m hurdles, 50.73; *4x100m relay (Jones, M. Althaus, McKendry, Yanos), 52.12; 4x400m relay (M. Althaus, G. Althaus, Ketchum, Nave), 4:29.21
Amboy 7th place: Kimber Zitelman, discus, 88-2.5; Jones, long jump, 16-2; Nave, triple jump, 31-9
Amboy 8th place: M. Althaus, 100m dash, 13.22; Anderson, 200m dash, 28.68
Amboy 9th place: Aubrey Wells, 800m run, 2:50.47; McKendry, 100m hurdles, 17.75; Lainey Davis, shot put, 30-5.75
Amboy 10th place: Yanos, 100m dash, 13.51
(* indicates state qualifier)
“This was the best sectional we’ve had since COVID-19,” said Robinson. “A lot of it was a surprise. We had thoughts on a couple of the athletes being able to make it to state, but to get the 4x1 to state after having to drop a second, they were able to do it. They are all freshmen and sophomores.
“Elly getting out for the fourth time in the hurdles and the triple jump is what I was expecting and it’s pretty amazing. You don’t see that very often. Jillian and Bella are only sophomores and it’s exciting for them this year and moving forward for the next two years.
“I want to give props to Bureau Valley athletic director Brad Bickett and his crew for running a great, smooth sectional. I also want to give props to Hall coaches Nick Hanck, Kaelyn Hamel, and Matt Hassler for helping Elly in the triple jump. Her first two jumps were kind of all over the place with a foul and then not attempting because her steps were off. She made it on her third one, but it was with the help of the three Hall coaches and me trying to do what we could to get her over the mark.
“It’s not very often four coaches from two schools are helping an athlete. I know Elly appreciated the help from the Hall coaches. Without their help, it’s scary to think of what could of happened.”
