The culmination of the indoor season is happening this weekend as this year also marks the first ever Illinois Indoor Championships. Hosted by Under Armour, IIC brings everyone together to compete under one classification. That means that 1A and 2A schools will go up against 3A schools for the first time ever. There are some top notch competitors lined up to race here at Gately, every single event is full of talent. We are going to break down each event and look at the best names competing this weekend.
60m
Katherine Jewell of Prairie Ridge is one of the top athlete in the field for the win in the 60. She is one of two girls seeded at 7.65, it’s her and Cassidy Willis of Belleville East. Willis had a big 60 at Gene Armer last week, she dropped down from 7.75 to run 7.65. Jewell is more consistently under 7.70, so thats what may give her the lean over Willis just due to that. Closely following them is Maliyah Miller of St. Ignatius and Jillian Booth of York. Miller just returned to the track at the GCAC championships where she ran an impressive 7.69. With that extra week of training under her belt, she could maybe slip by Jewell and Willis and take the win. Booth has run 7.72 this season and is a key member of York’s 4x2. I wouldn’t be surprised if she takes down one of these three girls either.
200m
The Plainfield North squad is going to take this event by storm. Lauren Dellangelo and Taylor McLain of PN are coming off of a 1-2 finish in the 200 at the SPC conference meet, they will look to do that again here. Daisha Brunson of Conant will be their main obstacle. Brunson had a fantastic race at the Nagel Saylor invite, where she upset the Prospect sprinters in the 55 and took second in the 200. Conant’s star hurdler will look to continue to take names, it will be a challenge for Dellangelo and McLain to get around her. Katherine Jewell of Prairie Ridge will double back from the 60 to closely follow these three athletes. If things go her way, she could walk away with the win as well. Kendall Flournoy of Lake Zurich was the NSC champ in both the 60 and the 200, she will look to add some hardware to her trophy case here as well.
400m
The 400 sees a 1v1 matchup between two talented runners. Alaina Steele of Lincoln Way East is the top seed and will seek out her title in the 400. She ran 57.28 to take second at the SWSC championships, which is converted to a 56.53 on a banked track. She will have her work cut out for her though, as Naomi Bey-Osborne of Kankakee will challenge her. Bey-Osborne has run 57.77 so far this season, this will be her second 400 of the year. Bey Osborne sports an outdoor PR of 55.12 and she will make Steele work for the win. She was the 2A State Champion in the 400m in 2023. Isabella Brauc of Oak Park River Forest will play chase on the leaders. She took the final all-state spot last year at the 3A state meet, her outdoor PR is from the prelims where she ran 57.40. She has run 58.67 for 400 and 41.73 for 300 this year, expect her to take a close third. Alyssa Garcia of Hampshire has been phenomenal throughout this season. She has run PR after PR, her season best is currently 58.18. She only broke a minute one time last season, she is seeing huge results all things considered. She has cemented herself as an elite runner, don't be surprised if she goes even faster at Gately. Lindsey Wenz of Plainfield North will look to build off of her SPC win and go for even greater heights here. She ran 58.94 over Briyah Beatty of Plainfield East in 58.97. Beatty is also in the field for the 400, she will be seeking revenge from her loss at conference. Amina Hadziahmetovic of Prospect has been a centerpiece for the Prospect relays, she will let her 400 loose on the field here as well. There are 10 athletes who could all find themselves on the IL top ten list, this event is absolutely loaded.
800m
After her earth shattering 800 at the ESCC championships, Erin Hinsdale of St. Francis will look to dominate this field. She dropped a heartstopping 2:13.77 to take the win over Keira Jenke of Benet Academy. She was the runner up at the 2A state meet last year, where she ran 2:14.83. This is her lifetime best by a little over a second, expect her to take the win here. Lily Hodneland of Hinsdale Central and Sophia Galiano-Sanchez of York are the only other runners in the same universe as Hinsdale, expect them to make good efforts at a win. Hodneland ran 2:16.30 at Batavia two weeks ago where she took third. Her outdoor PR sits at 2:14.75, she will have to make a return to that mark if she wants a shot at beating Hinsdale. Galiano-Sanchez dropped an anomaly at state last year when she ran a blazing 2:13.03 in the prelims of the 800. She has mostly been floating around the low 2:20s this season, except for her season best of 2:17.77. Similar to Hodneland, it will take an outdoor PR for her to compete with Hinsdale in this race. Francesca Mora of Latin ran 2:16.43 at the Meet of Champions earlier this year, she could be in the conversation for a top 3 position here. Abby Lewis of Barrington has been running solid this season, she ran a season best of 2:18.00 at Nike Nationals. She will also need to return to her outdoor PR if there is any chance of her taking a top 3 position here. Kylie Simpson of Hononegah ran a solo 2:18.54 at the NIC-10 conference meet, there could be more in the tank for her. She ran 2:16.98 last year, we will need to see that again if she wants to place as well. She has greatly expanded her range, she ran a 30 second PR in the 2 mile for 11:14. This newfound versatility could be a sign that she has more to give in the 800, I would keep an eye on her.
1600m
Sunny Weber of Sandwich is the overwhelming favorite in this event. She ran an unmatched 4:46.08 at the Meet of Champions, she leads the field by an entire 4 seconds. Her 1600 time is currently ranked #9 in the country, and she is currently IL #1 in that event as well. The only avenue that could have her losing is through a tactical race because her and most of the field will be doubling in the 3200 and the 1600, it’s very possible that they all take their foot off the gas for the 1600. If that happens, Ally Shutler of St. Ignatius will be in a position to take the win out of Weber’s hands. Shutler ran this exact double at the GCAC Championships, and she was only bested by her teammate, Annika Swan. Shutler has a 1600 PR of 4:50.41 and an 800 PR of 2:13.26. She has the raw footspeed to beat Weber on a final kick, but she will need to maintain contact throughout the race in order to snipe her at the end. It’s a tall order from the freshman, but it’s certainly doable. Kyla Babb of Westmont will play chase for most of this race. She showcased her kick at Batavia when she surged at the end to lean out over Veronica Znajda of Prospect. She will also be doubling 3200 and 1600, it will be interesting to see how she responds to Weber and Shutler in this race. If the race is left up to a kick, Babb could totally put herself over Shutler or Weber. Sofia Arcuri of Maine South has been right on 5 flat for quite some time, she will use this competition to hopefully get under that mark. Erin Hinsdale and Francesca Mora will come back from the 800 and hopefully make some noise here as well. Hinsdale’s teammate, Margaret Andrzejewski, will join her in the mile. I would expect them to feed off of each other throughout the race.
3200m
It’s almost the exact same field as the mile, but with the fun addition of Annika Swan of St. Ignatius. Swan is the most versatile distance runner the state has to offer, she has already run 10:27 on top of her great 800 and 1600 times. She will match up well with Sunny Weber of Sandwich, it will be a very close race between these two. Weber got the best of Swan during the cross country season, she won the 2A state title in 16:11 over Swan’s 16:27. Weber is better suited for the longer races than Swan, but the 3200 is the sweet spot where Swan should be able to hold her own. I would expect a big season best from Swan, she will need it if she wants to beat Weber. Ally Shutler of St. Ignatius and Kyla Babb of Westmont will follow Swan and Weber. These two girls are also doubling in the 1600, just like Weber. Shutler has the better season best of 10:35, but Babb is closely behind in 10:37. Shutler does not compare to Babb during cross country, where Babb has a 16:35 to Shutler’s 17:09. I think this matchup will be extremely close and I would expect these two to try and hang on with the leaders for as long as they can.
60mH
There are several girls who could come away with a win here, it all comes down to who has the better day. IL #1, #2, #3 and #4 are all in the field, it could not be more stacked. Daisha Brunson of Conant is the top seed going into this weekend, her soul crushing 8.65 is well above the field. She is the returning 3A state champ in the 100mH and she looks to have the best shot at winning. She will be joined by Jordan Hamb of South Shore and Amy Carhee of Schaumburg. Hamb is the returning 2A state champ in the 100mH, but her PR came from the summer, where she ran a 13.71 at the USATF National Championships. She took second in this race and you’ll never guess who beat her (it was Daisha Brunson). She has the best shot at beating Brunson, she will make this race a photo finish. Brunson’s crosstown rival will also challenge for the win. Amy Carhee is having a sensational indoor season, she has clearly improved a lot from where she was last year. Her outdoor PR in the 100mH of 14.49 is not near that of Brunson and Hamb, but her 60mH is nearly identical. She ran 8.74 at New Balance Nationals, where she actually beat Hamb by about a tenth of a second. She was .01 behind Brunson last week in the 55mH at the Nagel Saylor invite, her time was 8.09. She has improved beyond all recognition and it would be huge if she is able to take down these two incredible athletes. Simone Bernard of Whitney Young will closely follow these 3. She has been 8.78 this season so far, and she was right behind Hamb at the CPS championships last week. She is a returning all-stater, and I think she will be in the mix with the rest of these girls. Aisha Kazeem of Palatine will also compete here. She was third behind Brunson and Carhee at the Nagel Saylor invite last week with a time of 8.22 in the 55mH. Her 60mH season best is 8.96 which currently sits at IL #8. Her outdoor 100mH of 14.36 also sits high on her resume, I believe she will be another runner to watch in this race.
4x200m
Please let us know if there’s anyone who thinks anyone other than Plainfield North is winning this race. The Tigers have been absolutely nasty in the 200 this season, they have four athletes placed in the top 10 here in the open 200. Led by Lauren Dellangelo and Taylor McLain, this squad should be under 1:40. They have yet to run on the banked track at Gately, it will be the factor in their winning time. Last week they ran 1:44.75 without Dellangelo, McLain, and Aniya Poindexter according to the relay card. These girls are primed to run fast, they will crush the field. Belleville East will have their rematch with Kankakee from last week, where they unfortunately took second to the Kays at the Gene Armer invite. Kankakee’s squad of DaMariana Tooles, Naomi Bey-Osborne, Essence Bell, and Trinity Noble ran 1:41.42 at the Bronco Relays, which is their season best so far. Belleville East lost to them with a time of 1:43.87, which was run on a flat track. Kankakee ran 1:42.53 in that race which was good enough for the win. I think Kankakee has more gas in the tank, and I think they will repeat their victory over Belleville East here. York will be the team to follow them, Jillian Booth and Morgan Navarre are both carrying the dukes to fast times in the 4x2. They ran 1:45.53 at the Mustang Relays, I think they will chase Belleville East and Kankaee for fourth.
4x400m
Lincoln Way East is the returning state champ in this event, and they didn’t lose a single member from that relay team. Kyra Hayden, Jumi Aremu, Nora Keane, and Alaina Steele have run 4:01.70 so far this season, but Kyra Hayden and Jumi Aremu have both run faster open times since that race. I believe this squad will return to sub 4 minute territory here on the banked track, but they will be challenged by Kankakee. Kankakee ran 4:02.11 last week at the Gene Armer invite, they will look to join LWE in breaking the sub 4 barrier. Both teams have solid first three legs with incredible anchor legs, they matchup almost perfectly. It will be neck and neck the entire way, get ready for a fun race. York is the next fastest seed, they ran 4:05.15 at the Mustang Relays. However, there’s a catch; they have subbed out their star 400 runner, Morgan Navarre, from this relay according to the relay card. This opens the door for teams like Belleville East and Kenwood to step in and compete for third place.
4x800m
Once again, Plainfield North is almost guaranteed to take the win here. Their squad of Tessa Russo, Elsie Czarnewski, Marlie Czarnewski, and Lindsey Wenz are the top seed by over 15 seconds. This team has welcomed Tessa Russo back with enthusiasm, she helped them stay in contention for a conference title at the SPC championships last week. She will be competing in just her second race back from injury, her split will be a big factor in the time that they end up running. Huntley and St. Ignatius are going to battle it out for second. The Huntley distance crew has been on the rise this year, they ran 9:42 at the Mustang Relays to take eleventh. They will be competing with a halfway St. Ignatius team, who is slated to run 9:36. St. Ignatius is going with the lineup of Elle Scheaffer, Greta Scheaffer, Gabriella Duque, and Maeve Griffin and they will compete with Huntley’s best.
Shot Put
Jaloni Wiley of Homewood Flossmoor is going to rip this field apart. She has thrown a colossal 46’ 0” and is head and shoulders above the rest of the state. She will use this opportunity to claim another win, see if anyone in the field can even come close. Leijla Maljevic of Evanston is the next closest seed, she is set at her season best of 40’ 4.5”. She will be competing in the shot put and the long jump here at IIC, which is a double you don’t see very often. Maljevic always puts up a cool stat sheet, she could be potentially be second place here. We actually have more than one decathlete in the making here, Sofia Wydra of Conant belongs to a similar build as Maljevic. Wydra is seeded at 39’ 2”, which comes from her only throw so far this season. It was a 4 foot PR for her when she threw it and it’s very possible there is more where that came from. She not only throws a great shot put, she also is a part of Conant’s 4x4, where she consistently runs 1:01 in the open and in a split. She is a solid hurdler as well, her 60mH time is a 9.24. Her long jump is not as impressive as Maljevic’s, but it’s still an insane mark of 17’ 5”. She is going to be an incredible force in the summer league decathlon, and she has a good shot at walking away with a top 3 position here. Maya Hooks of Mother McAuley will compete with Wydra and Maljevic, she has a season best of 38’ 10”. She threw 40 feet last year at the 3A state meet, where she took 5th. If she can get back up to that mark, she will be in good shape here.
High Jump
Jordan Dimke of Hononegah is going to have her work cut out for her in this event. She opened her season in the high jump just last week, when she took home the NIC-10 conference title with a leap of 5’ 6”. She jumped 5’ 7.75” last year at the 3A state meet to take second. She was very consistent at 5’ 6” last season, she hit the mark on four separate occasions. She can get the win here without needing a season best, but it’s not a walk in the park either. Sherrie Emmons of Rich Township has also jumped 5’ 6” this season, but she only has done it once. She is very adept in the long jump, she jumped a ridiculous 19’ 2” last week at the Rich Township Last Chance invite. Should she return to the mark that she hit early in the season, she will push Dimke for the win. Alanna Banks of Downers South and Isabella Brauc of Oak Park River Forest will be the next closest competitors. Both have jumped over 5’ 4”, expect both to shake things up in the high jump.
Pole Vault
There are six athletes who I could see walking away with a win. Three of them are seeded at 11’ 6.25”, the other two are seeded at 11’ 6”. All five of them have set their PRs this season. The Downers Grove South pair of Kailee Rodeck and Rebecca Snouffer both hit 11’ 6.25 at the WSC Gold Conference meet; they finished 1-2 there. Rodeck has been over 11 feet multiple times, her previous PR was 11’ 5” from the week before WSC Gold. Snouffer hit an 8 inch PR at WSC, her previous best was 10’ 8”, also from the week before. Anya Patel of Hinsdale South is the final girl at 11’ 6.25”, she was third at the same WSC Gold meet. She was 11’ 6” during early indoor, and she was over 11 feet last season as well. Yane Jansen Van Rensburg of Barrington has hit a PR at every single meet so far this year, peaking at 11’ 6”. She used that 11’ 6” mark to place fourth at the Windy City Pole Vault Summit, which is the biggest vault meets in the state during indoor. She no-heighted the next week at Nagel-Saylor, which is a bit concerning, but she is more consistently over 11 feet than anyone else on this list. Nora De Maria of Rolling Meadows is the final girl seeded at 11’ 6”, she jumped that at the Clash at Lakes to take the win. She has the most 11 foot vaults this season out of anyone at this list, and she was the Nagel-Saylor champion in the vault with an 11’ 4.25”. Julia Blasinksi of Lakes is the only other girl with a PR that could compete with these girls, she vaulted 11’ 5” last year during indoor. She has a season best of 11’ 0”, and she is very consistent at 10’ 6”. If she returns to her previous PR, she could be in the mix here as well. De Maria of Rolling Meadows might be the favorite to win the competition. She has the most wins out of anyone on this list, and she has been consistently over 11 feet more than anyone else as well. The only drawback for her is her less-than-satisfactory performance at the Windy City Vault Summit, where she had her lowest mark of the season of 10’ 6’. This is the only blemish on her resume and I think she is still the most capable vaulter here.
Long Jump
Unlike the pole vault, there is a very clear leader here. Dominique Johnson of Huntley is going to throttle this field, it will not be close. She set her PR in the long jump at a Huntley dual meet where she threw up a monstrous 19’ 8.75”. She sits half a foot ahead of second and a whole foot above the rest of the field. It would take something insane for someone to beat her. Sherrie Emmons of Rich Township has the best shot at her out of anyone else. She jumped a terrific 19’ 2” at the Rich Township Last Chance invite, and she is only in her first year of track. There could be more in store for us, I think she will be an easy second place. Jordan Hamb of South Shore has the highest PR (besides Johnson) out of the field, she jumped a craterous 19’ 4” over the summer. She has a season best of 18’ 1”, she will need to be closer to her PR if she wants to place over Emmons. Kendall Flournoy of Lake Zurich had a big time jump at the NSC Championships where she jumped 18’ 4”. She leads the chasers against the leaders, expect her to compete for a top three spot. Leijla Maljevic of Evanston will come back from shot put and put up good numbers here as well. She has a season best of 18’ 1”, she could be in the mix as well.
Triple Jump
If you thought Dominique Johnson of Huntley was going to win long jump by a lot, just wait until you hear about triple jump. Johnson leads this talented field by more than four feet. She jumped an outlandish 42’ 5” at the Huntley invite which is currently US #2 in that event. She leads this field in every single way, something terrible would have to happen for her to lose. Karen Boakye of Downers Grove South has the unfortunate job of following Johnson. She jumped a strong 38’ 2” at the WSC Gold Conference meet to take the win. She has a long jump PR of 18’ 1”, which will support her nicely in the triple. She will be joined by Kylie Gardner of South Shore. Gardner has a lifetime best of 38’ 5” from outdoor season last year. She has yet to hit 37 feet throughout this season, but we could see a return to the 38s here at Gately. If that happens, she will be in the mix for second with Boakye.
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