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May 13, 2024

Huntley's Addison Busam competes in the triple jump at the IHSA Class 3A Sectional meet at HHS May 8.
Steve Peterson
Huntley’s Addison Busam competes in the triple jump at the IHSA Class 3A Sectional meet at HHS May 8.

Sports • May 13, 2024

Girls track takes momentum to state meet

By

HUNTLEY — From the early-meet field events to the final sectional meet relay, host Huntley’s girls track and field team secured many bids to the IHSA Girls Track and Field Meet.

The defending Class 3A State Champions Red Raiders won their sectional by a whopping 148 points to Rockford Guilford’s 77 and the rest of the 17-team field May 8. The State Finals will be May 16-18 at Eastern Illinois University.

Huntley head girls track and field coach Jason Monson was happy with the results.

“I am incredibly happy with how our girls performed. Winning the sectional championship is great, but our main focus was on getting the events qualified that we think we need to get on the podium again, and the girls definitely did that. We put up some great times and took advantage of a great night to race. The girls just continue to push,” Monson said.

Monson said there will not be much different strategy in preparing for this year’s IHSA State Meet at EIU’s O’Brien Stadium.

“Nothing special in terms of state meet prep. Focus on rest, recovery, and doing the little things extraordinarily well: sleep, hydration, and fuel,” he said.

 

State qualifiers

 

Sophomore Addison Busam claimed the first state meet spot, with a second place in the triple jump, 11.19 meters (36 feet, 8.5 inches) to champ Dominique Johnson’s 12.40 meters (40-feet, 8.25 inches).

“I’m so happy for Busam,” Johnson said, who is  the defending Class 3A champion in the triple jump.

Busam celebrated her first jump and state qualifying effort with teammates.

“It helps me so much having a teammate (Johnson) who qualifies for the event to state. She’s my idol,” Busam said. “I spent the day visualizing what my best jump would be like and what I need to work on.”

Busam also ran in state qualifying relays.

Johnson won the long jump as well as the triple jump.

Huntley junior Sienna Robertson gained a ticket to the state meet with a championship in the discus throw. She improved her throw by a foot from early in the meet to a personal best 42-feet,.25 inches.

“It’s very hard to improve during a meet like that. I made a change to give me some more momentum. I have been striving to throw 40 feet consistently,” Robertson said.

Senior Sophie Amin ran her final 100-meter dash at HHS’s track and made it memorable. She won the event with a time of 14.34 seconds, a school record. It was the same event where she was injured last season at the sectional and had to miss the Red Raiders’ Class 3A state title.

“I was very excited for it. I’ve worked hard this year on focus and we do a lot of drills,” Amin said.

Relay champions were the 4×100-meter entry of Amin, Vicky Evtimov, K’Leigh Saenz and Emily Byers clocked a 46.87 time. The 4×200 meter relay of Evtimov, Byers, Saenz and Johnson were second in 9:30.77 to advance to state.

The 4×800 meter contingent of Saenz, Aspen Maldonado, Cori Klivinger and Haley Rahman will head to EIU’s track after a second-place 9:30.77.

Byers, Sauber, Saenz and Busam qualified in the 4×400 meter relay.

Freshman Morgan Sauber earned her trip to state with a personal best and third place in the 800-meter run. Gianna Howard was one of several high jumpers to advance to EIU Freshman Elena Fetzer made her debut at sectional a successful one as she is going to compete at state.