EDWARDSVILLE – Edwardsville gave East St. Louis a run for its money at the first major area outdoor track and field meet of the season Friday afternoon, finishing second to the Flyers at the Southwestern Illinois Relays at EHS' Winston Brown Track and Field Complex.
Alton also had a good day as well as Katie Mans won the high jump with a height of 5-6 and Ty'Riss Holliday took second in the pole vault with a leap of 9-6.
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The Flyers topped the Tigers with East Side scoring 114.5 points to Edwardsville's 87; O'Fallon was third with 84 points, Cahokia was fourth with 79.5 points and Rock Island rounded out the top five with 77 points. Alton took sixth with 69 points and Granite City was 12th with four points on the day.
“All the girls, I can't say enough about them,” said new EHS coach Camilla Eberlin. “The (distance medley relay) really came out; they got a school record and meet record – a 21-year-old meet record (set by O'Fallon in 1996 of 12:50; Edwardsville reset the mark with a 12:42.80) – and they were all fighting hard; Abby Korak heard (an announcement) saying it was a meet record, and she was saying 'I have to do this', and she did.
“I'm so proud of these girls because they keep stepping up to the challenges; we keep telling them that my goal is for them to keep knocking down times – even if it's tenth-by-tenth – that's what I want them to do, just keep knocking out times, keep adding inches.”
Edwardsville's 4x400 relay team took second in the event with a 4:04.33, which is below the IHSA state qualifying time, the 4x100 relay team set a PR at 50.19 seconds. “We're getting closer – we're about seven-tenths off (of the state qualifying standard). I mean, we're doing what track's about – we're knocking down our times one by one,” Eberlin said.
Eberlin took over this season for MiKala Thompkins, but she has just one big goal for the Tigers. “My biggest goal is for them to improve and help each other improve and, as a team, improve,” Eberlin said. “We told them in a team meeting the other day that if you go out and work your PR and put the 110 percent in, as a team, we're going to do good things.”
Other Edwardsville highlights included a 1-2 finish from Abby Schrobilgen and Julianna Determan in the 1,600 meters, Schrobilgen turning in a 5:32.88 and Determan a 5:36.48; a first in the 400 shuttle hurdle relay in 1:08.32; a sixth-place finish from Brooke Allen in the high jump at 5-0; and a third from Kendra Griggs in the 300 hurdles in a time of 49.86 seconds.
Alton girls show considerable potential in sprints, other events
Outside of Mans' win, Redbird highlights included a third in the 100 meters from Jeanea Epps at 12.86 seconds; a third in the 4x200 relay in 1:45.54; fifths from Rayn Tally in the shot put (33-4.25) and discus throw (103-3), with Kennedi Freeman right behind in sixth at 98-9.
Jada Moore, the new Alton head girls track coach, said her team continues to be impressive with their efforts in the sprints. Mans was tremendous for her first outdoor meet in the high jump and has potential to place high once again at state, Moore said. Holliday had an excellent effort in the pole vault and may close in on the Redbird school record by the end of the year, she said.
Dan Brannan also contributed to this story.
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