CHARLESTON – Katie Mans put herself among the top Alton High School girls track and field athletes in the program's history over the weekend at the IHSA Class 3A state track meet.
Mans, a junior, finished tied for third in the high jump competition, winning her third straight medal in the event with a leap of 5-5, putting her in a tie with Tabor Gleason of Cary-Grove and Sydney Anderson of Yorkville. During Friday's qualifying round, Mans cleared three straight heights – 5-1, 5-3 and -5-4 – without a miss to easily advance to Saturday's final.
Get The Latest News!
Don't miss our top stories and need-to-know news everyday in your inbox.
“We thought we were going to be pushed back (in Friday's qualifying round because of rainstorms that held up the session earlier in the day), but the weather came out,” Mans said after she advanced on Friday despite very windy conditions. “I don't think it (the wind) affected me; I just had to wait for it to die down, and then I made my jumps, so I think it helped.”
Reaching the final was something very exciting for Mans. “I'm so excited to go to finals,” Mans said, “and I think if I perform at my best, I'll have a really good chance tomorrow.
“There were nine girls out of Flight 1 (which Mans was taking part in out of three flights of qualifying) and that was the best flight; there were two other flights (in the competition), so we'll see how many people make it to finals tomorrow; it'll be interesting.”
Three more jumpers made it out of the other two flights on the day for a field of 12 in the final; Chicago Heights Bloom's Jelena Rowe, a senior, won the state title with a leap of 6-0, while South Holland Thornwood's Kameesha Smith, also a senior, was second at 5-8.
