2025 Track & Field State Preview: 1A Boys

Team Race

Morrison

Led by one of the best sprint squads 1A has ever seen, the Morrison Mustangs are ready to take home a state title. Morrison has two relays on state record watch in the 4x1 and the 4x2. They have run 42.39 and 1:27.95 with the quartet of Levi Milder, Zach Milder, Brady Anderson and Rylan Alvarado. Levi Milder and Brady Anderson are the big hitters for Morrison, both have the opportunity to score in individual events. Milder leads 1A in both the 100 and the 200 with times of 10.72 and 21.76. He has been consistently hitting low 22s in the 200, and he is currently the favorite for the 1A 200 title. Anderson is second only to Milder, with a time of 21.98 in the 200. They are projected to finish 1-2 in the 200, which is what really gives Morrison an edge over other teams. Anderson could potentially sneak his way into the 100m final as well. His PR of 11.03, which he has replicated on multiple occasions, puts him at 1A #12. With how unpredictable the 100 is, he could find himself in an all-state position on a good day. Rylan Alvarado has an outside shot at scoring in the long jump as well. His mark of 22’ 2.5” has him at 1A #10, which could get him an all-state spot on any given day. If he can pick up even a point or two, that would be huge for Morrison. Overall, the resounding strength of their two relays is what pushes them ahead of other teams, expect them to be title contenders this year. 

Rockford Christian

The Royal Lions distance crew has put this team on its back and has carried them to the footsteps of Trophyland. Evan White and Andrew Kurien lead this team, they are major contenders in their respective events. White is 1A #2 in the 800 with a time of 1:57.64 which he ran at Distance Night in Palatine. White has one of the best kicks that you will see, he will be hunting for a state title in the 800. Kurien will be running the mile, his time of 4:21 has him at 1A #4. He has been clocked at 1:56.15 in a 4x8 split from last year, so his closing speed will be similar to White’s. Both of these guys are lethal athletes, and they will bring home huge points for RC. White and Kurien will also be a part of RC’s 4x8, which is in contention for a win. With White and Kurien being well under 2 minutes, they only need two guys at 2:02 or under if they want to win. Blake Lindberg and Joel White fit that description perfectly, as both of them have run 2:02 in the open this season. Kurien and both White’s were on the RC team that took second last year, their experience makes them dangerous in this field. Their 4x4 will also bring home some points, with a 3:26.94 season best. Isaac Otto will also look to score in the triple jump, with a mark of 44’ 9”. Last weekend, we saw the St. Ignatius girls escape with a trophy with almost all of their points coming from distance. They weren’t expected to place, but did due to other squads having unfortunate disasters. This catapulted their 47 points from a projected 6th place to a 3rd place finish. Rockford Christian is similar to that team, with only slight swing points in the 4x4 and triple jump. Distance points are safer and more predictable points than sprints or jumps, which is why RC is a favorite to bring home a trophy this year. At the end of the day, you can count on this squad more than others, which is why they take the number two spot. 

Bloomington Central Catholic

Spearheaded by one of the best pole vaulters in the country, Bloomington Central Catholic will be challenging for a trophy this year. Isaiah Whitaker has been terrorizing the pole vault community this year, with a towering PR of 18’ 1”. He has been above 16 feet at almost every single meet this season, with the exception of sectionals where he only cleared 12’ 1”. He has not lost since his sophomore indoor season, and a disaster would have to occur in order for him to lose. With those ten points locked up for the Saints, let’s look at where else they have scoring options. Their 4x1 is looking like a team that could contend for a title in any normal year. They are second only to Morrison with a season best of 42.76, they could bring home a solid 8 points from that event. Tj Larson is one of the top hurdlers in 1A and will compete for a top three spot in the 110mH. His season best of 14.87 is in range of a state title, he will be a big contributor to this team performance. Their 4x8 will likely pick up a few points as well as their season best of 8:19 is 1A #4. It’s safe to assume that Rockford Christian will likely get the best of them at state, so they would be moved to 1A #5 instead. However, that’s still 5 valuable points they bring to the table, they are an important piece in this trophy run. They have Finan Krenz who was 6’ 5.5” in the high jump during the indoor season. That mark would earn him 1A #6, but his season best of 6’ 3” has him at 1A #10 instead. He is in control of the biggest swing points for BCC and he will need to match or beat his PR if the Saints want any chance to trophy here. They have an outside shot at all-state in both the 4x2 and 4x4 as well. They sit at 1A #9 for both events with season bests of 1:31.24 and 3:28.63. If they could scoop up points in either one of those relays that would be a big help to the team effort.

Colfax Ridgeview

Over the last few years, Colfax Ridgeview has cemented their name as one of the strongest 1A sprint programs in the state. They have a well-rounded team that can dominate anything from the 100 to the 400. Their relays are all in place to score solid points, with a few individuals in place to score as well. Their 4x4 is their best weapon here, with a blazing season best of 3:23.46. It will be a battle between them and Auburn, third place sits almost 3 seconds back from these two teams. Their 4x1 and 4x2 are both in the top 5 as well, with season bests of 43.08 and 1:30.21. Both of those relays will need to be stacked if they want to score big, but Ridgeview has the depth to do it. Individually, Zane Hoffman is one of the favorites to win the 100 title. He sits at 1A #2 with a wicked time of 10.79. Hoffman is also slated to run on all three relays, which means all three relays will be at full strength. Colton Snyder will look to score some points in the 200, with a time of 22.37. He is right outside the top ten with that time, he would help out his team greatly by picking up a point or two in that event. Hoffman can also step up to 400, he is one of three guys who run in the 50 point range in the open 400. Micah Coffman and Tanner Maupin are the two others who contribute to that count, all three are big reasons that Ridgeview has a 3:23 and a shot at the state title. Taiyveon Hanke is the final pawn in this Ridgeview scheme, he is in control of major swing points in the 300mH. His time of 40.87 is in the midst of a million other guys who are all-state hopefuls, he should be able to sneak in a few points for the Mustangs. He is also a part of the Ridgeview 4x4, his 400 PR of 53.27 comes from last year and is likely outdated. Given that the average split of a 3:23 is a 50.75, he can likely run somewhere in the low 51s, which is going to come in handy for that 300mH. With a lot of points up in the air, we can’t guarantee this team will be in the top three when it’s all said and done. That being said, the ceiling is high for the Mustangs, and they win this meet on a good day. 

Lena-Winslow

Lena Winslow’s star-centered team has a shot at a state trophy, with big scoring options in the short sprints. Alex Schlichting has yet to lose a 100m dash this year and he is one of the favorites to win the state title. His PR of 10.78 from last year is well in contention with Zane Hoffman of Colfax Ridgeview and Levi Milder of Morrison. He actually beat Milder at their sectional meet, which gives him a slight edge over him going into the state meet. His 200 also has a chance to score big. His season best of 22.07 is 1A #3, however he did take third at his sectional. Both Milder and Brady Anderson of Morrison got the best of him there, and they both beat his PR as well. He will be searching for his revenge here, he will need every ounce of motivation if he wants his team to take home a trophy. LW also profits off of Schlichting in the relays, with a competitive 4x1 and 4x2. Their 4x1 of 42.82 is 1A #3 and their 4x2 of 1:30.86 is 1A #6. Their 4x2 is in range of a top 3 finish, they need to be a little stronger at the state meet if they want to keep their trophy run alive. Their final scoring option comes from the shot put with Gannon Dunker in a position to score. His toss of 53’ 3” is in control of big swing points for the Panthers, he could place anywhere from 8th to 4th. He will need to throw near his PR if he wants to keep this team afloat. The path to the podium is not easy for Lena Winslow, but they have a better shot than most at making it. 

Dwight

Everything will need to go right for Dwight to get on the podium, but they certainly have the talent to do it. Graham Meister is responsible for this team being so good, with his unbelievable PR in the shot put. He threw a galactic 63 feet, which leads 1A by five and a half feet! It would be a disaster if he took anything but a gold medal, count on an easy ten points from Meister. Joe Faris will be another massive contributor to Dwight’s podium escapade. He has run a zooming 1:55.79, which leads 1A by about 2 seconds. He will need to be careful of runners like Evan White of Rockford Christian and Corie Green of Delevan, but he should at least be in a top three position for the Trojans. Where Dwight needs points is the discus, as Meister has an opportunity to score there as well. He is currently 1A #4 with a toss of 170’ 6”. Given that the discus can be somewhat unpredictable, he could get away with the state title on a toss of 165. But on the other hand, all it takes is one person to throw a bomb and Dwight’s trophy dreams are tarnished. Meister needs to secure a win or runner up in the discus in order for Dwight to get up on the podium, but it’s certainly doable. 

Events

100m

This will be anyone's race with many different athletes having the potential of winning this race. Alec Schlichting of Lena-Winslow enters this as probably the favorite to take home the title but just narrowly. He has been undefeated this year and holds a PR of 10.81 on the season. Levi Milder of Morrison will also be in the mix. Milder has shown flashes of greatness in the event on a few occasions this year. He will need to channel that at the State Meet if he wishes to be crown State Champion. He was 2nd to Schlichting at the Sectional. Milder’s teammate Brady Anderson is the top returner from last year in the event as he took 5th place. His team will need him to be in the final in order for them to fight for the State Title. He could be a sneaky pick here. He was the Top Times 1A 60m Champion Indoors. Zane Hoffman of Ridgeview only has one loss on the year and it was to Ryan Schmidgall of Delavan. Hoffman has been running extremely well as of late and has shown that he potentially has the best range of any 1A sprinter in the field. He can very well come out on top here. Kohnor Depew of Vandalia had an amazing sectional meet where he beat Reid Carlen of Cumberland. Carlen was 6th in the State Meet 100m last year. This was a major breakthrough for Depew. He will be in the mix for the win here. Gavin Baldwin of Red Bud hasn’t lost a 100m since March 19th. He will be a name to watch out for as he has gotten exponentially better over the past few weeks. He can shock a lot of people here. 

200m

Much like 100m, this race can be won by a multitude of people. Levi Milder of Morrison has looked amazing as of late with losses only coming to Alec Schlichting and Brady Anderson. He had a massive PR at Sectionals as he won in 21.76. In 2nd place at the Sectional was Brady Anderson of Morrison. That was only his 2nd 200m of the year. He beat his teammate earlier in the year and will be in the mix for the State Title. Alec Schlichting of Lena-Winslow took 3rd in the Sectional 200m, but has a win over Milder this season. Carter Stroot of Abingdon-Avon only lost one time this year and it was at Top Times. He has won 12 races outdoors in the 200m and will look to continue his winning streak at the State Meet. He is a name that many people won't talk about, but should be talking about. He has a very good chance of winning here. Gavin Baldwin of Red Bud is another sneaky choice to take home the crown. He has had a good season so far, expect him to be in the top 5. 

400m

Last year it took 51.11 to qualify for finals in the 400m. That time could be closing into the 50 barrier here with how great the 400m has been this year in the classification. Carter Stroot of Abingdon-Avon leads the field in terms of PRs with his 49.04. He has not lost a 400m outdoors and plans to not lose his first here. The favorite in the field has to go to Brian Smith II of North Shore Country Day who was the Top Times Champion during the indoors season. He was 2nd at the State Meet last year in the event and looks to be crowned champion this year. Evan Landers of Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley has been one of the most improved sprinters in the classification this year. He hasn’t lost in the 400m all year and will look to continue that streak at the State Meet. He has been extremely consistent as of late. Jacob Barth of Auburn was a finalist in the 400m last year as he took 6th place. He also hasn’t lost a 400m during the outdoor season. He has run under 50 seconds over the last three meets. Ryan Schmidgall of Delavan will be in the mix for a top 3 finish here. Keep an eye on him as well. 

800m

Joe Faris of Dwight has had an excellent season as he transferred from Tri-Point to Dwight over this past summer. He has run a blistering 1:55.79 up to this point in the season. He will be fresh for this race while some others will be doubling back from the 4x800m. Evan White of Rockford Christian will be one of those athletes doubling back from the 4x800m. He ran a great double at Sectionals and will look to repeat that performance at the State Meet. He will be right in the mix for the win. Coriell Green of Delavan hasn’t lost in an 800m since March 7th and was the Top Times 800m Champion. He may be the favorite entering this one as it has been  awhile since he has really been pushed in a race. We could see him run something really fast here. Wyatt Widolff of Newman Central Catholic will be another name to watch here. He was part of Newman CC’s State Championship 4x800m from last year and made the 800m final last year. He had a massive breakout meet at State last year, Could we see the same thing happen here? Will Fuson of Cerro Gordo-Bement entered the season as an overwhelming favorite to take home the 1A 800m State Title, but has had an underwhelming season up to this point. The Junior will be looking to reenter the conversation this week for being the States best. He is the top returner from last year when he took 5th. 

1600m

Nicolai Martino of Winnebago enters this race as the overwhelming favorite to take home the 1A State Championship. He ran 4:11.54 to take 3rd at Distance Night In Palatine which gives him the fastest PR in the field by 6 seconds. Martino was State Runner-Up last year and will be looking for 2025 to be his big breakthrough meet. Darwin Herman of Elmwood has really been pushed a whole lot either this outdoor season. The one time that happened was at the Morton Distance Gala where he ran 4:17.75. Very reminiscent of former teammate Isaiah Hill from last year. Herman could shock some people here to pick up a massive win. Jonathan Iacobazzi of Sullivan had a good season throughout the year. A 3rd place finish at Sectionals though leaves some question marks. He will battle for a top 5 finish potentially. Andrew Kurien of Rockford Christian will be a big piece towards the RC’s State Trophy hopes. He won the undercard at Distance Night In Palatine in a great time of 4:21.55. Will Fuson of Cerro-Gordo Bement and Chaz Oberkfell of Gillespie took 6th and 7th in the 1600m at the State Meet last year. Both will be in the mix for a top 5 finish this go around. 

3200m

Nicolai Martino of Winnebago is easily the favorite entering this race as this will be his first opportunity to capture a State Title. He ran 9:00.96 at the Mike Mowen Invite solo. While he could run sub 9:00 at the State Meet, it's unlikely since he will be going after the 1600m title as well. The 3200m Class 1A Record was set by Jon Davis of Oakwood in 2015 with a 9:05.23. That record could be in jeopardy if Martino decides to go after it. Chaz Oberkfell of Gillespie was the 1A XC State Champion, but will be running out of Heat 2 of 3 here. He will need to solo a fast time in order to claim 2nd overall. Evan Cook of St. Teresa ran 9:32.58 at Distance Night In Palatine for 3200m. He was 3rd at the Top Times Meet indoors. He will fight for a top 3 finish here as well. Peter Kipp of Northridge was just behind Cook at Distance Night In Palatine as he ran 9:32.66. He has been great all year as he has run in the 9:30s on three occasions this year. He is extremely consistent and will look to fight for a top 3 finish. Braeden Bode of Riverdale was all-state last year in the event as he placed 8th. He will fight for a top 5 finish this year. 

110H

The current favorite for the 110H is Landyn Mitchell of Christ Our Rock Lutheran High School out of Centralia. Mitchell PR’ed with a 14.53 in the Webber Last Chance Invite on May 9th. He’s been flirting around the 15-second mark all outdoor season. He also qualified in the 300H and the triple jump and was all-state in the 110H last season, placing 6th. His PR is 0.2 seconds ahead of Mason Booker’s, the hurdler from Sullivan. His personal best of 14.76 was on May 15th at the Decatur St. Teresa Invite, he should give Mitchell a run for his money potentially in this event. It was Booker’s first time cracking 15 seconds in the 110H, and a recent string of solid performances has him high on our list of contenders for the 1A title. TJ Larson from Central Catholic High School is another hurdler who had an excellent sectional meet. An all-stater from last season, he obtained a new personal record of 14.78—his first time breaking the 15-second mark this outdoor season and third time in his career. His mark at El Paso’s sectional meet was good enough to sneak him into our list of top contenders. It should be a dog fight at the top of the podium in this year’s 1A 110H, as these three hurdlers’ personal bests only separate each other by 0.3 seconds. 

300H

There is almost no way you can expect to properly pick out a winner here. The 1A top ten is so close together, you can’t even breathe! There are nine guys between 40 seconds and 41 seconds, all of them can go for a state title. Mason Booker of Sullivan narrowly leads with a time of 39.98. He is barely ahead of Trae Brickner of Peoria Christian, who has a season best of 40.30. Brickner has another narrow lead over 1A #3,  Gradyn Hartlaub of Riverton. Hartlaub is the lone underclassmen in contention for a title, and he marks the start of the real mess that is the 300mH. After Hartlaub, there are SIX GUYS in between 40.70 and 40.99. Legitimately, it could not be any closer. Guys like Taiyveon Hanke of Colfax Ridgeview, Hayden Summers of Altamont, and Carter Simpson of Tuscola are fighting for team titles, they will do their team best by scoring here. Landyn Mitchell of CORL, Ian Church of Salt Fork, and Cade King of Maryville Christian are the other three boys in the mix there; they will look to close out their seasons with an all-state medal. If anyone says they can predict who is winning, they are lying. This event is going to be insane, and you can definitely count on a fun race here. 

4x100m 

The 4x1 is THE premier short sprint relay and will be quite competitive this year. The defending champs, Morrison will come into the state meet with the 1A state lead of 42.39. Morrison will be incredibly difficult to take down if everything goes as normal. Last year's sixth place finishers Bloomington Central Catholic head into state weekend with the second fastest time in the state of 42.76. Close behind is Lena-Winslow with a time of 42.82 at the same sectional meet as Morrison. Lena-Winslow is a real top contender and will be there if anything happens. This relay is also under the 43 second barrier, Mercer County is the fourth fastest team heading into this weekend and considering that last year there were seven teams under 43 in the prelims but only two in the final, anything could happen. 

4x200m

No surprises here, once again the defending champs, Morrison will come into this with the fastest 1A time of 1:27.95 at sectionals. Morrison has a real chance of taking down the state record of 1:27.93 set by Tuscola in the 2012 Prelims. Speaking of Tuscola they have had a good year and will be the second fastest team headed into this weekend. With a time of 1:29.49. Tuscola will have a chance of revenge for last year after they placed eleventh last year and didn’t make it out of the prelim. Mercer County, yet another returner to this list from the 4x1 list. Mercer County has the third fastest time in 1A with a time of 1:30.12 but will have someone right on their back as the fourth fastest team of Ridgeview has run 1:30.21. Ridgeview placed fourth last year and are looking to sneak into that top three. The last team to watch for is the returning fourth place finishers from Forreston, they have run 1:30.36 this year and will join the tight top three battle between Mercer County and Ridgeview. 

4x400m

A two way race for the 4x4 will lead to an entertaining finish. Colfax Ridgeview enters as the narrow favorites with a season best of 3:23.46. They have Micah Coffman, Tanner Maupin, and Zane Hoffman all running in the 50 second range. Their final leg, Taiyveon Hanke, has not run an open 400 since last season. However, he is in contention for an all-state medal in the 300mH with a time of 40.87. This might not be the greatest metric to go off of, but going low 40s over hurdles can definitely transfer to a fast open 400. They will be challenged by Auburn, who has run 3:24.01. It definitely helps to have Jacob Barth running under 50 seconds, he is massive on the anchor leg for the Trojans. James Baisden steps down from the 800 to help out here as well, his 800 time of 1:58.94 translates to 4x4 speed beautifully. Hunter Piper is another middle distance demon who helps this squad out. He has dropped some great time this season and his 51.62 PR is a nice leg for Auburn. Carter Hunley rounds out this squad nicely, and allows Auburn to run 3:24 on solid consistency. These two teams will duke it out for the title, it will be an incredible showdown. Rockford Christian is the next best seed at 3:26.94. They will be operating on distance runners who are on their sixth event of the weekend, so it’s impossible to gauge how much gas they will have left. However, the stakes are high for RC, as a team trophy could ride on this 4x4. They need a top three finish in this 4x4 to secure them a trophy, so they will have the most motivation out of anyone else in this race. Fithian Oakwood and Forreston are going to fill in the spots behind RC. Fithian’s season best of 3:28 can likely be improved upon, expect them to contend with Forreston for fourth. 

4x800m 

Going into the state meet there will be two key teams that will be battling for the title. Pleasant Plains is the current leader with a time of 8:03 and the only team even close is Elmwood who have clocked a 8:08. On the Pleasant Plains relay was Jared Long (2:04), Elijah Teefey (1:59), Cole Pain (1:59), and Garrett Beebe (1:59). There are no FAT splits for the Elmwood relay but it consisted of Kam Stevenson (PR of 2:03), Mika Nelson (PR of 2:02), Aiden Faulkner (PR of 2:02), and the anchor Darwin Herman (PR of 1:59). Darwin Herman has a slight advantage over Garrett Beebe as Herman has a bit more raw speed so if it comes down to the final few meters, Elmwood could come away with a huge win.  After these two, there is solid separation between them and what will be the chase pack. At the front of this chase pack will be Auburn who have run 8:16 as their season's best this time around. on the Auburn roster was Wyatt Thurman, Hunter Piper, James Baisden, and Jacob Barth. The returning silver medalist, Rockford Christian should not be overlooked as it seems they haven't run a 4x8 at 100% because they have Evan White (1:56 split), Andrew Kurien (1:58 split), Blake Lindberg (2:011 split) and Joel white (2:02 in the open). There is a small chance of a world where Rockford Christian loses if they run this relay but they haven't shown up yet so it will be a surprise. 

High Jump

Will Nohren of Shelbyville is one of the best athletes in Illinois, he will continue his path of destruction here at the state meet. He is the only athlete in Illinois to have cleared the 7 foot barrier, and he leads the state by 2 inches. His path to a 1A title is mostly unchallenged, he won’t even need a PR to take the win. His main competition comes from a pair who have both cleared 6’ 7”, they will do their best to compete with Nohren. The defending state champ, Mitchel Edwards of Carmi White County, has cleared a height of 6’ 7” this season, and he has never lost a high jump competition. A career of being undefeated is certainly impressive, he will attempt to continue that streak here. Ben Roedl of Altamont has also cleared 6’ 7” this season, he was third last year in this event. Roedl will be jumping in other events, so he won’t exactly be fresh for high jump. That being said, he will still be a standout in this field, expect him in the top three. Parker Murry of Indian Creek will contend with Edwards and Roedl. He was 6’ 5” indoors and had an outdoor season best of 6’ 4” until the sectional meet. At the Oregon sectional, he launched himself into the top three conversation with a huge PR of 6’ 7”. Karson Bruns of Shelbyville will look to join his teammate in the top five. He was 6’ 6” indoors, which he used to take third at the 1A top times championships. He has an outdoor best of 6’ 3.5”, he will need to be near his PR if he wants to score here.

Long Jump

This might be the only event of the day where a freshman is actually the favorite. It’s rare to see talent like this, and when you put the kid in 1A, naturally he’s going to dominate. Logan Thompson of Althoff Catholic has hit a monstrous 23’ 8” this season, he leads 1A by about 7 inches with that mark. The freshman is currently IL #10 with that mark, and he already has a state title under his belt. He was the SIJHSAA (Southern Illinois version of IESA) state champion in the long jump with a mark of 21’ 4”. He is the favorite to take the crown here, but it’s not exactly smooth sailing. Will Nohren of Shelbyville will be looking to take him down and claim his second title of the day. Nohren is the only other athlete in the field over 23 feet, and he has not been below 21 feet so far. This extreme consistency between 21 and 23 is what makes him so dangerous, Thompson will need to be on his A-game if he wants to beat Nohren. Matt Stach of Seneca is sitting right outside 23 feet at 22’ 10”. He is very similar to Nohren in consistency, he has hit 21 feet eight times this season. His ninth place finish at last years sectional is not representative of who he is today, he will be contending for a state title as well. 

Ben Roedl of Altamont will be on his first event of the day here, and he just recently hit his PR of 22’ 4”. He was fourth in this event last year with a mark of 21’ 8”, he will be in a position to score big here. 

Triple Jump 

Last year, seniors dominated the leaderboards in this event. With the graduation of stars like Keenan Powell and Abraham Johnson, a new order of triple jumpers now controls the spotlight. Isaac Rennecker of Petersburg Porta leads 1A by just a hair, with Ben Roedl of Altamont right behind him. Rennecker has a mark of 45’ 9”, which is one inch further than Roedl’s mark of 45’ 8”. Rennecker also won the 1A top times championships over Roedl by just one centimeter. It’s important to note that Roedl will be on his third event of the day, as triple jump follows both high and long, which he will be competing in as well. This gives Rennecker the edge, as he is only competing in high jump and triple jump. That being said, Roedl was fifth in this event last year after doing all three jumps, and Rennecker was ninth with this being his only event of the day. They have gone back and forth all season, and only time will tell who is the better athlete. Outside of these two, you’ll see appearances from Cooper Desseyn of Port Byron as well as Isaac Otto of Rockford Christian. Desseyn is the only other athlete in 1A over 45 feet and he’s only a freshman. Experience gets you far in the state meet, but this kid has an undeniable mark, watch out for him. Otto is fighting for more than just himself, he is in control of huge swing points for a trophy contending RC team. He needs to be in the top 5 if he wants to keep his team alive, expect him to get the job done. 

Pole Vault

If you aren’t familiar with Pole Vault, the only name you really need to know is Isaiah Whitaker of Bloomington Central Catholic. Simply put, Whitaker is an absolute pole vault phenom: he holds the IL#1 and US#1 with a mark of 17’ 10.5”, won the NBNI while shattering the meet record, and could certainly break the all-class IHSA record set in 2018 on Saturday. Whitaker easily won gold last year at state to take the 1A record and, without a doubt, will win again this year. Behind him is Riley Hogan of Champaign (St. Thomas More), who earned 3rd at state last year, 2nd at the IL Top Times Indoor Championships this year, and started his outdoor season with a new PR of 15’ 6” to earn IL#10. Next is Mason Gilpin of Carlinville and will return to state after his 5th place finish last year. Gilpin will enter finals with a SB of 14’ 9” after a very consistent season of upward growth and will most likely end up with bronze this year. To round out the list, we have Peyton Curry of Shelbyville. Curry is currently ranked 5th in 1A with his SB and PR of 13’ 9.25 and took down Shelbyville’s 12-year-old school record to claim a new one for himself.

Shot Put

The only way you don’t see the clear winner in the shot put is if you’ve been living under a rock. Graham Meister, the returning state champ, is galaxies away from the competition. The behemoth from Dwight threw a gargantuan 63’ 0” at his sectional meet, which increased his PR by almost 3 feet. He is a whopping 6 feet ahead of 1A #2, he would have to break both of his legs to lose here. Josh Coulby of Maryville Christian has the unfortunate job of cleaning up after Meister. He’s very unlucky, because in any normal year he would win this event. His PR of 57’ 7” is extremely impressive, especially considering he ended last year at 47’ 1”. He has come a long way from when he first started throwing, and it will earn him one of the best second place finishes in 1A history. Behind him, you’ll see Sawyer Woodard of Tuscola launch into third. He beefed up his resume with a win at the Moweaqua sectional and a massive PR of 55’ 0”. He is the second Woodard to come through Tuscola with a strong mark in the shot, he will look to follow in his brothers footsteps and take a medal home from state. Brynner Inman of Nashville is one of the top returning finishers from last year's state meet, and he has a strong season best to back it up. He finished fifth last year, the only returning athlete ahead of him being Meister. His season best of 54’ 6” would earn him a spot in the top five, let’s see if he can repeat his result from last year. Trenton Monnet of Brownstown is another name who has improved beyond recognition. His mark of 46 feet from last year is laughable compared to his shiny new 54’ 9”. He will look to capture his first ever all-state medal, expect him on the podium this year. 

Discus

We ended the shot put preview talking about Trenton Monnet, and we’re just going to pick up right where we left off! Monnet currently leads 1A with a craterous 177’ 0”. Last year, he threw out of his shoes at the state meet, capturing sixth with a massive season best of 156’ 8”. If he threw that mark today, he’d probably be upset! Watch out for this kid, he is likely going to walk away with a state title. He has to be careful though, as Maddax Stine of Salt Fork is right on his heels. Stine has thrown 175’ 3”, and he has been above 160 very consistently. Last year, he bested Monnet at the state meet, with a mark of 157’ 9”. That mark earned him third, he will look to better that spot on the podium this year. Carson Murrah of Johnston City is another name to keep your eye on. Murrah has improved mightily from last season, with a PR of 172’ 2” from his sectional meet. He snagged the final all-state spot at state last year, placing ninth with a 146 foot toss. He should finish well ahead of that place this year, potentially even contending for the win. Graham Meister of Dwight will look to colonize the discus, just like he did with the shot. Meister has been floating around the 150s for most of this season, until he threw 170’ 6” at the Dwight last chance invite. That 170 bomb put him in the range of guys like Stine and Murrah, he will be looking to sneak into the top three. Josh Coulby of Maryville Catholic and Sawyer Woodard of Tuscola are two more shot putters who can contend in the discus as well.