2026 IHSA Track and Field Girls State: 1A Preview

We have finally made it to the end of the season, and the girls state meet is just around the corner. With 1A prelims tomorrow, we have gone event by event and broken down all of the action that you will see this weekend!

100

The 1A 100m has no clear favorite, which means there are a number of athletes that could take the win here. Two of the top times are held by freshmen Isabella Niebrugge of Teutopolis and Austyn McDowell of Robinson. Niebrugge ran a solid 12.06 at the sectional meet to unseat McDowell from her 1A #1 spot, McDowell had been sitting atop the leaderboard all year with her mark of 12.07. McDowell was also undefeated up until that point, because both her and Niebrugge ran against each other at the sectional where Niebrugge ran her PR. Other than that race, McDowell has beaten Niebrugge on every single other occasion. Both girls have built a strong case for the state title this year. Madison Yazel of Maroa Forsyth isn’t seeded too far behind these two, with a season best of 12.10. She was 10th in both the 100 and the 200 last year, which is one spot out of all-state in both events. This year, she has turned the narrative around and has put her name up there with the rest of the title contenders. Jaida Reed of El Paso Gridley was last year’s runner up in this event, and she’s run a strong season best of 12.18 this year. She could certainly be on the top of the podium if she has a good day here. Adi Foss of Camp Point Central ran a huge PR at her sectional meet of 12.10, so she could also be a name to watch here. There are four other returning all-staters that could make some noise here as well, they are Mckenna Van Tilburg of Wilmington, Bree Schneiderman of Forreston, Elaina Allen of Newman Central Catholic, and Daniella Bumber of Henry Senachwine.

200

The 200 has some clear leaders, but it will still be an extremely close race between several different runners. The top time of the season is currently held by Austyn McDowell of Robinson at a wicked 24.66, which she ran at the Sam Bennett invite. McDowell has also spent the majority of the season undefeated in the 200, until the sectional meet where Reese Hoene of St. Anthony and Isabella Niebrugge of Teutopolis took her down. Hoene ran 24.95, which is the second sub 25 in 1A this season behind McDowell, and Niebrugge ran her PR of 25.19 as well. Hoene is a returning all-stater in this event, as she took 8th last year. She will be looking to capture the title in this event, but she’ll likely need to run under 25 to do it. Madison Yazel of Maroa Forsyth is another name to watch here, as she has a strong season best of 25.33. She won her sectional handily, and will likely be right up there with the leaders. Daniella Bumber of Henry Senachwine also has a season best of 25.33, she will be on the hunt for her third all-state medal of the day in this event. She is entered in the 100, 200 and 400, and she has a shot at finishing on the podium in all three. Bree Schneiderman of Forreston will be looking to get back on the podium again this year. Her season best of 25.61 will need to see significant improvement if she wants to break into the final. Elaina Allen of Newman Central Catholic was right behind Schneiderman at the state meet last year, she will also be looking to take a back-to-back all-state medal.

400

The 400 will be an excellent event, there is a great story written in this race. The top returner in this race is Daniella Bumber of Henry-Senachwine, who has been an all-stater in this event since her freshman year. She finished 3rd in this race last year and is the top returner. She did that last year on a stress fracture and still managed to run 56.18 at the state meet. She comes into this state meet healthy and the Navy commit will look to claim her first ever state title. She enters as the co-favorite to win the 400m along with Reese Hoene of St. Anthony. Hoene was 4th last year as a freshman in the 400m and ran 57.26. She was the Top Times 1A Champion in the distance during indoors and will look to remain the top athlete in the class here.  Reese Meyers of North Shore Country Day is also a top returner from last year's race. She is undefeated this outdoor season and hasn’t seen much competition. She finished 6th in 2025 and will need a season breakout performance here in order to repeat her same finish again. Lila Coleman of Seneca made the finals last year but ended up finishing 9th. She will have bigger goals and aspirations at this state meet as she has a chance to be top 3 in this year's race. She has run 58.10 already this season. Alena Graham of Mt. Olive has had a great season so far as a freshman as she has been undefeated this season and ran 58.40. She could be a potential sneaky athlete here that can put her name into the State Title picture. Elise House of Bureau Valley hasn’t lost a race since April 7th and could be another sneaky athlete in this race. She has a PR of 58.69 on the season and has broken 59 seconds a total of 3 times this season. 

800m

This event will be a great one to watch as this one has no clear favorite. There are 5 to 6 athletes that could walk away with the state title here. Millie Schumacher of Jacksonville Routt has the top PR in this one with her 2:16.65. She has remained undefeated throughout the year and will enter this one as the likely favorite. She was 15th in the prelims last year and will be looking to make a statement as a sophomore. Mikayla Chambers of Dwight has also remained undefeated this outdoor season. She is coming off a 2:17.95 which is a personal best at the Sectional. He is in the mix to win this one. She has 58.9 speed in the 400m, which makes her lethal. Audrey Dickinson of Illini Bluffs has been on fire as a freshman and will be in the mix for the win here. She was the Illinois Top Times 1A Champion in the 800m during the indoor season. She will look to continue an excellent freshman campaign. She has 4:57 endurance which could be dangerous in a race like this. We return 3 all-staters from last year that can use their experience to their advantage in this one. Aubrey Denning of St. Anthony is the top returner from last year as she was 4th in 2025. She has struggled this season, but could be in line for a breakout here. Cheyenh Smith of Stark County was 7th in this race last year and has had a good season up to this point. With a season's best mark of 2:18.52 she has one of the top times in the field. Emily Downing of Cambridge had a massive breakout at the 2025 State Meet while doing the 4x800m, 800, 1600m, and 4x400m quad. She ended up taking 8th last year and could see a similar breakout once again here and be within the top 3. Adelie Wilson of Nashville will also be in the mix here for the top group. She was 10th last year in this event just missing an all-state medal. She should be on the podium this time. 

1600m

Last year Molly Farrell of Marshall narrowly lost the State Title to Elena Rybak of Father McGivney. This year Farrell isn’t taking any chances and has one mission in mind, win herself the 1600m State Title. She has elected to not run the 3200m this year for the first time. She will be fresh here for this race. She was the Illinois Top Times Champion in the event indoors. She has run 4:56 already this season and will probably have to run faster than that in order to win the State Title. She is the favorite to win this race going in. Klaire Eighner of Maroa-Forsyth has had an amazing season to this point. She ran 4:55.40 to beat Farrell at the Spartan Classic just a few weeks ago, but will be running the 3200m before this race. That will take a toll on the Michigan State commit. She sports the fastest season’s best in the field, but was 2nd at the Sectional. Audrey Dickinson of Illini Bluffs will be running the 800m earlier in the meet, but has run 4:57 already this year. She has some of the best speed in the field with a PR of 2:17 in the 800m. She can be a sneaky pick here with her speed being a huge benefit if this becomes a tactical race. Dusti Smith of Stark County made the finals for this event in 2025 and it resulted in a 11th place finish. She will be looking to make her way into the Top 5 this year. She went 5:00.37 at Distance Night in Palatine and was 4th at the Illinois Top Times Meet indoors. Maggie Zimmerman of PORTA has also had a great season as she has run 5:01 this season. She will be looking for a top 5 finish in this one. This has been a massive breakout season for the St. Louis University commit. Henley Parsons of St. Thomas More is a superbly talented freshman in this field. She beat Klaire Eighner at the Sectional and will also be fresh in the 1600m. She will be a potential upset pick in this one. We cannot forget about returning all-staters Aubrey Denning of St. Anthony who finished 5th in 2025 and Emily Downing of Cambridge who finished 6th in 2025. Both athletes have experience and could find themselves being inside the top 5 in this one. 

3200m

To address the elephant in the room, 2x defending Champion Isabella Keller will be unable to defend her title this year as she had recently had a surgery leaving the title open for a new face. Klaire Eighner is the heavy favorite for this title, she has run 10:29 this year and beat the next fastest competitor, Maggie Zimmerman (10:50) in that race. Kate Foltz is the highest returning placer from last year's state meet as she was 3rd in 2025 but she has only run 11:02 and will need a huge season best to compete for any higher. After that is quite a close battle, Kasyn Jibben (11:10), and Kendal Fleck (11:11) are extremely close and we will see who comes out on top with this 4th place finish. 

100mH

In the 1A 100mH, the favorite to come away a champion is currently the sophomore McKenna Van Tilburg from Wilmington. She has yet to lose a single race, in any event, all outdoor season; Van Tilburg is also coming off a very recent win at Illinois Top Times in the 60mH. Her outdoor season best came May 1st closing in a 14.47 which is good for IL#10! As a recent 3x state finalist her freshman year, she already knows what pressure feels like and should be ready come race day to do what she does best: win. However, it will not come easy as Lily Bosnich will be right there with her the whole time. The senior out of St. Bede is looking to come back to win it this time as last year she was the runner up in a time of 14.47 into a -2.3 headwind! Her SB (14.88) doesn’t reflect what she is capable of and something special could happen this weekend when put against Van Tilburg. Another potential podium finisher is Jillian Hammer, sophomore out of Oregon (IL). She is one of the best 300m hurdlers across all classes, IL#8, and the third best 100m hurdler in 1A with a 15.01. As the 5th place finisher in 2025, and runner up to Van Tilburg at Top Times, she could be in the mix. One other previous state-finalist athlete who we could see back in the finals is Alayna Mitchell of Mercer County. Mitchell has only gotten faster with each meet she's had and considering she placed 7th last year at state, she could be in for a huge PR. Sitting at the 4th and 5th spots in 1A are Josie Trossen of Tri-Valley and Addie Patterson of Sullivan. This will be both of their first times headed to an IHSA state meet, as they’re both freshman! Patterson has a lifetime PR of 15.36, which actually came at her recent sectional; Trossen is sitting at 15.19.

300mH

This event will be a great one, as there is no clear favorite in this one. Jillian Hammer of Oregon enters the meet with the fastest season's best of the group. She has run 44.46 and is undefeated so far this season. She was 3rd in this event last year. She has become a much better short hurdler over the last year which has obviously helped her in the 300H. Isabella Niebrugge of Teutopolis has also been undefeated in the 300H so far this year. The freshman has run 44.75 and will be in the mix for this State Title. Lily Bosnich of St. Bede is the top returner from 2025 as she was 2nd place in this race. The multi sport athlete has been torn between track and softball all year. We could see a big performance from Bosnich if she only focuses on track this week. She ran 43.40 last season which is the fastest personal best in the field. McKenna Van Tilburg of Wilmington will also put her name in contention to be crowned the State Champion in both hurdle races with this one. She was 7th in 2025 for this event, she has been undefeated this year. We also cannot count out returning all-staters Brianna Harms of Lowpoint-Washburn who finished 4th last year and Alayna Mitchell of Mercer County who finished 8th last year. Both will be athletes with high level State Meet experience that can surprise people given their season's bests. 

4x1

The 4x1 combines new relays with teams who have already dominated at the state meet, it should be a great race for the title. Teutopolis enters with the #1 time this season at 48.76, which they ran to win their sectional meet. Robinson was second at the sectional meet, they ran a solid 49.07 to take second behind Teutopolis. Both teams are powered by freshmen, as the anchor legs for both teams were star freshmen Isabella Niebrugge and Austyn McDowell. Both girls are favorites for a high all-state spot in both the 100 and 200, which is what makes these relays so powerful. Behind these two teams, you’ll see the defending state champs and runners up, El Paso Gridley and Maroa Forsyth. EPG was the only team in 1A to break 49 seconds last season, with a time of 48.90 at the state meet. Maroa Forsyth was second to EPG with a time of 49.14, and they also returned 3 athletes from that team. Both teams are top ranked 4x1s in the state, as MF is the only other team under 50 seconds, and EPG is sitting at #5 behind Lena Winslow. Lena Winslow is another team who could certainly shake things up here. They are the top ranked team in both the 4x2 and the 4x4, and their top end speed definitely translates to the shorter race. Their season best of 50.04 is certainly nothing to laugh at, they should be a factor in this race. Pleasant Plains is another team to watch, as they dropped their season best significantly at the sectional meet. Their time of 50.17 just barely trails EPG, but they should still be included in a top 3 conversation here.

4x2

Like it was mentioned in the 4x1, Lena Winslow is the clear favorite in this event. LW has the fastest time in 1A this year, with a brutal 1:43.86. Their 4x2 got fifth last year at the state meet, and they returned 3 of those members to this team. They lead the rest of the field by almost 2 seconds, it would take a strong performance from any other team to take them out. Oregon has the next best time this season with a mark of 1:45.73. They ran at the same sectional as LW, and they set their season best there as well. They should lead the strongly contested field for the second place spot. Port Byron Riverdale is the only other team under 1:45, as they ran 1:45.90 to win their sectional meet. They took down a strong Fulton team at that sectional, Fulton finished second with a season best time of 1:46.36. Fulton was 4th last year with a time of 1:45.23 and they return 3 runners from that squad, so this might just be a starting point for them. If they can get back to the 1:45s at state, they will compete for second. Camp Point Central should also be a competing force here, as they ran 1:46.65 at their sectional meet. This relay is powered by all-state favorite, Adi Foss, who is one of the fastest individual sprinters in the state. They will be joined by New Berlin, who is the only other team under 1:47 so far this season. New Berlin took a close second to CPC at their sectional meet with a mark of 1:46.95, which shows that they should also be a strong team in this race. 

4x4

Just like in the 4x2, Lena Winslow is expected to get a huge win here in the 4x4. They are entering the state meet with the fastest time in 1A with a mark of 4:01, and they lead the entire classification by 5 seconds. Their team that took 4th last year returns 3 members from that squad, which is why they are so dominant in this event. Both Sienna Hastings and Mia Diffenderfer have broken a minute in the open 400, which shows just how strong this team is. They are the big favorites, and it’s going to take a colossal effort from the chase pack to push them off the throne. Fulton is the next closest team to LW, their time of 4:06 is somewhat in no-mans-land entering the state meet. They are pretty far back from LW, but they are way ahead of anyone chasing them for third. Brooklyn Thoms is the star for that Fulton team, as she’s the only one who could likely split under 60 seconds in this event. After Fulton, it’s a landslide of teams at 4:09 who will all be competing for a highly coveted third place. Oregon has the leading time of 4:09.04, but both Shelbyville and Winnebago return several members from their all-state teams last year. Along with Downs Tri Valley and Sherrard, it’s going to be a packed race for the bronze medal. 

4x8

The 4x8 should be an extremely close race between Stark County and Shelbyville. Stark County is pretty far ahead in terms of season bests, as they have an 8 second gap with their time of 9:41. Cheyenh Smith and Dusti Smith are the driving forces of this relay, both girls are capable of running under 2:20 in a split. Shelbyville are the returning state champs, and they have Tessa Bowers and freshmen Leah Shoaff leading this team. Bowers split a 2:19 last year at the state meet, and Schoaff has been consistently 2:22 in the open. These two teams are both struggling on the 4th leg, which means this is going to be a really even matchup. Another team to look out for is Cambridge, who returns every single runner from their 3rd place team last year. They have a season best of 9:56, but this exact squad ran 9:44 last season, so don’t count them out. You also can’t forget Pleasant Plains, who returns 3 members of their runner up team from last year. They have a season best of 9:52, which is right in range of SC and Shelbyville. Newton and Elmwood are both under 10 minutes as well, and both teams have the potential to get high up on the podium here.

Shot Put

The shot put this year looks like it’s gonna be a two way race for the win between Zion Young of Maroa Forsyth and Makayla Gajewski of Nashville. Young has the top mark in the state with a colossal throw of 45’ 1”. She has been over 42 feet in every single shot put attempt this outdoor season, and she is currently undefeated. Gajewski has competed almost double the amount that Young has, and she’s also undefeated. Her season best of 44’ 0” is also ranked in the top 5 in Illinois this year, and she is looking to reclaim her state title. As a freshman, Gajewski won the 1A shot put with a toss of 39’ 8”, and she has only lost twice since that moment. She beat Young last year at the state meet to take second, Young was just behind in third. It could not be a closer matchup between these two, it’s going to come down to a matter of inches. Emma Whightsil of Warrensburg Latham will also be a name to watch, she is narrowly leading the pack for third. She took second at Top Times with a big PR of 41’ 6”, where she beat Gajewski by just a few inches. She is known for her discus throw, but she can certainly tear it up in the shot put as well. Addison Lucht of Milford is a 40 foot thrower who should make some noise here. She has the resume of a decathlete, with impressive marks in the 100 and the long jump. Her shot put is her best event though, as she threw 40’ 7” at the Tiger Invitational for a 1A #3 mark. Addison Johnson of Decatur St. Teresa is the final girl over 40 feet, she has been competing against Whightsil and Young all season long and she’s been holding her own as well. She can consistently throw above 39 feet, which will be a useful tool in this shot put field. There is one other returning all-stater, Hannah Brown of Vandalia, who will be looking to get back on the podium this fall. 

Discus

The discus has a very clear favorite, and it’s Emma Whightsil of Warrensburg Latham. Whightsil has thrown a huge 144’ 11” this season, which is just off of her PR from last year. She was fourth in this event last spring, and with everyone above her having graduated, she should be in the clear for a win here. She leads the rest of this field by almost ten feet, and she’s undefeated this season in the discus. There is a plethora of girls who will be chasing Whightsil, and they are all seeded around 134 feet. Saidie Shemek of Sherrard has the top mark with a 134’ 11”, but Makayla Gajewski of Nashville is just behind with a 134’ 2”. Shamek has thrown 138 before, but she’s less consistent than Gajewski is. Reagan McGlaughan of Pana is more consistent than both Gajewski and Shemek, her PR is 134’ 2” and she’s thrown over 130 more than both girls combined this season. If McGlaughan can evade the big throw potential from either girl, she could be in for an easy second place. Lia Prairie of Clifton Central will only be throwing the discus, she could likely end up on the podium with her PR of 133’ 6”. Three other returning all-staters will look to throw a bomb here as well, they are Ellie Doubet of Cambridge, Brooklyn Peterson of Port Byron Riverdale, and Piper Tyson of Mt. Pulaski. 

High Jump

The 1A high jump is gonna be a toss up between several different girls, it’s going to come down to who can clear 5’ 5” first. Jordin Rathburn of Fulton and Brooklyn Kaiser of Lena Winslow both sit atop the high jump leaderboards with their season bests of 5’ 6”. Kaiser is a tad more consistent than Rathburn, but both girls can clear 5’ 2” with little to no issue. Behind them, you’ll see Savannah Streeter of Orion, Evalice Callison of Villa Grove and Emily Wisnewski of Auburn. All three girls have cleared 5’ 5” this season. Callison and Streeter are perhaps the most consistent high jumpers in the state, as both of them have cleared 5’ 4” multiple times this season. Wisnewski has been extremely consistent above 5’ 1”, but she’ll need to be close to her PR if she wishes to get on the podium. Riane Bear of Sullivan is the top returner from last year’s state meet, she was 5’ 4.5” to take second behind Aubrey Phillips of EPG. Bear has a season best of 5’ 4.25”, so she will need to replicate that result if she wants to find herself back in the top two. 

Pole Vault

The returning state champ looks like she’s coming back for another title, the favorite in the vault is Alexis Punsalan of Somonauk. Punsalan won the state title last year with a huge PR of 12’ 0”, which was over a foot greater than her PR at the time. Since then, She has been consistently over 11’ 6” and has the top mark in 1A of 11’ 9.25”. She was the Top Times Champ during the indoor season, and it looks like she’s on her way to another state title. Addie Lehman of Peoria Christian is the only thing standing in Punsalan’s way, she will do her best to make it a close matchup. Lehman has the #2 mark in 1A this year, with a season best of 11’ 7”. She vaulted 11’ 7.75” during the indoor season and she was third at last year’s state meet. She is not quite as consistent as Punsalan, but she is definitely the next best vaulter in the field. After Lehman, you’ll see Ella Brawner of Gillespie and Meagan Carmouche of Bloomington Central Catholic compete for their spot on the podium. Both athletes are the only other vaulters over 11 feet this season, Brawner has a season best of 11’ 2” and Carmouche has a season best of 11’ 0”. Brawner is just a little more consistent than Carmouche is, so she has the slight advantage going into the state meet. Two returning all-staters will be fighting for their spot on the podium as well, they are Aliza Dominique of Sherrard and Chloe McCormick of Downs Tri Valley. Dominique has moved down from 2A, where she finished third last spring. The move down to 1A should help her move up the podium this time around. 

Long Jump

The 1A long jump is extremely good this year, with tons of returning jumpers over 18 feet. Saylor Barry of Mendon Unity is the huge favorite coming in, her PR of 19’ 4” is way ahead of the competition. Barry has not lost an outdoor long jump since her sophomore year, and that includes last year’s state title, which she won with an 18’ 11”. She is a two-time state champion in the long jump, and it would be surprising if she doesn’t make it three here. Behind her, Gabrielle Totten of Okaw Valley will look to break into the top 3. Totten has the next best mark of 18’ 7” this season, and she was fourth at last year’s state meet. She will be joined by Reese Hoene of St. Anthony, who was the runner up behind Barry at the state meet last year. Hoene has a season best of 18’ 3”, which should put her in the conversation for another runner up finish. Ava Bee of Athens has a sneaky PR of 19’ 0” from last season, and she was third at last year’s state meet. This season, she hasn’t gotten into the 18s, but she could still surprise you at the state meet. Abbi Armstrong of Flanagan Cornell will also be a name to look out for. Armstrong has a PR of 18’ 3”, and she was third in the Top Times long jump, ahead of Totten and Bee. She is a returning all-stater, and is not to be ignored in this field.

Triple Jump

This event could not be more up for grabs, there are a plethora of girls who could walk away with a win here. The top mark this season is property of Grace Grothaus of Warsaw West Hancock, who has a season best of 36’ 11.5” She has hit that mark twice this season, and is extremely consistent above 35 feet. This feat of consistency is what gives her the advantage going into the state meet. Diana Huerta of Beardstown hit 36’ 5” at her sectional meet, which was a small PR for her. She is less consistent than Grothaus, but she has breached 36 feet twice this season, which is more than most in this field can say. Meredith Chambers of Shelbyville is a returning all-stater who will likely shake it up in this field. Chambers has a season best of 35’ 11”, but she was the Top Times champ in the triple jump this year. She has gone against the majority of this field before and she’s come out on top, which shows that she can win when it matters. Addison Lucht of Milford was 5th at last year’s state meet in this event, but she has opened her horizons this season to the shot put, where she is also a top ranked athlete. You can’t help but admire her versatility, as she will also be a contender in this year’s triple jump with a season best of 35’ 6.75”. There are several girls who could walk away with a win here, it’ll come down to who can stick a 36 footer when it actually matters.