2026 Track & Field: Breakout Performance Of The Week Voting

Gabriel Gronski - Hersey

Batavia Distance 1600m 4:16.23

Gabriel Gronski had an incredible win at Batavia this past Friday with a blazing 4:16.23 that just barely broke the old meet record of 4:16.59. Gronski has never really had the spotlight on him throughout high school. Just narrowly missing state in the 1600m last year, Gronski still has yet to run on the blue oval. This year, Gronski has already decided to change his fate. His first ever sub 4:20 1600m allowed him to leap into the IL #2 spot. If he keeps this up, we can expect him to dominate the competition in late May. Not to mention, this is only Gronski’s junior year, so he could walk away from his high school track career with several state medals, despite not having one yet.

Ken-Ye Pendleton Jr. - Grayslake Central

NLCC Indoor Championships 60m 6.88

Ken-Ye Pendleton Jr. has always been a relay guy for the Grayslake Central Rams. His most notable performances were his legs in the 3A 5th place 4x100m team and 4th place 4x200m team. Although finishing 28th in the 100m on the blue track last year, Pendleton is making a huge name for himself this indoor season. Starting his club season at a 7.38, Pendleton was not satisfied. He has been consistently chopping time off his short sprint mark, as this past weekend he ran a blitzing 6.88. This marks him as one of the top 3a 60m competitors this indoor season. This could also lead to him being a huge threat in late May.

Giancarlo Pietrasanta - Glenbard South

Batavia Distance 1600m 4:19.75

While Thomas Jochum of Glenbard South was out running a killer 9:02 2 mile at New Balance Nationals, his teammate, Giancarlo Pietrasanta, was letting the state know that Tom isn’t the only crazy distance runner that lives in Glen Ellyn. Pietrasanta has been a great runner throughout his career. He has been a part of some relays that have run in Charleston, as well as being a point scorer for his XC team at Detweiller. But, the spotlight of his team name was mostly surrounding Jochum. However, this race changed all of that. Pietrasanta broke 4:20 for the first time ever in his running career at Batavia Distance Madness, running 4:19.75. So far, he has already dropped off 10 seconds from his peak 1600m best of 4:29 from his outdoor season last year. Pietrasanta has shown that he is truly a force to be reckoned with and adds much more fire to the pit that is 2A distance. 

Ellery Shutt - Woodstock

Batavia Distance 3200m 9:14.17

Ellery Shutt has been one of the best competitors in 2A in recent XC and Track seasons. He has earned many all-state medals, as well as his most recent 3200m medal from last year’s State Finals. However, Shutt has never been seen at the top of the rankings as he’s been floating around that first lead pack. However, after he dropped a gnarly 9:14 this weekend, he has proven that he is just as big of a threat as any other athlete in 2A’s distance events. Instead of sitting in the pack in all of the rankings, Shutt decided to make a statement and put up a time that slots him into a title conversation. If Shutt continues to keep making improvements on his time throughout the season, Shutt has the potential to contend for a top 5, possibly even top 3 spot.

Anneke Dam - Prairie Ridge

Batavia Distance 800m 2:18.72

Anneke Dam is another athlete who has mostly been a relay merchant through her time in high school. During her freshmen year, she did get some attention from being an 800m Sectional Champion. However, even after running a time that was five seconds faster the next week at state, she still fell into the mix, unable to advance to the finals. However, her sophomore year training is already paying off, as she opened her 800m season with the same time as she closed on the blue oval. That was not enough for Dam, though, as she dropped 5 more seconds off of that time at Batavia this weekend, with a mark of 2:18. Only being a sophomore, Anneke Dam has made her mark on several of her competitor’s radars. This PR proves she has what it takes to fight for an all-state medal later in May.

Isabella Ciesla - Huntley

Batavia Distance 3200m 11:03.40

Isabella Ciesla has been Huntley’s number one option in true long distance. Although she is surrounded by her teammates in distances such as the 800m and 1600m, her 3200m and 3 mile (XC) prove to be dominant among her teammates. However, her XC season did not get her to the spotlight that she was looking for. A solid 63rd place finish at Detwiller set her up for a great senior season. However, she has changed this from a great season to a legacy season. She ran 11:03.40 at Batavia this weekend, which breaks into the top 10 for the 3200m in 3a. She is the product of true hardwork, as her 3200m time has dropped almost 3 minutes from her 13:51 opener her freshman year. Now, she has the potential to head home from Charleston with some hardware.

Carly Uehlein - Algonquin (Jacobs)

Burlington Central Preview Shot Put 40’ 11”

You may know Carly Uehlein from her expert status in discus, as she earned a silver medal at the State Finals in 2025. However, Uehlein is clearly not satisfied with one medal. Throwing indoors is mainly focused on the shot putters, as there is no discus event held indoors. Instead of being content with her outdoor throwing, she has truly crafted a cannon for an arm, as she threw almost 41 feet at the Burlington Central Invite, taking the IL #8 spot. This proves that she has become a very versatile thrower going into her senior year. You can expect to hear her name a lot more throughout the season as she will be a tough competitor for all throwers in the 3A division.

Me’She Eubanks - DeKalb

Girls Huntley Invite Long Jump 18’ 5”

Me’She Eubanks shocked the world this weekend as she jumped the new IL #4 distance of 18’ 5” in long jump. Looking at Eubanks’ past, she is a pretty good long jumper, but nothing that was crazy out of the ordinary. She has yet to qualify for the State Finals, and her personal best for Long Jump before this season was 16’ 2”. To start this season, she has been consistently jumping roughly 17’. However, with one crazy leap, she jumped all the way up to the top jumpers in the entire state of Illinois. Out of the four jumps she competed in this weekend, three of them were in the mid 17’s. So, consistency will be a key factor in determining Eubanks’ postseason success. But, for now, Eubanks has broadcasted her talent to the entire state. Now, all Eubanks’ can do is continue to sharpen her technique, as she will contend for an all-state medal in Charleston.