By Fred Kroner
The Spartans had three individual winners and took top honors in two relay races on Saturday (May 8) in the Rantoul girls’ track and field invitational.
Junior Ava Knap was the 800-meter champion, winning the race with a time of 2 minutes, 32.64 seconds.
Freshman Payton Carter cleared 10 feet, 9 inches to capture the pole vault. Senior Raegan Crippen was the triple jump leader with a best leap of 31 feet, 5 inches.
Senior Atleigh Hamilton, an Illinois State University recruit, ran the anchor leg of both winning relays, the 400-meter unit and the 1,600-meter foursome.
The 400 group also included Crippen, Carter and Hope Rajlich. Their combined time was 51.53 seconds.
The 1,600 quartet also featured Ashlyn Lannert, Rajlich and Kailyn Ingram. They teamed up for a time of 4 minutes, 19.79 seconds.
The Spartans had high finishes from its other two relay entrants.
The 800-meter squad took second in 1 minutes, 51.06 seconds. Macy Reed-Thompson joined with Carter, Rajlich and Hamilton.
The 3,200-meter foursome ran third in 11 minutes, 14.50 seconds. The runners were Helene Jones, Chloe Burkhalter, Lannert and Taryn Sexton.
Three other Spartans scored points in two individual events.
Grace Schmitz tied for second in the pole vault (10 feet) and ran sixth in the 200 meters (29.31 seconds).
Abby Behrens was the runner-up in the high jump (4-8) and ended sixth in the 100 meters (13.90 seconds).
Yamilka Cassanova had matching fifth-place efforts in the long (12-8) and triple (26-11) jumps.
The team’s other individual placers were Malorie Sarnecki (second in the 400 meters, 1 minutes, 7.76 seconds), Reed-Thompson (third in the high jump at 4-6 ½ ), Ashley Eldridge (third in the shot put at 31-9 ½ ), Jayci Hayes (sixth in 100-meter hurdles in 21.82), Alyssa Hamilton (seventh in the discus at 82-3) and Angie Chahine (eighth in the 100 meters at 14.28 seconds).
In the team chase, first-place Tolono Unity amassed 154 points. SJ-O was the runner-up with 124 points. Tying for third place were Monticello and Paxton-Buckley-Loda (87 points apiece). Eleven schools participated.
SJ-O returns to action on Friday (May 21) in the Unity Invitational.
