Hundley, PVO 400-meter relay win IESA Sectional titles

By Fred Kroner

Prairieview Ogden had athletes qualify for the boys’ Class 1A IESA state track and field meet in six eighth-grade events and in four seventh-grade events.

The qualifying meet was the Newton Sectional, held on Saturday (May 6).

The PVO eighth-graders were sectional titlists in two events.

Aiden Hundley won the discus (personal-best 106 feet, 11 inches).

The school’s 400-meter relay unit of Kaden Wedig, Garrett Loschen, Jack Wear and Hundley were victorious in a time of 51.19 seconds.

Also advancing to state for the eighth-grade team, after securing runner-up finishes, were Hundley (800 meters in a personal-best 2:22.04), Loschen (high jump at 5 feet, 3 inches), Wear (110-meter high hurdles in 16.91 seconds) and Wedig (400 meters in a personal-best 58.67 seconds).

Winners in all 14 events qualified for state as did others who met pre-determined times or distances.

Loschen, Wear and Wedig captured top-10 finishes in two events each where they did not advance to state.

Wedig was fourth in the long jump (personal-best 15 feet, 10 inches) and seventh in the 100 meters (personal-best 12.89 seconds).

Wear was seventh in the long jump (15 feet, 2 ¼ inches) and eighth in the 200 meters (personal-best 27.94 seconds).

Loschen was eighth in the 400 meters (1:07.17) and eighth in the 110-meter high hurdles (19.83 seconds).

Hundley was fifth in the 100 meters (personal-best 12.74 seconds), Alex Vaughn was sixth in the shot put (32 feet, 6 ¾ inches) and Jaxon Labounty was eighth in the discus (82 feet, 5 inches).

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PVO’s seventh-grade state-qualifiers all advanced after winning sectional titles.

Jebb Aden was triumphant in the 110-meter high hurdles (18.95 seconds). Royce Loschen was the victor in the long jump (personal-best 13 feet, 7 ½ inches) and Lucas Waters took top honors in the shot put (personal-best 31 feet, 2 ¼ inches).

Aden, Waters and Loschen joined Logan Wedig on the state-qualifying 400-meter relay team. Their combined time was 55.18 seconds.

Three of PVO’s other top-10 finishers posted personal-best performances: Logan Wedig (third in the 200 meters in 29.25 seconds), Dorian Davenport (fifth in the 400 meters in 1:07.80) and Waters (seventh in the 100 meters in 14.20 seconds).

Royce Loschen registered a third-place finish in the 400 meters (1:06.66) and a fourth-place finish in the 800 meters (2:49.70). Aden took sixth in the high jump (4 feet, 4 inches) and ninth in the 100 meters (14.25 seconds).

PVO’s 800-meter relay grouping of James Ketchum, Cale Ackerman, Ryan Schmitz and Davenport ran seventh in 2:23.02.

The Class 1A state meet will be held at the EastSide Centre, in East Peoria, on Friday (May 12) and Saturday (May 13).