Six members of the girls track and field team participated in five events at the 2A state meet at Eastern Illinois University in Charleston May 16-18.
The results from the meet are:
- Cassia Collins, high jump, 14th place (preliminary)
- Taara Sajdeh, 1600m (5:30), 27th place (preliminary); 3200m (12:08), 21st place
- Maxine Hurst, discus (27.98m), 23rd place
- Taara Sajdeh, Celia Lukas, Sofia Picciola, Suna Choi-Hortacsu, 4x800m (11:01), 35th place (preliminary)
Team captain Julia Grotthuss is proud of the team’s performance and improvement since the start of the season.
“If I were to describe the team this season in one word, it would be progress,” Julia said. “As a team we all started out at a baseline, and then were able to improve.”
Cassia broke her personal record of 4’10” at state. She prepared for this season by staying active throughout the fall and winter. Cassia also improves flexibility and balance by doing yoga once a week.
“I generally like to stay really fit,” Cassia said. “ I do sports for my own health and for fun. I’m a happier person when I’m exercising.”
Cassia is a part of the small community that is field events and distance running: she is the only high jumper on the team. For her, the team is brought together through the intense conditioning they do.
“The team is really positive and supportive of each other,” Cassia said. “It’s definitely an environment where you don’t have to feel embarrassed for trying.”
In addition to the support the team receives from their coaches, the energy of the team is brought up by the athletes themselves.
“We do pep talks before races and they are a pretty big deal,” Julia said. “We try to keep it light, and this season’s freshmen were a big help.”
