Somewhat in the shadows of her two more high-profile classmates, Belleville East freshman Maria Effinger has finally come of age.
And at just the right time.
Effinger, the Southwestern Conference champion in the 1,600 meters, will be just one of several Lancers attempting to earn berths in the Class AA State Track and Field Championships today at the Marion Sectional at Marion High.
One of the Lancers' trio of top freshmen, along with Siobhan Steppe and MacKenzie Otten, Effinger will run against the best distance runners in Southern Illinois when competition begins at 4 p.m.
"Maria has just had a very good track season coming off a good cross country campaign in the fall," said Lancers coach Bryan Mitchell. "She is getting stronger, and I would certainly think she has an excellent chance of advancing to state."
The action at Marion is one of four sectional sites today where athletes will attempt to qualify for the Class AA and Class A state meets, which will be held May 16-17 at Eastern Illinois University in Charleston.
Action at the Alton Class AA Sectional also begins at 4 p.m. Edwardsville and Triad, led by defending state discus champion Erin Wykoff, head the list of teams competing.
Most of the top Class A teams, including Columbia, Central, Nashville, Sparta and Wesclin, are competing in the Sparta Sectional, which begins at 3:30 p.m. Metro East Lutheran and Marquette are among the schools at the Hillsboro Sectional.
While Effinger will compete in the 1,600, Otten is one of the favorites to advance in the 800, and Steppe has a chance of advancing if she competes.
An excellent soccer player, Steppe also is on the Lancers soccer team, which also plays this afternoon.
Other top hopes for the Lancers include Roneshia Frye in the 100 hurdles and several of their relays.
"We're hoping to get as many entries through as we can," Mitchell said. "We've just had a great year, and we'd like to be able to carry that on for another week."
Two virtual locks to not only advance to the state are Ronecia Nash, of East St. Louis, and Yolanda Suggs, of Belleville West.
Nash is the defending state champion in the 100 and 200, while Suggs placed in the top four in the 100, 200 and 400 in 2007.
Nash also is the leader of an East St. Louis squad that should be in contention to win the state title. Other top Flyerettes include Brittany Brimmage in the high and long jump and Ebonie Washington in both hurdle events.
Another of the state's best -- O'Fallon high jumper Elaine Patten --also will compete at Marion.
At the Sparta Sectional, Central, which eased to the title at the Cahokia Conference Meet, leads the list of top area teams. The Cougars are led by defending state high jump champion Jessica Hemann and younger sister Jena Hemann. The duo combined to win six events at the Cahokia Conference Meet.
Contact reporter Dean Criddle at 239-2665 or dcriddle@bnd.com.
