Liberty, Lincoln athletes medal at state track meet in East Peoria
May 25-The future of track and field was on display at the IESA Class 3A and 4A State Track and Field Championships on May 22-23 in East Peoria.
Liberty Middle School's seventh-grade boys led the area contingent, tying Galesburg for third place in Class 4A with 25 points. Lincoln was fifth with 24 points.
For eighth-grade boys, Liberty finished eighth and Lincoln tied for 28th.
In Class 4A seventh-grade girls, Liberty and Lincoln tied for 17th.
For eighth-grade girls, Lincoln tied for 14th and Liberty tied for 29th.
Below is a look at state medalists from each of the state meets.
Seventh-grade boys
Normal Kingsley won the team title with 77 points, followed by Mount Prospect Lincoln with 38 points.
Liberty's Josh Payne won the pole vault, clearing 2.84 meters.
Austin Allaria added a second-place finish in the shot put with a throw of 13.25 meters.
Lawrence Hooks IV finished fourth in the 100-meter dash in 12.03 and seventh in the 200-meter dash in 24.33.
Lincoln's Harrison Manthey won the shot put title with a throw of 14.30 meters. He also placed seventh in the discus with a mark of 33.26 meters.
Adrian Ferdinand finished third in both the 800-meter run in 2:10.56 and the 1,600-meter run in 4:54.55.
Eighth-grade boys
Normal Kingsley won the team title with 59 points, while University Park Crete-Monee was second with 40 points.
Liberty took eighth with 17 points, and Lincoln tied for 28th with seven points.
Liberty's Alex Siegel took second in the discus with a throw of 44.02 meters.
The 4x200-meter relay team finished second in 1:36.65, while the 1,600-meter sprint medley relay team took eighth in 3:57.18.
For Lincoln, Preston Brown was seventh in the 1,600-meter run in 4:47.74, and Ryder Aholt was eighth in the high jump at 1.68 meters.
In the relays, the 4x400-meter relay team placed fifth in 3:46.35, and the 4x200-meter relay team finished ninth in 1:38.86.
Seventh-grade girls
Minooka won the team title with 49 points, followed by Flossmoor Parker with 38 points.
Liberty and Lincoln tied for 17th with 11 points.
Aseda Adu-Affum led Liberty's medalists with a seventh-place finish in the 200-meter dash in 27.12.
Liberty's 4x400-meter relay team placed third in 4:22.45, while the 4x100-meter relay team finished sixth in 53.11.
Lincoln's Jaiden Coleman took third in the high jump with a clearance of 1.40 meters.
Aynsleigh Shelton added an eighth-place finish in the discus with a throw of 24.66 meters.
Lincoln's 4x100-meter relay team placed fifth in 52.79.
Eighth-grade girls
New Lenox Martino won the team title with 42 points, while Arlington Heights Thomas and Mahomet-Seymour tied for second with 35 points.
Lincoln tied for 14th with 13 points, while Liberty tied for 29th with five points.
Lincoln was led by Layla Wilson, who took third in the 100-meter hurdles in 15.74.
In the relays, the 4x100-meter relay team finished fourth in 51.19, the 4x400-meter relay team was seventh in 4:20.24 and the 1,600-meter sprint medley relay team placed ninth in 4:36.13.
Willa Helmers accounted for Liberty's lone individual state medal with a ninth-place finish in the high jump at 1.45 meters.
Liberty's 4x200-meter relay team finished fourth in 1:48.56.
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