Conference accolades for ladies

By Lenny Sementi

Tuscola’s girls track team secured 7 first-place medals in what will be the final full Central Illinois Conference track meet with Sullivan and St Theresa exiting the league following the school year. The Lady Warriors battled their way to a third-place finish as a team behind big nights by Lia Patterson, Kate Foltz, Natalie Hastings and Kenna Clodfelder.

Patterson secured spots on the top of the podium in 3-events winning the 200-meter dash with a personal best 25.06 seconds, and both hurdle events breaking the tape in the 100-meter highs in 15.11 and the 300-lows in a season-best 45.36. The second-year runner came up less than a half-second short 100-meter dash finishing second with a personal best time of 12.42. Chloe Bowden scored in the 100 as well, taking fourth overall setting a personal record finishing in 13.36.

Kate Foltz did her damage in the 800 and 3200-meter runs. The freshman won both, turning two laps in 2:24 and laps in 11-minutes and 10-seconds. She added to her medal haul, joining Rylie Vanausdoll, Mia Hausmann and Clodfelder for a second-place effort in the 4×400-meter relay. Clodfelder, Hausmann and Vanausdoll then lined up with Bowden for a pair of bronze medals in the 4×100 and the 4×200 relays. Coach Drew Sterkel’s squad added fifth-place points to the mix in the 4×800 utilizing Lauren Woods, Olivia Coll, Braidy Stahler and Ann Brazzell.

Natalie Hastings led the way in the field events winning the discus with a toss of 113.94 meters while taking third in the shot PR’ing with a throw of 36.06 feet. Olivia Wallace added to the point total with a fourth-place finish in the discus. Clodfelder was third in the triple jump, while Vanausdoll and Belle Notaro was fourth in the long jump and Pole Vault, respectively.