Like a broken record Clark-Lewis sets another meet mark

CHAMPAIGN – One by one, they came to the finish line in first place. Success stories. All of them.

Perhaps their motivation was internal. Maybe it was strictly due to their competitiveness. Or, it could have been the rainbow which graced the eastern sky at the outset of Monday's 25th edition of The News-Gazette Honor Roll track and field meet at the University of Illinois facility.

Many of the athletes competing on the rain-drenched track were using the meet as a final tuneup for the state meet, which starts Friday.

For the second straight year, Rantoul's Kiara Clark-Lewis broke a meet record. She outraced the field in a restarted 100-meter dash, stopping the clock in 12.0 seconds.

The previous mark of 12.3 was held jointly by three individuals, including Monday's runner-up, Centennial's Leslie Washington. Ironically, Washington also ran quicker than her previous meet mark. Her time was 12.2.

Clark-Lewis, who did not try to defend her 200 meet title, said her first start in the 100 was better than her second.

"I had a very good start that time," she said. "The second time, my blocks slipped."

The race was restarted because the timing system failed to activate. The record set by Clark-Lewis was the only one broken in the girls' portion of the event.

For Centennial's Uma Patel, the Honor Roll meet was her farewell to competition.

A non-state qualifier, the senior not only won the 3,200 but lowered her season's best time by 22 seconds. She ran the eight-lap event in 12:14.30.

"To get my personal best in my very last meet, I'm satisfied," Patel said. "I had people to run with."

For Prairie Central's Erin Clark, the meet provided her an opportunity to build confidence for state. Her first discus toss of the day went 126 feet, 2 inches, which was her best mark of the season and one which none of the other seven competitors could match.

When Clark released it, she had a good feeling.

"It came off perfectly and I felt my body weight transfer to the front," Clark said.

She'll compete in the Class AA state meet this weekend, but the Hawks have learned they'll be reclassified to Class A again starting in August. A junior, Clark has mixed emotions.

"I'm kind of disappointed because I like the AA competition," she said, "but I'm kind of happy because I could excel in Class A."

In the unscored meet, competitors from Mahomet-Seymour were victorious in seven of the events. The rainy weather prompted numerous coaches to scratch their competitors, but the Bulldogs were undaunted by the conditions.

Josi Parker, who anchored the winning 3,200 relay, said Monday was just another day at the track.

"We practice in this all the time, so we were prepared," Parker said. "It was fun."

She followed Jennifer Fall, Julie Jarrett and Jessica Butcher in the 3,200, which won by nearly 38 seconds over Urbana University High.

Three of the four runners returned for the meet-ending 1,600 relay, which M-S also won. Parker ran the leadoff leg and was joined by Marya Esworthy, Jarrett and Fall.

Teammate Laura Morris took home first-place medals in all three of her individual events. She cleared 5-4 in the high jump before stopping to avoid injury. She also captured the long jump and the 100 high hurdles.

Though she did not equal her season bests, there was no disappointment.

"It's not always about time," Morris said. "You have to compete against the competition. I feel good."

Other Bulldogs who emerged as Honor Roll champions were Hannah Schaap in the 1,600 (season-best 5:20.4) and Daniella Bunch in the shot put (39-2).

The same four Centennial runners – in the same order – teamed up for victories in the sprint relays.

Bisi Adesida, Danielle Banks, Kaitlyn Eisner-Poor and Washington were timed at 50.04 in the 400 and 1:48.3 in the 800.

In the 800 meters for individuals, a late-season rivalry was renewed. For the fourth time in 11 days, Hoopeston Area freshman Erika Ramos and Oakwood/Armstrong-Potomac junior Ashley Sermak were 1-2 in the event.

They previously met in the Vermilion County, Vermilion Valley Conference and GCMS Sectional meets. At the UI facility, Ramos finished the race in 2:26.2. Runner-up Sermak came in at 2:27.7.

Before the race was one-fourth finished, Ramos thought she was in trouble.

"My shoes came untied," she said. "Both of them."

Still, she had enough left to come-from-behind in the final 200 meters.

"That's the position I'm usually in," said the late-charging Ramos.

Like Centennial, Danville secured three first-place finishes. Tiffani Nailor won the 200 (26.4), Shantaia Carter won the 400 (59.3) – both in season-best times – and the 800 medley, anchored by 400 runner Autymne Savage was triumphant.

Joining Savage were Adrianna Carter, Johnaya Britt and Shantaia Carter, who ran the 200 leg.

The relay prevailed by 2.5 seconds and Shantaia Carter said the key was, "really good handoffs." The foursome is on a strong run heading into state.

The Vikings' medley also was victorious in the sectional and Big 12 Conference meets.

"We had no doubts tonight," Shantaia Carter said.

Argenta-Oreana senior Jennifer Johnson was the triple jump winner, edging Cissna Park's Heidi McKean by 1 inches. Johnson's winning leap was 34-0.