Lincoln-Way Central’s girls track and field team achieved a commendable performance at the Illinois High School Association (IHSA) sectional meet on May 19 at Lockport High School. The team tied for fourth place out of 16 teams, with several athletes qualifying for the upcoming state finals.
The Knights were led by their 4×800-meter relay team, consisting of Jillian Davies, Ana Dal Ponte, Keira Faxel, and Mia Forystek. They won the event with a time of 9:20.50, narrowly missing the school record. The quartet enters the state meet with the fastest seed time.
According to the results, Forystek followed her relay success with a first-place finish in the 800 meters, clocking in at 2:16.98 and holding off a late challenge from Homewood-Flossmoor. As a returning state runner-up, she aims to improve on last year’s performance. Faxel, a freshman, secured victory in the 1600 meters as she continued her transition from junior high success to high school dominance.
Ava Dughetti placed second in the 3200 meters to qualify for state finals. Meanwhile, Kylie Koehler and Cami Friedl earned spots in pole vault by clearing the state standard; Koehler took second place at 3.50 meters while Friedl finished third at 3.20 meters.
“The Knights competed extremely well,” head coach Matt Smith said. “This group has worked hard and deserves this moment.” The next competition for these athletes is the IHSA State Finals.