Illinois IHSA Outdoor State Championships – News

2023 IHSA State Track & Field Championships – Class 1A Girls Meet Storylines

By Michael Newman

First time for this quad for Pope County’s Comer

Ahry Comer of Pope County was a first year track athlete in 2022. No one told her that a triple in the distance races at the IHSA State Meet was tough to accomplish. Nevertheless, she went out and finished second in the 3200 Meter Run, came back to win the 800 Meter Run, and then gutted out the 1600 Meter Run where she finished ninth overall. Not a bad triple under stormy conditions.

Comer took it one stage higher heading into this weekend’s state meet. The junior again qualified for state in the three distance events at the DuQuoin Sectional not having to push in those events. The surprise is that she ran the third fastest time in Class 1A winning the 400 Meter Dash with a 58.01 time.

I do not remember seeing anyone trying to compete at state in those four events. It is something that she could accomplish to get out of the Thursday prelims. She will have Friday to recover to get to Championship Saturday. Comer also has the fastest time this year in the field in the 800 Meter Run with a 2:12.97 time at the Keith Hall Invitational in April. She went under five-minutes two weeks ago in her conference meet with a Class 1A leading time of 4:59.69. She has raced in the 3200 Meter Run twice this season. Once in April (11:12.20) and then in sectionals where she did not run all-out. She has the seventh seeded time coming out of sectionals.

Not one runner has been all-state in those four events at the same state meet. Comer has a good chance to become the first athlete to accomplish that feat.

Triple distance qualifiers welcome a freshman to the group

I wrote at the beginning of the season about the athletes that qualified in all three distance events in the state meet. We have already discussed what lies ahead for Ahry Comer in this weekend’s state meet. Kennady Anderson of Kewanee Wethersfield again accomplished the feat at the Farmington Sectional last Wednesday finishing second in the 320 Meter Run, 800 Meter Run, and placing third in the 1600 Meter Run. In last year’s state meet , she finished third, sixth, and fourth in those three events.

Emily Downing of Cambridge is the newest into the “three distance events at state” club. This freshman stepped into the spotlight in a big way this season. Downing has a chance to earn all-state status in all three. She currently has the…