Already a 2022 Class 3A all-stater in discus, Oak Park and River Forest High School senior Reese Garland should also be making a statement in shot put this season.
Garland completed the indoor track and field season March 25 placing second in the Class 3A girls shot at the Illinois Top Times Indoor Championships at Illinois Wesleyan University with a lifetime-best 13.05 meters/42 feet, 9.75 inches – the best distance by any 3A thrower this indoor season.
“I threw a [best] by over three feet, so I’m super excited. I like the high-pressure situations, definitely, just like last year at state,” Garland said.
The Huskies return 10 athletes from last year’s 13 state entries, which included all four relays, after winning the Proviso East Sectional and tying for second at the West Suburban Conference Silver Meet. OPRF was fifth at the indoor WSC Silver Meet March 17 (41 points).
In her state debut, Garland was an all-state fifth in discus behind two seniors with a lifetime-best 39.18 m/128-6. She swept both events at the outdoor WSC Silver Meet but was third in shot at sectionals and did not advance.
Garland won shot at this season’s indoor WSC Silver Meet (11.97m/39-3.25). Next season, she’s throwing at the University of Southern California.
“I want to win state, for both disc and shot,” Garland said. “I’ve been training every day, been putting in the work. I’ve been really excited, really locked in.”
Other returning 2022 state qualifiers are junior Katie Stabb in the 3,200-meter run (18th, lifetime-best 10:57.61), senior Natalie Quinn in the 1,600 (19th, 5:39.23), seniors Rhea Richards and Saniya Shotwell and junior Chloe Johnson from the 800 relay (17th, 1:46.47) and 4×100 relay (18th, 50.02), juniors Samantha Welin and Lenny Sterritt and Quinn from the 3,200 relay (19th, 10:00.91) and sophomore Bella Brauc, junior Willa Aumann and Shotwell from the 1,600 relay (26th, 4:26.61).
All four relays ran season-best times at sectionals. Junior Hannah Franke’s 9-3 in pole vault lost out on the second-place state berth on a tiebreaker to graduated teammate Lena Tang. Sterritt qualified for the state cross country meet in November (111th place).
The Huskies graduated two standouts – 2021 3,200 state champion Josephine Welin (University of Washington) and sprinter Darnesha Fraley (Purdue Northwest).
In 2021, Richards also was part of the state-qualifying 800 relay (21st, 1:47.84).
“I think we’re doing to do good this season. We’ve got some great new girls, some incredible people are coming back. I think it’s looking promising,” Richards said. “I’m hoping to go back [to state] for the same races. I came in third in the 200 at sectionals so it would be lovely to compete in the 200 at state.”
Other returnees from the sectional lineup are seniors Alicia Gaylord and Teshell O’Neal and juniors Fiona Cunningham, Brianne Davis, Elsie Kren, Anne Lynch and Taylor Smith, who was second at the indoor WSC Silver Meet in triple jump (10.33m/33-10.75).
Seniors Justice Clark, Abby Lofgren, Avery Minnis, juniors Charlotte Andersson, Katherine Johnston and Tate Scanlan, sophomores Julia Brown and Nora Butterly and freshman Julia Max also competed for the varsity at the indoor WSC Silver Meet.
Frosh-soph indoor champions included freshmen Maisie Hoerster in long jump (4.72m/15-6) and triple jump (10.42m/34-2.25) and Alexis Henderson (1.47m/4-10 in high jump) and the 800 relay with sophomore Blaire Brown, freshman Mia King, Henderson and Hoerster (1:53.70).