Oak Park and River Forest senior Julia Brown began this girls track and field season with fast improvement. At the Cabin Fever Invitational, March 6, in Chicago, the Illinois State University recruit ran the 400-meter dash in 56.75 seconds — a lifetime best by more than two seconds. She joined senior high jumper Bella Brauc in qualifying for the New Balance Nationals Indoor, March 13-16, in Boston.
Brown ran an even faster 56.63 at what is probably the biggest highlight of her running career so far.
“I would say [yes], just watching all of the competition and seeing where I want to be,” she said. “There were so many fast runners. It was amazing.”
Brown was among the Huskies’ five second-place finishes at Hinsdale Central’s Devilette Invitational Thursday. The Huskies were third (80 points).
Senior Alana Gerona had the Huskies’ lone title, taking the 3,200 in 11:49.09.
Brown, who was second in the 200 (26.25), has yet to run the 400 this outdoor season. The New Balance time ranked No. 4 in Class 3A and among all Illinois high school performances this indoor season. At 2024 state, Brown was 20th in the 400 with a then-best 58.83.
“My goal is to go to [the 3A state] finals and hopefully place in the top three,” Brown said. “Honestly, at the beginning [the times surprised me], but now I’ve known I had it in me. It’s now just translating to numbers, so that’s nice.”
Lucy Stein (2:25.72) and Violet Schnizlein (2:27.47) finished 2-3 in the 800.
Also second were Oliwia Slezak (34.71 meters/113-10 in discus), Sheila Johnson (9.86m/32-4¼ in shot put) and the 4 x 200 relay with Bella Brauc, Amelia Hammersley, Chloe Kozicki and Soraya Lewis-Arellano (1:48.74). The 4 x 800 (Julia Chang, Natalie Schiff, Grace Layton, Caroline Vietzen in 10:47.22) was third.
Julia Brown credited weight training with OPRF assistant coach Howard Birmingham for improving her speed.
Slezak, a junior, is seeing benefits from her offseason work with the Zephrys track club. She was a 2024 state qualifier in discus (19th, 109-7) after throwing a season-best 114-6 at sectionals.
“I feel like there’s much more improvement. I definitely feel stronger at practice,” she said.
In her outdoor opener April 8, Slezak threw a lifetime-best 118-5, inches past her previous best as a freshman. The automatic state-qualifying standard at sectionals is 115-6.
“I didn’t throw a [personal record Thursday]. I was close to it and I’m looking forward to beating it next meet definitely,” Slezak said. “I was hoping to break 120 and I was pretty close but this year I’m hoping to reach that 130. I think that would put me in a good spot [state-wise] as a junior.”
Luciana Ramirez (2.74m/9-0 in pole vault) and the 4 x 100 (Julia Brown, Bella Brauc, Lewis-Arellano, Hammersley in 50.67) were fourth. Brauc shared fourth in high jump (1.42m/4-8).
