BLOOMINGTON, Ill. — Before the gun went off for the 200-meter dash at the Illinois Prep Top Times indoor track meet Saturday, Conant senior Toni Graham was nervous. It was her last event of the meet, and she had just come off a stellar showing in the 800 relay.
The Alabama recruit didn’t disappoint at Illinois Wesleyan’s Shirk Center. She won the 200 in 24.94, ending a day in which she was named female athlete of the meet.
‘‘I was so nervous, and I thought I was going to cry,’’ Graham said. ‘‘It was my last race and everyone was looking at me, especially after the [relay], and I didn’t want to let anyone down.’’
She ran the anchor leg on the winning 800-meter relay, which closed a 10-meter deficit and came back from fifth to win in 1:45.80. Her final leg held off Proviso East, which ended up second in 1:46.25.
‘‘They had me in lane seven, and I was upset,’’ Graham said. ‘‘I was running with a little rage, and I passed a couple girls on the outside, and the girl who was in front looked like she was pretty far away. I didn’t hear anything, and with 200 to go I ran.’’
Graham started the day with a win in the 55 dash in 7.0 seconds.
‘‘Coming out of the blocks in my prelims, I was not happy, and when I came back [in the finals] I had a better start and I ran like I wanted it,’’ she said.
The meet’s other multiple winner was Waubonsie Valley junior Shakeia Pinnick, who won the 400-meter dash in 56.35 seconds and the 55 hurdles in 8.13.
Two-time state shot-put champ Bailey Wagner of Grant was noticeably absent. Wagner, a Georgia Tech recruit, is serving a five-week suspension for an incident two weeks ago and should be back with the team before the last week of April, coach Jim Cramer said.
Wagner’s teammate Tori Ziegler, who will run track for Illinois State, finished second in the shot put with a throw of 43 feet, 10 inches. She finished second behind winner Daniella Bunch of Mahomet-Seymour, who threw a meet-record 47-2.
Palatine senior Mat Smoody won the boys’ 800 in 1:53.92 on a flat indoor track, a national best according to Dyestat.com. Smoody came from behind to win and was named male athlete of the meet with Bartonville Limestone’s Nick Holmes.
Marian Catholic’s Mitchell Erickson won the pole vault with 16 feet, 8 inches. He was seeking a meet-record 17-feet, Œ-inches but failed on his three attempts. The meet record is 17 feet.
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