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Woodstock’s Beattie makes history with 2A wins
Updated: May 21, 2011 8:08PM
CHARLESTON, Ill. — Kayla Beattie has raced against scores of opponents this season and outpaced them all. On Saturday, she took on history and the clock and beat them, too.
The Woodstock senior broke the state-meet and all-time Illinois records in both distance races in the Class 2A girls track finals at Eastern Illinois University’s O’Brien Stadium.
First, Beattie became the first Illinois girl to break 10 minutes in the 3,200 meters, winning by more than 70 seconds with a time of 9 minutes, 56.96 seconds. Then she came back to win the 1,600 in 4:43.65.
Beattie’s dominant high school finale — she now ranks No. 2 nationally in the 3,200 and No. 4 in the 1,600 — are the capper to a career that also featured a pair of 2A cross-country titles and last year’s 3,200 championship.
“It’ll probably sink in tomorrow,” Beattie said. “I probably won’t sleep tonight.”
The 3,200 records — both set in 1984 by Peoria Bergan’s Suzie Tuffey, who also held the 1,600 marks — were the ones Beattie wanted the most.
“I’m a distance runner, the longer the better,” Beattie said. “I never thought of myself as a miler, but this year I’m starting to like it more. ... The last few years I’ve done a lot of speed work. I’m starting to feel fast.”
So is Lindblom sophomore Shamier Little, who won the Class 2A 100 hurdles (14.16) and 400 (54.85) and took third in the 200 (24.53). All three times were personal bests for Little, who is Lindblom’s first state champ since 1977.
She’s already thinking about going faster. “It’s never too early,” she said. “My goals are to get under 52 [seconds in the 400]. If I hit it this year [in summer track], I’ll want to go lower. ... More is going to be expected of me.”
Much was expected of Kankakee senior Dominique Kimpel and she didn’t disappoint, winning the Class 2A 100 and 200 titles for the third consecutive season. This year, she overcame a nagging ankle injury to run 11.69 in the 100 and 24.10 in the 200.
“I want to cry, it feels so good,” Kimpel said.
Morgan Park finished second to Springfield Southeast 50-49, giving Mustangs coach Derrick Calhoun his 14th state trophy in 20 seasons.
Sophomore Elexis Fairley led Morgan Park, running on the winning 400 and 800 relay teams, taking third in the 100 and finishing eighth in the 200. Tia B. Smith ran legs on the two winning relays and the runner-up 1,600 relay.
“They hear about prior [Morgan Park] teams that were championship teams,” Calhoun said. “They had a chance today to step out of that shadow and step into the light for themselves.”
Walther Lutheran won its first state trophy, finishing second to Bryon 54-48 in Class 1A behind sophomore Anna Strong, who was runner-up in the 400 and ran on the winning 400 and second-place 1,600 relay teams.
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