Griffins’ Brown eager to make amends on track

Updated: May 17, 2011 7:18PM

In a season of successes for a fabulous freshman, it remains the one that got away.

The 200-meter final of the IHSA Class 3A state track championship in 2010.

Aaliyah Brown was the favorite.

She never got to the starting blocks on Saturday because she got out of the blocks too quickly on Friday.

Disqualified for a false start, Brown had to watch the 200 final from the stands after winning the 100 final.

This year, she vows, will be different.

“Finally!” Brown said, recalling of the long year of waiting. “I’ll stay in the blocks for a good five seconds if I have to and make sure I make that final.”

Brown is the leader of a Lincoln-Way East squad that has entrants in seven events at Eastern Illinois, including her in four of them. The Griffins have a shot at a trophy, though several schools, including Chicago Public League power Whitney Young, with 14 entries, and Homewood-Flossmoor, with nine, have more.

The key is advancing individuals and relay teams from Friday’s qualifying session to Saturday’s finals, where the points are scored.

Brown, also in the 100 and the Griffins’ two relays, is one of two defending 3A champions from the area. She captured last year’s 100 title in 11.57 seconds, while Thornton’s Jazjuan Wallace-Sipp won the discus with a throw of 143 feet, 2 inches.

Wallace-Sipp, an Illinois-bound senior, surpassed that with a career-best throw of 146-11 in sectional qualifying and is seeded second to Edwardsville sophomore Emmonnie Henderson. Wallace-Sipp seeks to become the 12th to win at least two discus titles consecutively.

“You want to put your name in the books,” Wallace-Sipp said. “Like (Thornton graduate) Ashley Stacey said, ‘Never give up. No matter where you are in a meet, never give up.’ ”

That’s also Crete-Monee junior Tayler Whittler’s motto. The Warriors jumped to 3A this year, and Whittler’s qualified for the 100, 200 and 400, the only area individual in all three sprints. But Homewood-Flossmoor’s Abieyawa Ehimwenman is in the 200, long jump and triple jump, and likely will anchor in the Vikings’ 800-meter relay.

More than 100 individuals and relay teams will make the trip to Charleston, including a seven-entry Hillcrest team heavy with underclassmen. The Hawks have won the boys 2A title two years running; a trophy for the girls is possible, if juniors Mercedes Young and Brittany Letts and sophomore Destini Artis step up.

Class 2A is enlivened by the presence of Morgan Park, with Elexis Fairley in the 100 and 200, Nyasia Bolden in the 400 and Breonna Green in the 800, plus Ashley Johnson in both hurdle races and the Mustangs in two relays. And nearby Evergreen Park has shown surprising strength in field events with two entries each in the high jump, shot put and discus, with Amber Hunter and Dominique Williams doing the throwing.

Qualifying starts Thursday with Class 1A, including Chicago Christian’s defense of its 3,200 relay title. The Knights have half of last year’s quartet returning in cousins Julie Kamp and Stacey Kamp, with Stacey Kamp also in the 800. Classes 2A and 3A get their chance Friday.

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