2025 Logan County Track Meet successful and soggy; WLB athletes shine
bright as new record holders
[May 02, 2025]
Junior high track and field teams from Delavan,
Hartsburg-Emden, Carroll Catholic, Chester-East Lincoln, Lincoln
Junior High School, West Lincoln Broadwell, New Holland-Middletown,
Mount Pulaski and Lincoln Zion Lutheran all competed in the 2025
Logan County Track Meet on Wednesday at Lincoln Community High
School.
The Logan County Track Meet is always a great opportunity for the
local youth to showcase their talents and compete against friends
from area schools. It’s an event that each generation can enjoy.
Parents, aunts, uncles, cousins and maybe even siblings who used to
participate and even hold records from years ago, occasionally see
their records fall and yet continue to beam with pride. It’s
rewarding to see the next generation work hard and earn their place
in the record books.
Despite the rainy conditions on Wednesday morning there were many
personal records on the day and a handful of county records broken
by some very outstanding local athletes.
WLB athletes really shined at the county meet, shattering some
long-standing records.
Colby Bowman at a previous meet. Photo by Cindy
Bivin.
WLB’s Colby Bowman set a new 7th grade county record in the 110m
hurdles. Bowman ran the hurdles in 18.14 seconds, breaking the 1996
record held by CEL’s Robbie Given. Given’s old record was 18.34
seconds.
Taylor Short, an 8th grader at WLB, hands down wins the day for her
part in breaking four 8th grade county records. Two of the records
were individual and two were part of a relay team.
Short is now the county record holder in the 400m. She ran it in
1:02.44. Short broke Reese McCuan’s 2018 record of 1:05.84.
Short also holds the top spot in the 800m. She ran that race in
2:27.0. She impressively took down Britney Boerma’s record of 2:40.6
from 1996. Short also broke her own time of 2:36.2 from 2024 as a
7th grader.
Short is also part of the record-breaking 4x200m relay team and the
4x400m relay team.
Sage Gilbert, Paisley Holmes, Olivia Woodhall and
Taylor Short. Photo by Cindy Bivin
The new county record-holding 4x200m relay team consists of WLB’s
Sage Gilbert, Olivia Woodhall, Taylor Short and Paisley Holmes. They
set a new record with a time of 1:55.7. The previous record was
1:58.5 set in 1999 by CEL’s Missy Aper, Alyssa Schneider, Keyana
Moore and Kari McFadden.
Sage Gilbert, Paisley Holmes, Grace Bivin
and Taylor Short. Photo by Cindy Bivin
The new county record-holding 4x400m relay team consists of WLB’s
Grace Bivin, Sage Gilbert, Paisley Holmes and Taylor Short. They set
a new record with an incredible time of 4:44.1. They hustled around
that track, beating the 2005 record of 4:55.4 held by CEL’s Emily
Beralin, Kelli Brooks, Kelsey Bunker and Nicole Benz.
WLB coach Tiffany Battin was excited about her team’s success on
Wednesday and credited the athletes for their hard work.
“Colby has been working hard at practice perfecting his hurdling
form and steps between hurdles,” said Battin. “His hard work has
paid off resulting in breaking a 29-year old county record.”
“Taylor, Paisley, Sage, and Grace are the 2024 7th grade Class 1A
4x100m State Champions and placed 3rd in the 4x400m,” said Battin.
“They recruited Olivia Woodhall to join the track team this year.
Her addition allows us to have a solid relay team and alternate. We
decided to try the 4x200m and 4x400m this year, resulting in WLB
school and county records.”
What can you say about Taylor Short?
The girl is an exceptional athlete and comes from a family of
runners. Her older sister, Mallory, is a senior track standout at
LCHS and her older brother, Preston, is making his own path to
success on the Railsplitters track and field team this season. Both
her older siblings had very successful careers at WLB too.
“Taylor has put in a lot of work in the off season,” said Battin.
“She set a goal to get an individual record on the school record
board. She succeeded in the 800m and the 400m record, that was held
by her sister, Mallory. Breaking four records at the county meet is
an amazing achievement.”
As far as team finishes on Wednesday, Hartsburg-Emden, Mount
Pulaski, Chester-East Lincoln all stood out above the rest as top
teams in this year’s Logan County Track Meet.
The boys’ teams earning first place were: Hartsburg-Emden (7th
grade) and Mount Pulaski (8th grade).
The girls’ teams earning first place were: Mount Pulaski (7th grade)
and Chester-East Lincoln (8th grade).
The West Lincoln Broadwell girls finished a close second to CEL in
the 8th grade girls competition and it was the Hartsburg-Emden 7th
grade girls finishing in second place.
The Mount Pulaski 7th grade boys and Hartsburg-Emden 8th grade boys
also had a great second-place showing on Wednesday.
It is worth noting that while Lincoln Junior High School is allowed
to participate in the county meet and earn individual awards, the
school is not in consideration for a team award due to its larger
enrollment. Team point totals are also not correct on athletic.net
at this time. But each of the teams listed above did finish first
and second, excluding team points earned from Lincoln Junior High
School.
Other team highlights and coach’s comments:
Hartsburg-Emden
It was an outstanding day for the smallest school in the county. A
boys first and second place finish and a girls second place finish
were all really terrific.
The Hartem Stags at the 2025 Logan County Track
Meet. Photo by Nicole Grelck
Alek Lueck won the 7th grade 100m with a time of 13.3 seconds. Lueck
also won the 200m with a PR of 27.7 seconds. Owen Ferguson won the
400m with a PR of 1:04.1. William Boerma finished third in the 400m
with a PR of 1:09.6. Rhett Zinser won the 7th grade 1600m with a PR
of 5:53.3. Mason Grelck won the 110m hurdles with a time of 20.1.
The Stags 4x400m relay team won the 7th grade class with a time of
4:32.2. Graham Hampton joins Boerma, Ferguson and Lueck for that
race. Ferguson won the discus with a toss of 93’7” and that is a PR
for the 7th grader.
Alex Vetter, coach of the Hartem boys team, said, “We are incredibly
proud of our 7th and 8th grade boys' track teams. Both teams faced
strong competition from several neighboring schools. They delivered
standout performances in multiple events, ranging from sprints and
distance races to relays and field events. Our small three-man 8th
grade team pushed themselves hard yesterday, and we couldn’t be
prouder. Our 7th grade team knew they were fighting for a repeat
first place at this meet, and their performance on the track
reflected that. We look forward to seeing them continue to compete
this season. Our 7th grade 4x400m team beat our school record
yesterday by one second. They ran 4:32 at county.”
On the girls side, Lila Cross dominated the field of 800m runners.
Cross, a sixth grader, won the 7th grade race with a time of 3:01.1.
Courtney Cecil tied for third place in the 1600m race for 7th grade
girls. Cecil is a sixth grader who ran a PR of 7:20.3 for the Stags.
The 4x400m relay team of Avia Leesman, Addie Wetherell, Cecil and
Cross won the 7th grade event with a time of 5:23.4. Cecil took the
top spot in the 7th grade high jump with a jump of 4’1” and this was
a PR. Abria Fletcher, Eisley Moos, Aubrey Ferrante-Ferguson and
Jaelynn Hinch also represented the Stags well in their events.
McKenna Lucas, coach of Hartem girls team, was very happy with her
team’s performance Wednesday.
“We couldn’t be prouder of this group of girls,” said Lucas. “They
showed incredible heart, determination, and teamwork yesterday.
Getting second at the conference meet was a total team effort, and
every athlete stepped up when it mattered most. It’s a great moment
for them, and they absolutely earned it. This small team, made up of
5th, 6th, and 7th graders, excelled. We can't wait to see how they
continue to grow this season and the next.”
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Mount Pulaski
The newly-named MPGS Toppers track team had some stars shining
brightly Wednesday in Lincoln.
The MPGS Toppers 7th grade girls. Photo by Mindy
Switzer
The MPGS Toppers 8th grade boys. Photo by Jamie
Anderson
For the boys, Ge’Siah Siebert got second place in the 8th grade 100m
with a time of 12.9 seconds, losing by just a tenth of a second to
Quinten Mead of LJHS. Sronte Siebert won the 7th grade 800m race
with a time of 2:28.2. Jax Shehorn took second in the 8th grade
1600m with a PR of 7:06.8. Jackson Hebenstreit, Zaiden Lahey and
those super-fast Siebert boys won the 4x400m relay in the 8th grade
class with a time of 4:41.2. In field events, Race Turner took
second in the shot put with a PR of 34’6.5”. Turner is an 8th
grader. Cooper Kretzinger won the 7th grade boys long jump with a
leap of 13’6” for the Toppers.
For the girls, Maebri Bender looked like a seasoned veteran in her
first year out for track. The 8th grader won the 100m with a time of
14.2 seconds. She was also part of the 4x100m relay team that took
first with a time of 59.9. The speedsters included Taylah Wakeman,
Swayzie Titus, Addison Deibert and Maebri Bender. Bender swept the
8th grade shot put and discus county titles, too. She tossed the
shot put 23’8” and the discus 57’5”.
Mount Pulaski athletes have some strength and it Lily Zirkelbach
winning the 7th grade shot put toss with a throw of 23’4” while she
also took the discus title with a throw of 57’1”.
Addison Deibert took the long jump title for 7th grade with a jump
of 13’1.5”.
MPGS track and field coaches, Jamie Anderson and Mindy Switzer, each
offered some comments about their Toppers.
"Coach Switzer and I are super excited and proud of our athletes and
how they performed,” said Anderson. “The conditions weren’t ideal
during the county tournament, but the MPGS Toppers made the best of
it and kept on competing. It was a great meet and all of the county
teams did very well and many of the races and events came down to
the slimmest of margins. It proved to be a great warm-up as we get
closer to the sectional meet and the end of our track season.”
“I have several returning girls this year who have come back
stronger than last year,” said Switzer. “One of my 7th graders,
Taylah Wakeman, won the 400m dash yesterday and is determined to
make it to state this year in that event. Another returning athlete,
who won both of her events yesterday was Lily Zirkelbach. She got
first place in 7th grade shot put and discus. I also have a few
newbies who have been great additions to our team. One of those
being 8th grader, Maebri Bender, who actually won all four of her
events yesterday (100m, shot put, discus, 4x100m relay, which she
ran with Taylah Wakeman, Swayzie Titus, and Addison Deibert) and
Addison Deibert who received first place in long jump.
Our team this year is very strong together and individually. They
work so hard and always give their best effort. As a coach you
cannot ask for more than that. I am very proud of each of our
trackletes and cannot wait to see how well they perform next
Saturday at Sectionals.”
Chester-East Lincoln
The Panthers pack a punch with their small track and field team.
The CEL Panthers 8th grade girls. Photo by Erica
Maynard
Addi Mauhar finished in second place in the 8th grade 400m with a PR
of 1:09.2. She finished behind WLB’s Taylor Short. Maya Leesman ran
a PR of 2:56.0 in the 800m for third place. Savannah Petinga was
third in the 1600m with a time of 8:00.6. This was a PR for the 8th
grader. The 4x100m relay team finished in second place with a time
of 1:03.3. Addie Shaw, Khloe Dirks, Chesney Davison and Izzy Zupsich
make up the relay team. The 4x200 relay team of Gracie Adams,
Addalyn Catey, Emery Maynard and Addi Mauhar took second with a time
of 2:02.4. The 8th graders also showed out for the 4x400m relay.
Catey, Shaw and Davison were joined by Luci Gallagher to take second
place with a time of 5:34.2.
Savannah Petinga got second place in the 7th grade shot put with a
toss of 21’10”. That is a PR for her. Addie Shaw was third in the
8th grade shot put with a PR toss of 19’10”. Catey and Maynard
finished second and third in the 8th grade discus, 55’0” and 54’1”
were their throws. Maynard also took second in the high jump,
hitting 4’0” for a season best jump. Mauhar won the 8th grade long
jump by jumping 13’2”.
The Panthers are coached by the mother-son duo, Erica and Evan
Maynard.
“Coach Evan and I are extremely proud of the hard work and
dedication displayed by these girls,” said Erica Maynard. “Despite
less-than-ideal conditions, they poured their hearts into their
performances. Logan County has incredible athletes that continue to
push one another to be their best. We had a few younger girls step
up and help compete in a few events. Remarkably, seven of our
athletes achieved new personal records yesterday. Even with a small
but mighty 8th grade team, we secured our title as back-to-back
Logan County Champions.”
A couple Panther standouts from the county meet on the boys side
included: Grady Rutledge, Liam Brandt, Konner VanCleve, Cruze
Komnick, Jacob VanWinkle, Eli Maynard, Dawson Kilmartin and Gauge
Danison.
Lincoln Junior High School
Even though the Trojans scores are not included in the team
standings, the junior high has some incredible talent that finished
individually in first place in the 100m, 200m, 800m, 1600m and 110m
hurdles. They also excelled in the high jump and on several relay
teams.
Olivia Gail and Brooklyn Edwards, long Jumpers
from LJHS. Photo by Leslie Singleton
Leslie Singleton, the LJHS girls coach, offered these words.
“The Logan County Track Meet was a bit “under the weather,” but we
managed to get some really good times and had some really successful
events. We had some impressive performances from all levels of
athletes and the best part was seeing the athletes smiling and
competing together with their local friends. It is always fun to
watch the athletes push themselves to get their PR’s and some even
break school/meet records. Taylor Short was amazing at breaking
several records and it was fun to watch.”
“The 8th grade boys 4x100m relay team went neck and neck to the
finish line, with Lincoln Junior High crossing the line first, but
congratulating each other at the finish is the most positive thing,”
added Singleton.
“The girls 7th grade 200 meter dash went neck and neck with two of
our own Lincoln Junior High athletes, but ending in smiles and high
fives,” said Singleton.
From the LJHS athletes:
“It was fun because we got to run against our best friends from
other schools.” - Lylah
“It was cold and rainy, but a very fun day.” - Grayson
“It was exciting to go and make our PR’s” - Kattalaya
“Even though we don’t score in the team results, we still have fun
competing and making our PR’s - lots of us got ribbons for our
events.” - Jersi
“It was a lot of fun watching other athletes in their events and
breaking records.” - Collin and Jordan
There are many more athletes that deserve mentioning, like Beckett
King and Jayce King from Carroll Catholic, Ryder Conrady and Braelyn
Wright from WLB, Florence Schmidgal and Charlie Green from Delavan,
Hadley Lichauer, Lilah Hofer, Andres Pablo and Quinten Mead from
LJHS, just to name a few because there really are a ton of talented
kids working hard on the track and in field.
Maybe next year the weather will be better.
For a complete listing of the individual winners in each of the
thirteen events and times check out athletic.net and search for the
Logan County Track Meet in Illinois.
Congratulations to all of the athletes who competed in the 2025
Logan County Track Meet.
[Teena Lowery]
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