Mahomet Seymour High School

Hello Bulldog Fans- I wish I could adequately describe how exciting the atmosphere was inside the Illinois Wesleyan Shirk Center today. For those who have lived the track and field life, you know what I am talking about. The energy, from nerves and excitement, is unmatched. The Illinois Top Times meet is rich in history and tradition. While some people consider it the "Indoor State Meet," we see it as an opportunity to run with athletes who will help us grow. Snapshot view of our day at the IL Top Times: 1st Place (Gold Medal) – 400m Dash: Mady Marx – 56.25 (New Illinois #2 time)- best of her indoor career 1st Place (Gold Medal) – 4x400m Relay: Evie Hillard (1:01), Selma Tilton (1:02), Mady Marx (56), Anniston Huff (1:01) – 4:02.5 (#10 in Illinois) 5th Place (Medal Winner) – 800m Run: Anniston Huff – 2:20.38 (Lifetime Best) 11th Place – 4x800m Relay: Cecily Smith, Finley Smith, Paige Jansen, Ava Cvengros – 10:29.7 20th Place – 400m Dash: Selma Tilton – 1:03.1 Narrative of the Day: We started the day with our 4x800 M. Relay. We asked 4 of the younger runners to step up and run a varsity 4x800 relay with the state's best teams. They all answered the challenge and put it all on the track. Cecily Smith, Finley Smith, Paige Jansen, and Ava Cvengros all stepped up to bring home 11th place in the meet. Next on the track was Anniston Huff. Anniston has been working to lower her 800-meter time this season. That is something that is hard to do on an indoor track. The speed that is required in the 800, combined with the curves for four laps, makes it challenging to drop time. I am excited to share that Anniston ran a lifetime best today of 2:20. Anniston has so much grit and is a fierce competitor. Today, she ran in the best field of 800 m. athletes that I have seen in quite some time. She earned a 5th-place medal! So proud of her and what she will continue to do. That brings us to the open 400m. Selma Tilton ran the 400m dash for fun last week at our last indoor meet of the season. Well, she doesn't approach any opportunity lightly and ended up running fast enough to qualify for today's invite-only meet. With only one 400 m. dash this year, she stepped onto the track and ran one of her lifetime best times, a 1:03, just off of her season best of 1:02. The final heat of the 400 m.dash showcased the best 400 m dash runners in the area. Mady Marx navigated her start with a lot more intensity and intention, something we have been working on. Out of the blocks, it was easy to see that she was the one to watch in this heat. Her 56.25 was the best indoor time of her career. At the time I typed this, she was the #1 400 m. dash runner in the state. The race that everyone gets excited about was next- the 4x400. We went in ranked as the top team, the one that had the target on our backs. Our lead-off leg, Evie Hillard, ran smoothly and confidently! She got us in a really good position out of the blocks, one of the hardest parts of being the lead-off leg in the 4x400, combined with navigating the break line. Evie handled both situations well. Next up was Selma Tilton. With warmed-up legs from her strong 400 m. dash, she maintained our position and navigated the turns well. The handoff to Mady Marx was next. Putting Mady in the 3rd leg is one that is a strategy, as most teams run their strongest leg first or last. Mady took the field over and took us to a 30-meter lead, making it look effortless. Finally, Anniston Huff was waiting for Mady as she navigated the last turn. I can only imagine what Anniston was feeling as she took the baton in the lead. Anniston ran one of the strongest 400 m. races of her career. Coming off the best 800 for her career, she suppressed the feeling of heavy legs and cruised around the track for the final 2 laps for our team. What a day! Your bulldogs wore their jerseys with pride. We celebrated our own victories. As everyone prepares for the madness of the Illinois game soon, we were creating our own March Madness on the track. Now, onto the rain, snow, sleet, wind, hail, cold and heat that accompanies outdoor track season. Have a great day! Oh, quick shout out to Nacny H. for getting us to the meet and home safely. She is a regular route driver for several of our athletes- we always enjoy seeing her.