Local Programs Shine as Lincoln-Way Central, Crete-Monee, and Lincoln-Way West Capture Titles at Marszalek Invitational

The local track and field scene was on full display Friday afternoon, April 24, 2026, as Lincoln-Way Central, Lincoln-Way West, Crete-Monee, and Providence Catholic traveled to Lockport Township High School for the highly competitive Christine Marszalek Invitational. While Chicago St. Ignatius College Prep narrowly edged host Lockport for the team championship, the quartet of local programs combined for five individual event titles, one relay championship, and dozens of top-tier finishes.

Lincoln-Way Central paced the local contingent, securing a third-place overall team finish with 87.33 points. The Knights showcased exceptional depth across the board, led by senior Kylie Koehler, who vaulted to a gold medal in the pole vault with a clearance of 3.42 meters. Sophomore Autumn Guzak also delivered a standout performance in the high jump, clearing 1.57 meters to earn a silver medal. In the throwing rings, junior Ashley Abraham secured significant points for Central, earning bronze in the discus (32.14m) and fourth in the shot put (9.78m). The Knights’ runners were equally impressive, with junior Mia Forystek taking second in the 400-meter dash (58.31) and the 4×800-meter relay team racing to a runner-up finish (10:13.76).

Crete-Monee (seventh place, 52.5 points) brought the thunder in the field events and short sprints. Junior Ayomide Olanrewaju dominated the shot put, launching a season-best 10.82-meter throw to capture the individual crown. On the runway, junior Tamryn Farmer soared to victory in the long jump with a personal-best leap of 5.85 meters. Farmer also grabbed bronze in the 200-meter dash (26.30) and was a vital leg on Crete-Monee’s victorious 4×200-meter relay team. The quartet of freshman Jada Franklin, freshman Judea Milton, Farmer, and senior Lauren Glover executed flawless handoffs to break the tape in 1:46.22, defeating the runner-up host team by more than four seconds.

Lincoln-Way West (sixth place, 66.67 points) utilized a stellar youth movement to rack up points. Freshman Mia DiBenedetto claimed the high jump title, matching Lincoln-Way Central’s Guzak at 1.57 meters but securing the gold on tiebreakers. Freshman Paige Slazyk matched the Knights’ Koehler in the pole vault at 3.42 meters, taking home the silver medal. Senior Emily Hendrick added another silver for the Warriors, tossing the shot put a season-best 10.45 meters to finish right behind Crete-Monee’s Olanrewaju. On the track, junior Emma Novotny blazed to a second-place finish in the 300-meter hurdles, crossing the line in a personal-best 46.57 seconds.

Providence Catholic rounded out the local efforts, battling hard in a deep 12-team field to get on the scoreboard. Junior Kathryn Flynn earned team points for the Celtics, tying for eighth place in the pole vault with a season-best clearance of 2.66 meters. Senior Sydney Earing also put forth a strong dual-jump effort, placing 16th in both the long jump (4.63m) and triple jump (9.42m).

Game Summary

Score by Teams

Scoring

• (Sprints & Short Hurdles)

  • 100m Dash: Maliyah Miller (St. Ignatius) – 12.01a

  • 200m Dash: Chika Ezike (St. Ignatius) – 26.02a; Tamryn Farmer (Crete-Monee) – 26.30a

  • 100m Hurdles: Sydney Cline (Lockport Twp.) – 14.77a

• (Mid-Distance & Long Hurdles)

  • 400m Dash: Maliyah Miller (St. Ignatius) – 56.35a; Mia Forystek (Lincoln-Way Central) – 58.31a

  • 800m Run: Gabriella Duque (St. Ignatius) – 2:20.35a; Jillian Davies (Lincoln-Way Central) – 2:24.17a

  • 1600m Run: Alexandra Furey (Hinsdale Central) – 5:19.84a

  • 3200m Run: Grace Gruber (Hinsdale Central) – 11:59.10a; Ava Ferrucci (Lincoln-Way West) – 13:06.49a

  • 300m Hurdles: Sydney Cline (Lockport Twp.) – 46.17a; Emma Novotny (Lincoln-Way West) – 46.57a

• (Relays)

  • 4×100 Relay: Lockport Twp. – 49.01a

  • 4×200 Relay: Crete-Monee – 1:46.22a

  • 4×400 Relay: Lockport Twp. – 4:12.28a

  • 4×800 Relay: St. Ignatius – 9:54.36a; Lincoln-Way Central – 10:13.76a

• (Field Events)

  • Shot Put: Ayomide Olanrewaju (Crete-Monee) – 10.82m; Emily Hendrick (Lincoln-Way West) – 10.45m

  • Discus: Sonia Strzalka (Lemont) – 33.88m; Ashley Abraham (Lincoln-Way Central) – 32.14m

  • High Jump: Mia DiBenedetto (Lincoln-Way West) – 1.57m; Autumn Guzak (Lincoln-Way Central) – 1.57m

  • Pole Vault: Kylie Koehler (Lincoln-Way Central) – 3.42m; Paige Slazyk (Lincoln-Way West) – 3.42m; Kathryn Flynn (Providence Catholic) – 2.66m

  • Long Jump: Tamryn Farmer (Crete-Monee) – 5.85m

  • Triple Jump: Avery Bonino (Hinsdale Central) – 11.24m; Carson Harrington (Crete-Monee) – 10.21m

Individual Statistics

100 METERS: Maliyah Miller (St. Ignatius) 12.01; Sydney Cline (Lockport Twp.) 12.34; Allison Mytys (Downers Grove South) 12.37.
200 METERS: Chika Ezike (St. Ignatius) 26.02; Allison Mytys (Downers Grove South) 26.20; Tamryn Farmer (Crete-Monee) 26.30; Paige Slazyk (Lincoln-Way West) 27.49.
400 METERS: Maliyah Miller (St. Ignatius) 56.35; Mia Forystek (Lincoln-Way Central) 58.31; Riley Drew (Lockport Twp.) 1:00.22; Katie Petrosky (Lincoln-Way Central) 1:00.30.
800 METERS: Gabriella Duque (St. Ignatius) 2:20.35; Ella Gray (Hinsdale Central) 2:22.65; Maya Fedko (Lemont) 2:23.34; Jillian Davies (Lincoln-Way Central) 2:24.17.
1600 METERS: Alexandra Furey (Hinsdale Central) 5:19.84; Marin Backus (Hinsdale Central) 5:21.10; Lucy McCormick (Hinsdale Central) 5:22.73; Aubrey Shipman (Lincoln-Way Central) 5:44.31.
3200 METERS: Grace Gruber (Hinsdale Central) 11:59.10; Anneli Misner (Oak Lawn) 12:16.91; Giana Maloney (Lockport Twp.) 12:53.48; Ava Ferrucci (Lincoln-Way West) 13:06.49.
100M HURDLES: Sydney Cline (Lockport Twp.) 14.77; Jada Judkins (Downers Grove South) 16.51; Megan Winters (St. Ignatius) 16.81.
300M HURDLES: Sydney Cline (Lockport Twp.) 46.17; Emma Novotny (Lincoln-Way West) 46.57; Shania Davison (Plainfield Central) 47.15.
SHOT PUT: Ayomide Olanrewaju (Crete-Monee) 10.82m; Emily Hendrick (Lincoln-Way West) 10.45m; Alana Wright (Downers Grove South) 10.23m; Ashley Abraham (Lincoln-Way Central) 9.78m.
DISCUS: Sonia Strzalka (Lemont) 33.88m; Kelsi Bade (Bradley-Bourbonnais) 32.15m; Ashley Abraham (Lincoln-Way Central) 32.14m; Paulina Pajerski (Lincoln-Way West) 26.79m.
HIGH JUMP: Mia DiBenedetto (Lincoln-Way West) 1.57m; Autumn Guzak (Lincoln-Way Central) 1.57m; Alanna Banks (Downers Grove South) 1.52m; Molly Potempa (Providence Catholic) 1.37m.
POLE VAULT: Kylie Koehler (Lincoln-Way Central) 3.42m; Paige Slazyk (Lincoln-Way West) 3.42m; Jillian Riebe (Lincoln-Way Central) 3.27m; Madelyn Schussler (Lincoln-Way West) 3.12m; Kathryn Flynn (Providence Catholic) 2.66m.
LONG JUMP: Tamryn Farmer (Crete-Monee) 5.85m; Avery Bonino (Hinsdale Central) 5.38m; Ivie Ehimwenman (St. Ignatius) 5.22m; Autumn Guzak (Lincoln-Way Central) 4.99m.
TRIPLE JUMP: Avery Bonino (Hinsdale Central) 11.24m; Maeve Houlihan (St. Ignatius) 10.56m; Alianna Simmons (Downers Grove South) 10.34m; Carson Harrington (Crete-Monee) 10.21m.