CHARLESTON — A little motivation can go long way.
Hoopeston Area senior Bre Crose got just what she needed a year ago at state and she made it pay off on Saturday.
The three-time state qualifier finally took her first step on to the state meet podium at O’Brien Field with a fourth-place finish in the 100 meters.
“I wanted to get on that podium,’’ said Crose. “The eighth- and ninth-place finishers just stand on the (turf) and that wasn’t okay with me. I felt like I deserved to be up there on the podium.’’
Crose admitted her time of 12.61 seconds wasn’t her best, but it was good enough.
“It got me fourth,’’ she said. “I have no complaints at all.’’
Actually, she credited her performance to her coaches.
“They did everything to get me here,’’ she said. “Hoopeston Area hasn’t had many state placewinners.’’
The last one before Crose was Lauren Houmes in the 1,600 and 3,200 during the 2012 state meet, and the school’s only state champion was Jill Doty in the 100 meters during the 1987 state meet.
Joining that select company was the perfect way for Crose to cap her athletic career.
“There is no other way to go out in your last track meet than running with the best girls in the state,’’ said Crose, who missed her graduation on Saturday to run in the state finals.
“Graduation was at 11 this morning and I watched it online,’’ she said. “I was sad, but that really pushed me in that race to do it for my friends.’’
But did they still recognize her?
“Yes, the announced my name and left me a chair, so that was very nice,’’ she said. “Honestly, I would much rather be here than at graduation, when it comes down to it.’’
The fourth-place finish for Crose was the best for Vermilion County on Saturday afternoon, snapping a 10-year streak of at least one top-three finish at the IHSA Class 1A State Track and Field Meet.
Salt Fork senior Shelby McGee, who was fourth in both the 100 hurdles and the triple jump a year ago, settled for an eighth-place finish in this year’s finals of the 100 hurdles. Not bad for an athlete that is still recovering from mono.
“It’s everyone’s goal to get better, to raise the bar and get better placements,’’ she said. “For me, I seriously thought my season was over when I got mono back in March.
“I’m crying now because I’m so happy, because no one really understands that I shouldn’t be here, at all. I’m just really proud of myself. This is a big moment for me, because it shows that I can get through anything.’’
After qualifying for the finals in the 100 hurdles and the triple jump on Thursday, McGee said “any medal would be a gold medal.”
Did she still feel that way on Saturday?
“A week ago, I was still testing positive for mono. It’s still strong in my system,’’ she said. “I’m getting a medal today and that’s all that matters.
“Yes, any medal is gold to me. I went across that finish line still with the same smile on my face that I would have had if I was in the top-three.’’
McGee admitted it was heartbreaking to finish 12th in the triple jump on Saturday and it really stressed her legs for the 100 hurdles.
“I’m exhausted,’’ she said. “After the triple jump, my legs were just dead.’’
Now, McGee says she will take at least a month off but she is looking forward to this weekend’s boys state meet.
Danville sophomore Nickiya Shields admittedly didn’t have her best weekend at the IHSA Class 3A State Track and Field Meet but she did increase her state medals from one to three with an eighth-place finish in the 100 hurdles and a ninth-place finish in the 300 hurdles. Last year, she took ninth in the 300 hurdles as a freshman.
“I don’t know what happened,’’ she said. “I’m really disappointed in myself.’’
She thought her start in the 100 hurdles really cost her a chance at a good finish.
“I got out of the blocks all wrong and I went over the first hurdle with the wrong leg,’’ she said. “I’m good with either leg, but I prefer my left. I went over on my right and it just seemed like the whole race was off.’’
Shields had a time of 15.77 seconds in the finals. Her season-best and personal-best time if 14.75 seconds.
It was a similar situation in the 300 hurdles as Shields ran her worst time of the season of 47.00 seconds.
“For me, there is just something about this track. It’s just so long,’’ she said of the nine-lane track at O’Brien Field. “I will do good in the 300 hurdles at any other track meet, but I guess this isn’t any other track meet.’’
Shields acknowledged the extra experience of two more all-state finishes should help her in the future.
“Getting two medals this year after getting just one last year is progress,’’ she said.
Bismarck-Henning/Rossville-Alvin junior Ella McFarland finished in five-way tie for eighth-place in the high jump at 1.50 meters.