Sectionals is a highly competitive meet for the top 2 people per individual event or the top 4 people per relay on each team. This meet allows people to qualify for the Illinois state meet which takes place the following week.
In order to qualify for state, an athlete must achieve the qualifying time or distance, which are predetermined high standards set throughout the year, or an athlete must place in the top 2 overall in an event.
Girls (3A) state qualifying times and distances:
Running:
- 100m: 12.32
- 200m: 25.38
- 400m: 58.80
- 800m: 2:19.53
- 1600m: 5:11.78
- 3200m: 11:14.34
- 100m HH: :15.40
- 300m LH: :46.88
- 4x100m: :48.65
- 4x200m: 1:44.36
- 4x400m: 4:05.32
- 4x800m: 9:38.14
Field:
- High Jump: 5’2”
- Pole Vault: 10’8”
- Long Jump: 5.46m (17’11”)
- Triple Jump: 11.15m (36’7”)
- Shot Put: 36’8”
- Discus: 115’6”
Senior Jasmine Scott just previously reached a 5.33m jump which puts her just 0.13m away from state qualifying distance.
“I am mostly looking forward to cheering on my teammates, especially seniors, because it will be a lot of our last races. I am also looking forward to long jump. With my PR I am seated at 4th so I am really hoping to have a great day in the pit,” Scott said.
Lake Forest is classified as IHSA class 3A, a mid-large registered range designated by the Illinois High School Association for athletics. This sets the standard for times and determines the competitors to ensure competition against similar sized schools. The enrollment is divided into classes of 1A, 2A, 3A, 4A where 4A is the largest.
Portia Legrand who is commonly known as, ‘the freshman who went to state on the first try’, is competing for her 400m spot as a sophomore.
With Legrand’s PR of 58.04 seconds, which beats the state qualifying time by 0.79 seconds, she seems to be set in stone for state.
“Portia Legrand has the best chance to make it to state. She did it last year and I am sure she is able to do it again. With the times she has been running this year and her persistence in every program she is involved in, she deserves it more than anyone,” Scott said.
This meet took place on May 13th 2026 at Vernon Hills High School.
The schools that went include: Antioch, Barrington, Buffalo Grove, Grayslake Central, Gurnee/Warren, Mundelein, Palatine, Round Lake, Vernon Hills, Wauconda, Lake Forest, Lake Villa (Lakes), Lake Zurich, Libertyville, Lincolnshire (Stevenson), Waukegan, and Zion (Z.-Benton).
The 2026 sectional athletes include:
Long Jump: Jasmine Scott and Lily Lamp
Triple Jump: Eliya Cummins and Jocelyn Lam
High Jump: Mallory Gohsman and Kate Radke
Pole Vault: Lily Testwuide and Emma Engelberg
Shot Put: Michela Giannelli and Norah Reid
Discus: Michela Giannelli and Norah Reid
4×100: Jocelyn Lam, Ruth Dan, Liz Mancine, and Emma Reininger
3200: Pilar Rosales and Natalie Devora
100m HH: Kate Radke and Nicole Janowicz
100m: Liz Mancine and Ruth Dan
800m: Ruby Kirar and Emma Legrand
4×200: Emma Reininger, Nicole Janowicz, Lily Lamp, Lily Testwuide
400m: Portia Legrand and Gianna Thorsen
300m LH: Evie Doane and Kate Radke
1600: Parker Nykiel and Kate McCann
200m: Emma Reininger and Eliya Cummins
4×400: Portia Legrand, Ruby Kirar, Pilar Rosales, Jasmine Scott
Senior Mallory Gohsman, who just won the 2026 NSC sportsmanship award, participated in the high jump event last Wednesday. Gohsman and her teammate, freshman Kate Radke, just broke 5 feet for high jump and are ready to grab those 2 inches for state.
Throughout practice, Coach Mann acts as an inspiration. He continues to motivate the sprinters and jumpers to do their best.
“Run fust, jump high and that’ll carry you far in long jump,” said Mann.
After the meet, the team endured exciting accomplishments and have goals for the following weeks.
Mallory Gohsman qualified for state in the high jump for the first time in her career as a senior. Portia Legrand qualified in the 400m dash for the second year in a row as a sophomore.
“This was super unexpected but I can’t wait to compete again,” said Gohsman.
Gohsman qualified for the high jump on her first attempt with a personal record (PR) of 5 ‘2”.
Senior athlete Jocelyn Lam is known to be a huge supporter of Gohsman and will continue to support Gohsman in her practices over the next week before state.
“I was so beyond proud of her and looking back on her three years at track I knew she deserved it and had worked so hard for this goal,” said Lam. “Last year at sectionals we had talked about going to state and I knew she could if she set her mind to it and I’m so proud to watch her do amazing things at state.”
Similarly, in Portia Legrand’s first event of the night she scored another PR for the scouts, qualifying her for the states meet by almost a second. Legrand ran a 57.9 second 400m securing her position for next week.
“I felt accomplished and so happy that I got a PR because it was a goal I was working towards for the whole season,” said Legrand.
The scouts will be competing at state on Saturday, May 23rd.
