CHARLESTON — The Nashville Hornettes will have numerous chances to bring home medals and perhaps a team trophy from the Girls Track and Field State Championships Saturday at O’Brien Stadium on the campus of Eastern Illinois University in Charleston.
Led by junior standout Emma Behrmann, the Hornettes will have 10 finalists in eight different events following Thursday’s preliminaries.
Behrmann qualified in four events: the 100 and 300 meter hurdles as well as the long jump and triple jump. Behrmann’s jump of 36’10.25″ was the top qualifying mark in the triple jump. Teammate Carly Kasten also made the triple jump finals qualifying 12th.
Behrmann meanwhile qualified seventh in the long jump as well as the 300 hurdles and eighth in the 100 hurdles.
Defending state champion Makayla Gajewski is second in the shot put. Gajewski’s throw of 41’0.5″ was more than a foot behind Stark County’s Chesley Stotler. Teammate Ellie Bartling also qualified for the shot put finals. Bartling is sixth after day one.
Adelie Wilson qualified ninth in the 800 meters. Austi Gale qualified 12th in the discus, and Lexi Welte advanced to the finals in the pole vault.
Other area 1A finalists include Okawville’s Caroline Tepe in the 400. Fellow Lady Rocket Alyssa Statler will join Berhmann in the 100 hurdles. Okawville’s 4×100 relay qualified sixth.
The other two finalists from the area are both in the 3200 meters, Ella Sager (Fairfield) and Rylee Brammeier (Christ Our Rock Lutheran).
The 2A and 3A prelims will be Friday with the finals in all three classes set for Saturday.
