Litchfield Relays, Jumpers Dominate at Home Triangular Against Carlinville and Gillespie

The Litchfield High School track and field teams delivered a stellar performance on their home turf Tuesday afternoon, March 31, 2026, capturing multiple first-place finishes in a competitive triangular meet against South Central Conference rivals Carlinville and Gillespie.

Fueled by dominant relay teams, breakout performances in the jumps, and sheer speed in the sprints, both the Litchfield boys and girls showcased their depth as the spring season gains momentum.

The Litchfield girls set the tone early on the track, led by the blazing speed of freshman Lana Cress. Cress captured the 100-meter dash title with a time of 13.21 seconds, edging out sophomore teammate Jada Carroll, who took second with a personal-best 13.61. The duo later teamed up with freshman Harley Foulk and sophomore Kilee Hoover to run away with the 4×100-meter relay, crossing the finish line in a blistering 51.9 seconds to beat Carlinville by nearly three full seconds.

Freshman Maggie Schwab provided a highlight in the distance events, turning in a commanding performance to win the 3200-meter run. Schwab clocked a personal-best 12:22.0, finishing nearly a full minute ahead of the runner-up from Gillespie. Freshman Ava White added another gold for Litchfield on the track, winning the 100-meter hurdles in 19.42 seconds.

In the field events, Litchfield’s girls found success in the vertical jumps. Hoover cleared a personal-best 1.62 meters to win the high jump. Foulk earned a runner-up finish in the long jump with a personal-best leap of 4.32 meters, while senior Gracie Boden took second in the triple jump with a season-best 8.73-meter effort.

The Litchfield boys were equally impressive, sweeping their relay events and dominating the horizontal jumps.

The 4×100-meter relay squad of freshman Brylan Marten, senior Alec Roach, senior Johnathon Bowles, and sophomore Jaxon Ray executed clean handoffs to secure first place in 44.3 seconds, narrowly holding off a strong Carlinville team. Litchfield’s distance crew then showed their stamina in the 4×800-meter relay, as the quartet of Camron Zumwalt, Fisher Ellis, Dean Gibbs, and Jake Wilson cruised to a decisive victory in 9:20.6.

In the sand pit, Litchfield’s jumpers were nearly untouchable. Marten launched himself to a personal-best 6.17 meters to win the long jump, while teammate Bowles captured the triple jump crown with a personal-best mark of 12.35 meters. Marten showcased his versatility by taking second in the triple jump (12.10m) right behind Bowles.

Other notable performances for the Litchfield boys included top-three finishes from junior John Scurlock in the high jump (1.67m), sophomore Nolan Engstrom in the 3200 meters (10:47.0), and sophomore Braedyn Knapp, who threw a personal-best 34.53 meters to take third in the discus.

Carlinville controlled the boys’ throwing events, with Corbin Walton winning the shot put (13.58m) and Joel White taking the discus (39.50m). The Carlinville girls also found success in the throws, as Payton Harding swept the shot put and discus titles. Gillespie’s highlights included Marshall Garwood winning the boys’ 3200-meter run (10:34.0) and Lila Polach taking the girls’ long jump (4.35m).

Game Summary

Score by Quarters

Scoring Drives

• Not Applicable – Track and Field Format

Individual Statistics

GIRLS RUNNING:

• 100 Meters: Lana Cress (Litchfield) 13.21; Jada Carroll (Litchfield) 13.61; Lila Polach (Gillespie) 13.62.

• 3200 Meters: Maggie Schwab (Litchfield) 12:22.0; Paige Swank (Gillespie) 13:20.0; Madalyn Quarton (Carlinville) 17:00.0.

• 100m Hurdles: Ava White (Litchfield) 19.42; Hannah Truax (Carlinville) 21.09; Ella Brawner (Gillespie) 21.47.

• 4×100 Relay: Litchfield (Foulk, Cress, Carroll, Hoover) 51.9; Carlinville 54.6; Gillespie 55.1.

• 4×800 Relay: Carlinville (Murphy, Gibbs, Bredel, Truax) 10:57.0; Gillespie 12:45.0.

GIRLS FIELD:

• Shot Put: Payton Harding (Carlinville) 10.59m; Maggie Heyen (Gillespie) 9.00m; Jennah Longwell (Litchfield) 8.97m.

• Discus: Payton Harding (Carlinville) 35.07m; Maggie Heyen (Gillespie) 32.87m; Jennah Longwell (Litchfield) 26.12m.

• High Jump: Kilee Hoover (Litchfield) 1.62m; Emma Suttles (Carlinville) 1.47m; Sylvee Gibbs (Carlinville) 1.47m.

• Pole Vault: Ella Brawner (Gillespie) 3.05m; Sola Lane (Carlinville) 2.32m; Danielle Furness (Carlinville) 2.13m.

• Long Jump: Lila Polach (Gillespie) 4.35m; Harley Foulk (Litchfield) 4.32m; Lyla Kahl (Carlinville) 3.77m.

• Triple Jump: Wrigley Bruhn (Gillespie) 8.90m; Gracie Boden (Litchfield) 8.73m.

BOYS RUNNING:

• 3200 Meters: Marshall Garwood (Gillespie) 10:34.0; Carter Sies (Gillespie) 10:46.0; Nolan Engstrom (Litchfield) 10:47.0.

• 110m Hurdles: Callum Duckels (Carlinville) 17.94; Keegan Reese (Carlinville) 18.84; Cash Reynolds (Gillespie) 19.57.

• 4×100 Relay: Litchfield (Marten, Roach, Bowles, Ray) 44.3; Carlinville 44.9; Carlinville ‘B’ 47.5.

• 4×800 Relay: Litchfield (Zumwalt, Ellis, Gibbs, Wilson) 9:20.6; Carlinville 9:56.0; Gillespie 10:06.0.

BOYS FIELD:

• Shot Put: Corbin Walton (Carlinville) 13.58m; Alex Schoen (Gillespie) 11.79m; Teagan Welch (Gillespie) 11.54m; Landon Pryor (Litchfield) 11.18m.

• Discus: Joel White (Carlinville) 39.50m; Isaac Kravanya (Gillespie) 36.10m; Braedyn Knapp (Litchfield) 34.53m.

• High Jump: Reed Convery (Carlinville) 1.77m; Xzavier Spencer (Gillespie) 1.72m; John Scurlock (Litchfield) 1.67m.

• Pole Vault: Austin Homer (Carlinville) 3.51m; Dane Diesselhorst (Gillespie) 3.35m; Drake Peterson (Carlinville) 3.05m.

• Long Jump: Brylan Marten (Litchfield) 6.17m; Callum Duckels (Carlinville) 5.99m; Tate Duckels (Carlinville) 5.77m.

• Triple Jump: Johnathon Bowles (Litchfield) 12.35m; Brylan Marten (Litchfield) 12.10m; Keegan Reese (Carlinville) 10.66m.