Litchfield Panthers Track Graphic

Litchfield Girls Command the Track; Boys Capture Five Events at Staunton Meet

The Litchfield High School track and field teams traveled to Staunton on Tuesday, April 7, 2026, and delivered a commanding performance against a deep field of competitors. Squaring off against Staunton, Pana, Southwestern, and Edwardsville Metro-East Lutheran, the Litchfield squad dominated the afternoon, highlighted by an astonishing showcase from the girls’ team, which nearly swept the track events.

The Litchfield girls proved entirely untouchable in the running events, capturing first place in the 100, 200, 800, 1600, and 3200-meter races, as well as the 300-meter hurdles and all three relays they entered.

Freshman Lana Cress set the pace early, winning the 100-meter dash in a personal-best 12.8 seconds. Fellow freshman Harley Foulk followed suit by winning the 200 meters in a personal-best 28.9 seconds. The duo then teamed up with sophomore Jada Carroll and sophomore Kilee Hoover to claim gold in both the 4×100-meter relay (53.1) and the 4×200-meter relay (1:56.3).

In the distance races, Litchfield’s youth movement continued to shine. Freshman Maggie Schwab cruised to victory in the 3200-meter run (12:34.9) and took the top spot in the 1600-meter run (5:52.1). Junior Leighton Warchol earned a runner-up finish behind Schwab in the 1600 with a personal-best 5:57.2 and brought home a gold medal of her own by winning the 800-meter run in a personal-best 2:37.7.

Freshman Ava White dominated the 300-meter hurdles, winning by over four seconds with a personal-best 56.6, and took second in the 100-meter hurdles (18.3). To cap off the track events, the girls’ 4×400-meter relay team of Hoover, White, Brooke Braasch, and Gracie Boden clocked a 4:51.1 to win by a comfortable 18-second margin.

In the field, Hoover cleared 1.60 meters to win the high jump, while Foulk secured another first-place finish in the long jump (4.15m). Sophomore Jennah Longwell had a strong showing in the throws, taking second in the shot put (9.27m) and third in the discus (25.86m).

The Litchfield boys were equally impressive, bringing home five first-place finishes and showcasing their sprinting depth. Senior Alec Roach paced the field in the 100-meter dash, winning in a season-best 11.0 seconds, while sophomore Jaxon Ray took third (11.4).

Sophomore Lukas Paine earned gold in the 400-meter dash with a personal-best time of 54.0, while sophomore teammate Andrew Boston closely followed in third (56.3). Junior Dean Gibbs added to the victory tally by winning the 800-meter run in 2:14.2.

The Litchfield boys’ 4×100-meter relay team—featuring freshman Brylan Marten, Boston, Paine, and Ray—executed sharp handoffs to win a tight race against Staunton, crossing the line in 45.9 seconds. In the field events, freshman Jaylen Komor earned a victory in the pole vault, clearing 2.90 meters, while Marten took third in the long jump (6.03m).

Other notable area performances included Southwestern’s Thor Springman winning both the 1600 and 3200-meter runs, while Pana’s throwers commanded the girls’ rings with Reagan McGlauchlen sweeping the shot put and discus. Staunton’s Braylen Brown took home first in the boys’ long jump, and Metro-East Lutheran controlled the boys’ throws with Collin Kost sweeping the shot put and discus.

Game Summary

Score by Quarters

Team Score
Litchfield N/A (Track & Field Event)
Staunton N/A (Track & Field Event)
Pana N/A (Track & Field Event)
Southwestern N/A (Track & Field Event)
Metro-East Lutheran N/A (Track & Field Event)
(Note: Official team point totals were not recorded for this meet).

Scoring Drives

  • Not Applicable – Track and Field Format

Individual Statistics

GIRLS RUNNING:

  • 100 Meters: Lana Cress (Litchfield) 12.8; Wynter Robeen (North Greene) 13.9; Inés Gracia (North Greene) 14.0.

  • 200 Meters: Harley Foulk (Litchfield) 28.9; Wynter Robeen (North Greene) 29.4; Inés Gracia (North Greene) 29.4.

  • 400 Meters: Wynter Robeen (North Greene) 1:06.8; Calista Stults (Metro-East) 1:12.6; Olivia Matesa (Staunton) 1:13.2.

  • 800 Meters: Leighton Warchol (Litchfield) 2:37.7; Marion Hemmer (Metro-East) 2:51.4; Elsah Clark (Staunton) 3:05.7.

  • 1600 Meters: Maggie Schwab (Litchfield) 5:52.1; Leighton Warchol (Litchfield) 5:57.2; Lucy Doyle (Metro-East) 6:09.4.

  • 3200 Meters: Maggie Schwab (Litchfield) 12:34.9; Lucy Doyle (Metro-East) 12:43.2; Audrey Vollintine (Southwestern) 16:42.7.

  • 100m Hurdles: Kaitlyn Peterson (Metro-East) 17.9; Ava White (Litchfield) 18.3; Kenley Cox (Pana) 19.3.

  • 300m Hurdles: Ava White (Litchfield) 56.6; Kenley Cox (Pana) 1:01.1; Reese Rimbey (Southwestern) 1:03.7.

  • Relays (Litchfield Winners): 4×100 Relay (Foulk, Cress, Carroll, Hoover) 53.1; 4×200 Relay (Foulk, Cress, Carroll, Hoover) 1:56.3; 4×400 Relay (Hoover, White, Braasch, Boden) 4:51.1.

GIRLS FIELD:

  • Shot Put: Reagan McGlauchlen (Pana) 10.33m; Jennah Longwell (Litchfield) 9.27m; Phoenix Pope (Pana) 8.92m.

  • Discus: Reagan McGlauchlen (Pana) 39.24m; Audrey Podwojski (Staunton) 27.27m; Jennah Longwell (Litchfield) 25.86m.

  • High Jump: Kilee Hoover (Litchfield) 1.60m; Bria Bushnell (North Greene) 1.50m; Kaitlyn Peterson (Metro-East) 1.40m.

  • Long Jump: Harley Foulk (Litchfield) 4.15m; McKenzie Kerr (Pana) 3.84m; Summer Coates (North Greene) 3.84m.

BOYS RUNNING:

  • 100 Meters: Alec Roach (Litchfield) 11.0; Garett Pierce (Pana) 11.2; Jaxon Ray (Litchfield) 11.4.

  • 200 Meters: Chance Stults (Metro-East) 24.7; Jayden Keith (Litchfield) 24.7; John Simons (Southwestern) 25.8.

  • 400 Meters: Lukas Paine (Litchfield) 54.0; Henry Reiseck (Metro-East) 54.2; Andrew Boston (Litchfield) 56.3.

  • 800 Meters: Dean Gibbs (Litchfield) 2:14.2; Wyatt Goeckner (Metro-East) 2:18.6; Mathias Askins (Metro-East) 2:33.1.

  • 1600 Meters: Thor Springman (Southwestern) 4:45.0; Dean Hemmer (Metro-East) 4:49.5; Aiden Green (Staunton) 4:51.8. (Litchfield: Nolan Engstrom 5:01.8, 6th).

  • 3200 Meters: Thor Springman (Southwestern) 10:17.5; Jack Shank (Metro-East) 10:20.9; Dean Hemmer (Metro-East) 10:31.0. (Litchfield: Nolan Engstrom 10:52.2, 4th).

  • 110m Hurdles: Micah Meadows (Pana) 16.5; Brice Stewart (Metro-East) 16.7; Lucas Dillon (Staunton) 16.9.

  • 300m Hurdles: Lucas Dillon (Staunton) 45.3; Kaden Matuska (Southwestern) 47.9; Nathanael Coates (North Greene) 50.6.

  • Relays (Litchfield Winners): 4×100 Relay (Marten, Boston, Paine, Ray) 45.9.

BOYS FIELD:

  • Shot Put: Collin Kost (Metro-East) 14.07m; Khiry Taylor (Staunton) 12.40m; Shane Stewart (Metro-East) 12.19m. (Litchfield: Braedyn Knapp 11.64m, 5th).

  • Discus: Collin Kost (Metro-East) 39.75m; Dace Jones (Pana) 39.56m; Khiry Taylor (Staunton) 34.22m. (Litchfield: Braedyn Knapp 33.77m, 4th).

  • High Jump: Thor Springman (Southwestern) 1.75m; Ben Schilbe (Metro-East) 1.70m; Caden Cummings (Southwestern) 1.65m. (Litchfield: John Scurlock 1.60m, 4th).

  • Pole Vault: Jaylen Komor (Litchfield) 2.90m; Jason Kyle Luly (Southwestern) 1.98m.

  • Long Jump: Braylen Brown (Staunton) 6.35m; Brice Stewart (Metro-East) 6.22m; Brylan Marten (Litchfield) 6.03m.

  • Triple Jump: Brice Stewart (Metro-East) 12.34m; Derrek Ambrose (Pana) 12.23m; Evan Tanner (Staunton) 12.00m.

Leave a Comment





Latest News Stories

House committee to hold hearing Wednesday on Minnesota fraud

House committee to hold hearing Wednesday on Minnesota fraud

By Morgan SweeneyThe Center Square The U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform is set to hold its first of two scheduled hearings Wednesday on the “fraud and misuse...
Court blocks Trump admin’s medical research funding cuts

Court blocks Trump admin’s medical research funding cuts

By Esther WickhamThe Center Square The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 1st Circuit has affirmed a lower court’s decision barring the Trump administration from cutting funding for medical and...
Trump takes aim at defense contractors as he looks to speed arms production

Trump takes aim at defense contractors as he looks to speed arms production

By Brett RowlandThe Center Square President Donald Trump criticized U.S. defense contractors on Tuesday, saying that he wants to produce the advanced weapons that the U.S. relies on for military...

WATCH: Candidate Dabrowski wants audit as IL Child Care Services funding skyrockets

By Jim Talamonti | The Center SquareThe Center Square (The Center Square) – Illinois Republican gubernatorial candidate Ted Dabrowski is calling for a forensic audit of state spending on human...
Hegseth seeks to reduce Sen. Kelly's Navy retirement pay

Hegseth seeks to reduce Sen. Kelly’s Navy retirement pay

By Dave MasonThe Center Square Editor's note: This story has been updated since its initial publication to include a comment from the White House. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth plans...
Special election for Greene's seat set for March 10

Special election for Greene’s seat set for March 10

By Kim JarrettThe Center Square Former U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene's congressional seat will be empty at least two months, likely three, as a special election already drawing 24 candidates...
Trump lays out 'roadmap for victory' during GOP House retreat

Trump lays out ‘roadmap for victory’ during GOP House retreat

By Sarah Roderick-FitchThe Center Square As the country is about to embark on a pivotal election year, President Donald Trump addressed the GOP U.S. House of Representatives retreat. During a...
WATCH: Trump ‘not gonna pay’ child care fraud; Immigration enforcement costs; Moving out

WATCH: Trump ‘not gonna pay’ child care fraud; Immigration enforcement costs; Moving out

By Greg Bishop | The Center SquareThe Center Square (The Center Square) – In today's edition of Illinois in Focus Daily, The Center Square Editor Greg Bishop shares the latest...
Duckworth pushes military IVF coverage as critics warn taxpayers could pay

Duckworth pushes military IVF coverage as critics warn taxpayers could pay

By Catrina Barker | The Center Square contributorThe Center Square (The Center Square) – Illinois U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Schaumburg, criticizes the House speaker and the president after a provision...
Illinois quick hits: Increased flu activity reported

Illinois quick hits: Increased flu activity reported

By Jim Talamonti | The Center SquareThe Center Square Increased flu activity reported The Illinois Department of Public Health says flu activity is very high in the state, the most...
Chicago car impounds not unconstitutional ‘taking’: Court

Chicago car impounds not unconstitutional ‘taking’: Court

By Scott Holland | Legal NewslineThe Center Square A federal appeals panel says Chicago’s policy of towing and disposing of vehicles doesn’t reach the level of unconstitutional taking without compensation,...
Illinois quick hits: Fatal police-involved shooting investigated

Illinois quick hits: Fatal police-involved shooting investigated

By Jim Talamonti | The Center SquareThe Center Square Fatal police-involved shooting investigated Illinois State Police say they are investigating an officer-involved fatal shooting that took place Sunday night in...
Report: More people continue leaving Illinois than arriving

Report: More people continue leaving Illinois than arriving

By Glenn Minnis | The Center Square contributorThe Center Square (The Center Square) – Illinois state Rep. Martin McLaughlin argues lawmakers in Springfield only look in the mirror to come...
WATCH: Trump says U.S. will run Venezuela for foreseeable future

WATCH: Trump says U.S. will run Venezuela for foreseeable future

By Sarah Roderick-FitchThe Center Square The U.S. will run Venezuela “until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition,” President Donald Trump said Saturday following the...
World leaders call for UN response after Maduro capture

World leaders call for UN response after Maduro capture

By Morgan SweeneyThe Center Square The international community is reacting to the news that President Donald Trump announced early in the morning on social media: The U.S. carried out a...