Litchfield Girls Capture South Central Conference Title, Boys Take Second

GILLESPIE, Ill. — The Litchfield High School track and field teams delivered a dominant showing at the South Central Conference Meet on Wednesday, May 6, 2026, at Gillespie High School. Powered by sweeps in the distance and sprint events, the Litchfield girls captured the conference championship with 145 team points, finishing well ahead of runner-up Carlinville (104). The Litchfield boys narrowly missed a team sweep, finishing a close second with 104 points, just behind Carlinville’s 109.

For the Litchfield girls, the distance running duo of freshman Maggie Schwab and junior Leighton Warchol proved virtually unstoppable. Schwab swept the long-distance events, taking gold in the 1600 meters (5:43.19) and the 3200 meters (12:49.04). Warchol finished right on her heels in both events to claim second place and added an individual conference title of her own by winning the 800 meters in 2:33.53, with Schwab taking second in that race to complete a Litchfield 1-2 sweep across all three distance disciplines.

In the short sprints, freshman Lana Cress continued her breakout season. Cress swept the straightaways, winning the 100-meter dash in 12.99 seconds and setting a personal best of 26.73 seconds to win the 200-meter dash.

The Litchfield girls also utilized flawless baton exchanges to secure conference titles in the short relays. The 4×100-meter squad of Harley Foulk, Lana Cress, Jada Carroll, and Kilee Hoover crossed first in 51.84 seconds. The same quartet reunited to win the 4×200-meter relay with a time of 1:49.79. Hoover capped off the girls’ championship effort with a personal-best clearance of 1.63 meters to win the high jump.

On the boys’ side, senior Alec Roach was the undisputed king of the sprints. Roach secured SCC titles in the 100 meters (11.08) and the 200 meters (22.32), pacing a Litchfield sprinting corps that dictated the pace all afternoon. Roach also anchored the boys’ victorious 4×100 relay (44.32) alongside Johnathon Bowles, Lukas Paine, and Jaxon Ray. Ray, Jayden Keith, Andrew Boston, and Roach combined to win the 4×200 relay in 1:33.88.

Bowles provided critical points for the Purple Panthers in the hurdles and field events. The senior captured gold in the 300-meter hurdles, crossing the line in 42.65 seconds, while adding a runner-up finish in the triple jump (12.12m) and a third-place finish in the 110-meter hurdles (17.47).

Despite Litchfield’s heavy hitting in the track events, Carlinville utilized superior depth in the field events and mid-distance relays to edge out the Panthers for the boys’ conference crown. Gillespie enjoyed a strong hometown showing, placing third in the girls’ standings (101) and fifth in the boys’ (83.5), buoyed by senior Chaz Oberkfell’s victories in the boys’ 800 and 3200 meters.

Game Summary

Score by Quarters

Scoring Drives

• First Quarter (Sprints & Hurdles Winners)

  • Boys 100m: Alec Roach, Litchfield (11.08)

  • Girls 100m: Lana Cress, Litchfield (12.99)

  • Boys 200m: Alec Roach, Litchfield (22.32)

  • Girls 200m: Lana Cress, Litchfield (26.73)

  • Boys 400m: Vandon Sproull, Carlinville (52.24)

  • Girls 400m: Sylvee Gibbs, Carlinville (1:02.28)

  • Boys 110m Hurdles: Sam Bowers, Vandalia (16.46)

  • Girls 100m Hurdles: Kaelin Cress, Hillsboro (16.76)

  • Boys 300m Hurdles: Johnathon Bowles, Litchfield (42.65)

  • Girls 300m Hurdles: Kaelin Cress, Hillsboro (48.51)

• Second Quarter (Distance Events Winners)

  • Boys 800m: Chaz Oberkfell, Gillespie (1:58.24)

  • Girls 800m: Leighton Warchol, Litchfield (2:33.53)

  • Boys 1600m: Thor Springman, Piasa Southwestern (4:45.29)

  • Girls 1600m: Maggie Schwab, Litchfield (5:43.19)

  • Boys 3200m: Chaz Oberkfell, Gillespie (9:37.56)

  • Girls 3200m: Maggie Schwab, Litchfield (12:49.04)

• Third Quarter (Relays Winners)

  • Boys 4×100: Litchfield (44.32)

  • Girls 4×100: Litchfield (51.84)

  • Boys 4×200: Litchfield (1:33.88)

  • Girls 4×200: Litchfield (1:49.79)

  • Boys 4×400: Carlinville (3:33.35)

  • Girls 4×400: Hillsboro (4:33.15)

  • Boys 4×800: Carlinville (8:49.31)

  • Girls 4×800: Carlinville (11:33.79)

• Fourth Quarter (Field Events Winners)

  • Boys Shot Put: Ozzie Maddox, Virden North Mac (14.91m)

  • Girls Shot Put: Hannah Brown, Vandalia (11.08m)

  • Boys Discus: Joel White, Carlinville (42.23m)

  • Girls Discus: Reagan McGlauchlen, Pana (38.74m)

  • Boys High Jump: Kohnor Depew, Vandalia (1.85m)

  • Girls High Jump: Kilee Hoover, Litchfield (1.63m)

  • Boys Pole Vault: Austin Homer, Carlinville (3.86m)

  • Girls Pole Vault: Asher Ronan, Virden North Mac (2.77m)

  • Boys Long Jump: Amony Anderson, Hillsboro (5.94m)

  • Girls Long Jump: Lydia Collins, Hillsboro (4.54m)

  • Boys Triple Jump: Derrek Ambrose, Pana (12.28m)

  • Girls Triple Jump: Amya Greenwood, Hillsboro (9.65m)

Individual Statistics

BOYS SPRINTS & HURDLES: Alec Roach (Litchfield) – 1st in 100m (11.08), 1st in 200m (22.32); Johnathon Bowles (Litchfield) – 1st in 300m Hurdles (42.65), 3rd in 110m Hurdles (17.47); Vandon Sproull (Carlinville) – 1st in 400m (52.24).
GIRLS SPRINTS & HURDLES: Lana Cress (Litchfield) – 1st in 100m (12.99), 1st in 200m (26.73); Ava White (Litchfield) – 2nd in 100m Hurdles (17.63), 2nd in 300m Hurdles (50.54); Kaelin Cress (Hillsboro) – 1st in 100m Hurdles (16.76), 1st in 300m Hurdles (48.51).
BOYS DISTANCE: Chaz Oberkfell (Gillespie) – 1st in 800m (1:58.24), 1st in 3200m (9:37.56); Thor Springman (Piasa Southwestern) – 1st in 1600m (4:45.29), 2nd in 3200m (10:23.07).
GIRLS DISTANCE: Maggie Schwab (Litchfield) – 1st in 1600m (5:43.19), 1st in 3200m (12:49.04), 2nd in 800m (2:35.66); Leighton Warchol (Litchfield) – 1st in 800m (2:33.53), 2nd in 1600m (6:09.47), 2nd in 3200m (12:55.56).
FIELD EVENTS: Kilee Hoover (Litchfield) – 1st in Girls High Jump (1.63m); Johnathon Bowles (Litchfield) – 2nd in Boys Triple Jump (12.12m); Harley Foulk (Litchfield) – 4th in Girls Long Jump (4.24m).