05/01/2026
Another story from our friend Randy Sharer and the Intercity Meet!
Normal West boys, U High girls claim crowns in 101st Intercity Track Meet
By Randy Sharer
For Illinoistoptimes.com
BLOOMINGTON – The old traffic slogan said “speed kills,” but at the 101st Bloomington-Normal Intercity Meet on Tuesday (April 28, 2026), speed thrilled.
With Normal University High’s Hannah Safranek and Bloomington’s Jamari Randolph leading a barrage of fast times, nine meet records tumbled in ideal conditions at John Szabo Track.
Safranek set three meet records under calm, 60-degree conditions while helping make a 32-point contribution to the defending champion Pioneers’ winning 108-point total in the 37th edition of the girls meet.
The Pioneers, who welcomed back two of their four ailing stars, won 10 of the 18 events and scored in 15. Normal West was second with 100 followed by host Bloomington (79), Normal Community (67), Central Catholic (18), and Cornerstone (2).
“We’re almost back to full strength. If we get to full strength, I don’t know what’s going to happen,” said U High coach Randy Anderson, whose two-time defending Class 2A state champions are ranked No. 3 in the state this season in Class 3A by Illinoisrunningnews.com. “It’s pretty exciting.”
The boys team race was thrilling as defending champion Normal West edged Normal Community for the title, 101-100. Bloomington was third with 67 followed by U High (57), Central Catholic (42), and Cornerstone (7). West won four of the 18 events and scored in 14.
In the final event, the 1,600-meter relay, West needed to finish two places ahead of NCHS. The Wildcats won in 3 minutes, 20.93 seconds, but more importantly saw Central Catholic nip the Ironmen for second, 3:23.10 to 3:23.27, as all three squads broke the meet record of 3:23.39 set by NCHS last year.
“I’d like to go over and shake that (Central Catholic) coach’s hand and say ‘thank you so much,’” said first-year Normal West coach Rici Brack, whose team was leading the 400 relay when it flubbed the final exchange.
“The boys did not give up. They fought through every event. I couldn’t be more proud of them.”
Two other relays and six individuals broke meet records. No girl rewrote more records than U High’s Safranek. The junior opened with a 14.25-second clocking in the 100-meter hurdles, breaking the meet record of 14.94 set by U High’s Chandra Golden in 2005. Safranek also broke her own school record of 14.58, but just missed the area record of 14.23 set by Tremont’s Cambria Geyer in 2023.
Safranek came back in the very next event, the 100, to triumph in 12.03, breaking the meet record of 12.12 shared by Erin Owens of BHS (2015) and U High’s Reece Mitchell (2024).
Next, Safranek anchored U High’s 800 relay to a winning 1:42.58. Getting her the baton were Kelly Dietsch, Addie Cortese, and Caty Minton.
Safranek ended by winning the 200 in 24.84, tying her personal best and breaking the meet mark of 25.29 set by Kylie Welch of BHS in 2016. The hard-to-please Safranek wanted to break the school record of 24.53 set by Jessica McDowell in 2019.
“I want it now,” said Safranek, who also wanted to run against NCHS standout Taylor Washington, but she withdrew due to injury. “I was so excited because she was in lane five and I thought ‘this will make my first 100 so good’ and then she wasn’t there. I still got out really hard and then I died at the end.”
Randolph, a BHS junior, swept the hurdles, clocking 37.58 in the 300 intermediates and 14.56 in the 110 highs before capturing the 200 in 22.00. His 37.58 broke the area record of 37.70 set by Mason Barr of Ridgeview-Lexington in 2019. Also falling were the meet record of 38.5 and the school record of 37.73 both set in 2007 by Bloomington’s Tyler Sipes, who now coaches Randolph.
“He’s one of the best coaches I’ve ever been around,” Randolph said. “He’s a great guy. He gives me workouts and supports me.”
Randolph shattered his previous best of 38.91 with help from windless conditions. “Our other meets were cold and windy and this one was just perfect,” he said.
Randolph won the 200 by two hundredths of a second over Normal West’s Damir Harris, who had earlier won the 100 (10.85) and 400 (49.98).
“Just being consistent is what really matters to me,” Harris said. “The most important stage is obviously sectionals and state. I’m just trying to work and get better every day.”
Harris usually runs in the four-by-400, but West still set a meet record thanks to Trenton Jones (52.0), Alex Carter (48.6), Cade Gonzalez (50.😎, and Isaiah Willis (49.4). Their time of 3:20.93 ranks eighth in area history.
The meet record also fell in the girls four-by-400 as U High clocked 3:56.77 with Kelly Dietsch (63.0), Caty Minton (56.2), Lana Alcorn (62.4), and Abigail Jackson (55.0). The old record of 3:58.51 was set by NCHS in 2021. Jackson also defended her 400 title in 57.20.
The oldest boys meet record to fall was U High’s 1995 3,200 relay mark of 8:05.4, which couldn’t withstand a 7:58.99 onslaught from present-day Pioneers Austin Hartman (2:01.1), Aaden Richards (2:01.9), Lucas Layman (2:00.2), and Andrew Aldeman (1:55.2). Runner-up NCHS (8:01.03), led by Colin Heath’s 1:56.8 split, was also under the old mark.
“I think I gave everything I had in that one,” said Aldeman, who could only muster a 1:59.51 for fifth in the open 800 later. “I’m glad that we broke 8:00. I think that’s better than if I would have won the 800.”
Reigning Class 2A state discus champion Isabella Thurston of U High defended her title at 146-0, breaking the 2010 meet record of 143-4 set by Normal West’s Kirstin Thompson. Also falling was the 2014 school record of 145-8 set by state champion Gabi Jacobs.
“It feels great,” said Thurston, whose previous best was 145-3. “I was just waiting for this moment. I’ve felt pretty good all season and I have more big ones coming.”
Placing second at 115-11 was Thurston’s freshman sister, Elizabeth.
“She’s really been doing well in the disc,” said big sis, who also won the shot put at 38-6¾. “She hit a state qualifying mark and that’s really good.”
Rounding out the record setters was Normal West sophomore Ryan Temples, who defended her long jump title at 18-4½, breaking her 2025 meet record of 17-11. She has broken West’s school record three times this season, most recently with a mark of 18-4.
“Every meet, I just try to beat my PR (personal record),” said Temples, who didn’t foul any of her four attempts. “Honestly, I don’t look where my foot is on the board.”
Temples also helped the Wildcats win the 400 relay in 48.68, narrowly missing their school record of 48.64 set on April 17. Her partners included her sister, Jaiden Temples, along with Brooklyn Caffey and Ayva Davis.
Davis also won the 300 hurdles in 45.42, breaking Holly Bennett’s 2003 school record of 45.54.
“This is my third time running them,” said Davis of the 300 hurdles. “My mom told me I was going to be a beast (in the 300s) and I was like, ‘Mom, I don’t know.’ I actually enjoy doing them.”
Normal West’s lone double winner was SIU-Edwardsville recruit Julie Bach, who notched season bests in both the 800 (2:16.67) and 1,600 (5:08.09).
“I’m very happy,” she said. “My mindset is a big thing. I’ve been in my head a lot in past races and today I kind of thought, ‘You know what? This is my last season. I’ve really got to enjoy it.’ I enjoyed it and it paid off.”
Notching the same double on the boys side was AJ Ince of NCHS, who won the 800 in 1:56.07 and the 1,600 in 4:29.11. To capture the 1,600 for the third straight year, Ince had to outlean U High’s Sean Kaeb (4:29.16) at the line. Earlier, Kaeb won the 3,200 in 9:35.33.
“I saw Sean coming and I knew I had to get going, but my legs didn’t want to move,” Ince said. “So, I closed my eyes at the finish. I trusted my kick, believed in it, and stayed strong at the end.”
The pole vault titles went to a pair of four-time champions in Isaiah Whitaker of Central Catholic and Claudia Ifft of BHS. Whitaker, whose state-leading best of 17-11¼ ranks second nationally this season, won at a modest 14-6¼. The Kentucky recruit finished with one miss at 16-6¾ and two at 17-3½.
“I can’t be mad,” said the three-time state champion, who already held the meet record of 17-0 from 2024. “I won the meet. I feel like I’m in a good spot. I can do what I need in big meets to get the job done.”
Whitaker’s final meet in Bloomington will be May 5 when Central Catholic hosts the Illini Prairie Conference Meet.
“This town has been a blessing to me,” he said. “All four years, it’s been a great atmosphere. A lot of people around town are here to support you and watch you. It’s just great.”
Bloomington’s Ifft won the distaff division at 12-6¾. Her Class 3A state-leading season best is 12-7½ even though she has a foot stress fracture that forces her to wear a protective boot when not vaulting.
“I can’t be out of my boot until they see more of my bone forming back,” said Ifft, who felt two of her three misses at 12-10¼ were close. “That third one would have set up really nice, but there were some technique things that didn’t line up so well. That would have been golden if I had moved my hands.”
U High junior Alexander Scray defended his high jump title at 6-6¾ before going out at 6-9. His Class 2A state-leading season best of 6-8¼ on April 15 broke the school record of 6-8 set by Ikechi Nnamani in 2009.
“I should have come in at a higher height (than 5-10¾), but I still felt good,” said Scray, who stands 6-4. “I still had a four-inch clearance over 6-7. I was maybe a millimeter off from 6-9. My goal for this year is 6-10 or 6-11. My all-time goal is 7 feet.”
The meet’s lone freshman male champion was Zach Borne of NCHS in the shot put (49-0¼). His season best of 51-10 outdoors ranks fourth among ninth graders in area history. His indoor best was 52-2.
Other boys champions were Seth Shekomba of NCHS in the triple jump (43-8½), Evan Herbst of NCHS in the discus (143-5), and U High’s Ethan Dearing in the long jump (20-1).
The boys sprint relay titles went to NCHS in the 400 (43.16) with Antonio Kinsey, Mamarion Coleman, Jalen Carter, and Theodore Svatora and Normal West in the 800 (1:31.21) with Chase Price, K’Shaun Jones, Drake Golden, and Trenton Jones.
Saint Louis University recruit Renee Warren of Normal West defended her 3,200 crown in 11:27.68. Another repeat champion was U High’s Emily Gross in the high jump at 5-3.
Rounding out the girls winners were Lydia Carroll of BHS in the triple jump (33-4½) and U High’s 3,200 relay (9:50.24) of Lana Alcorn (2:25.1), Nora Bloebaum (2:25.😎, Chloe Layman (2:25.3), and Jocelyn Lewis (2:33.9).
