Photo: Tristan Tewes of Pleasant Plains will be looking for a state championship in the 1A High Jump (Laura Duffy Photo)

By Michael Newman

[email protected]

Illini West’s push for the 2017 1A championship started in the field events. Connor Artman came from behind in the finals to win the Long Jump. The rest was history.

Artman is ready for defense of his Long Jump title. Just check his performance at the University of Arkansas High School Invitational in the middle of January.

Cameron Witts of Williamsville is the only other returning champion in the field events. He will look for his second state championship in the Pole Vault.

The door is open for the other four events where we will find a new face on top of the podium in O’Brien Field.

Here is a look at each of the six 1A field events for the 2018 season.

LONG JUMP

Top Returnees

Notes – This event is loaded with seven all-state athletes coming back. Connor Artman is the one athlete to keep an eye on after winning this title last May. Artman is already on his way to doing some special things. At the Arkansas High School Invitational in January, Artman jumped a personal best 23-8.75 to win the event. We are only approaching February. It will be interesting to see how high up the ladder he will climb. 24-feet is within reach. 25-feet could also be a possibility.

There are five all-state athletes in this event that also return. Ben Buresh of Wethersfield finished third last year and is the next highest returnee. Jon Muller of Paxton-Buckley-Loda, Tate Walcott of Colfax-Ridgeview, Colton Polhemus of Tremont, and Jacardia Wright of St. Teresa all went past 22-feet last year and could challenge for a spot on the podium.

Brady Webb of Forreston, Luca Gwartney of Pittsfield, and Mitchell Morrow of Blue Ridge are some of the other athletes that I would keep on. This is a competitive event that could be chasing for the second-place spot with Artman jumping in another zone.

TRIPLE JUMP

Top Returnees

Notes – This event looks to be wide-open with only three all-state athletes back. Michael Hill of Illini Bluffs finished second in last year’s finals after he was fifth in the prelims. He soared at the end of last year improving by three feet in the final month of competition. He will be the athlete to watch in this event. He has the best mark coming back from last year by over two feet.

Ramsey Hunt of Shiloh finished seventh and Jacob Davidson of Ridgeview finished eighth last year. They are the only other placers back. Lucas Kiefer of El Paso-Gridley and Caleb Bleich of Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley will their experience of last year’s final to push for a top six finish in 2018. Keegan Zack of Watseka and Carl Moore of Madison are some of the athletes that could also be in the top six in Charleston.

HIGH JUMP

Top Returnees

Notes – Five all-state athletes return but the top four from last year’s finals have graduated led by state champion Nathan Kiger. Tristen Tewes of Pleasant Plains and Cameron Getz of Macon Meridian looked to be the favorites entering last year’s meet. They finished fifth and sixth in the finals. They should be the favorites heading into this year having the highest returning clearances.

Tewes cleared a personal best 6-8.25 in his sectional meet making him the top performance returnee. Getz was undefeated outdoors until state after finishing ninth indoors at the Illinois Top Times Championships. Both will use those memories and experiences to go higher when the time is right.

Devin Yocum of Bushnell-Prairie City and Tyson Magee of Toledo Cumberland are the only jumpers that cleared 6-5 outdoors. I would watch for them pushing for a state championship. Joseph Wooten of Madison, Dawson Schulenberg of Orion, and Bryce Heatherton of Athens lead a talent pack of athletes that could make this event the most competitive of the six field events contested in this year’s 1A state meet.

POLE VAULT

Top Returnees

Notes – Cameron Witts of Williamsville had a good freshman season achieving a 12-9 personal best and making it to the state meet. His sophomore year opened eyes of those who watched him. He cleared 14-3 indoors finishing second at the Illinois Top Times Championships. He was an “upset” winner at state defeating defending state champion Curtis Gordon. Those who watched him progress last outdoor season achieving a personal best of 14-9 at state would call it anything but an upset. He will be the athlete to watch as he looks to defend his state title. He cleared 14-6 on January 6 at the University of Illinois showing that he could be in the 15-foot range by the time we get to Bloomington at the end of March. He could go higher by the time he gets to O’Brien Stadium at the end of the season.

This event could be one of opportunity this season as two other all-state athletes return along with Witts. Another junior, Zane Steele of Vandalia, cleared 14-0 during the season as well as finishing eighth at state. He could be the one athlete to push the Williamsville junior. There are seven other athletes that went past 13-feet outdoors in 2017. Blake Hubbard of Carlinville, Jake Mennen of Oregon, and Cole Sumner of Lawrenceville, who finished ninth at state, are some of the athletes that will challenge for a top three finish in this classification.

SHOT PUT

Top Returnees

Notes – This event is wide-open. All three state returnees are the only athletes back that went past 51-feet last outdoor season. Andrew Bird of Hamilton/Warsaw is the one we should keep an eye on. Bird finished only three inches behind state champion Nick Olsen placing second. He achieved a personal best of 57-8 early last April after winning the 1A Illinois Top Times Championships. Bird went past 51-feet in nine meets last outdoor season.

The one 1A athlete that could be pushing Bird is Tuscola’s Hunter Woodard who finished fourth in last year’s finals. He came on strong at the end of the season with a personal best (54-1.75) at his conference meet and then his state meet performance. Jackson Sheckler of Illini Bluffs earned all-state honors finishing seventh. Watch for him to improve on his 51-4.75 outdoor personal best this spring.

Who will step up to go past the 50-foot barrier in this event. That is the question. Peyton Taylor of Mt. Pulaski, Luke Griffith of Putnam County, and Daniel Card of Carlinville are some of the throwers that I would watch for. This event is ripe for fresh faces up front. We will just have to wait and see who seizes the opportunity.

DISCUS

Top Returnees

Notes – The story in this event is like what we said in the Shot Put Preview. This could be an area of opportunity with the top five finishers from last year all graduated. Nate Brown of Altamont finished sixth last year in Charleston and is the highest returning placer.

Hunter Woodard could get his hands on the top spot. He has the longest returning throw from last year (167-11) by eight feet ahead of Peyton Taylor.

Jackson Sheckler, Daniel Card, and Andrew Bird were all-state last year and will be in the hunt for the state championship. Brad Olysav of Williamsville and James Smith of Rockford Christian are some of the other athletes to also watch for.