Several local female track athletes will be showcasing their talents in the IHSA state track meet this weekend at Eastern Illinois University in Charleston.

For the second straight year, the Waterloo High School girls track team won a Class 2A sectional title. 

The Bulldogs earned their most recent hardware Thursday in Mascoutah, led by a few sectional championship performances. 

Cameron Crump won the 3,200 meter run and placed second at 1,600 meters. Waterloo’s 4×200 meter relay team of Kristin Smith, Reagan Wilhelm, Taylor Thorsten and Paige Zlatic also placed first. Waterloo’s Karigan Littlejohn won the pole vault. 

The same relay team of Smith-Wilhelm-Thorsten-Zlatic will also compete in the 4×400 at state after placing third in the sectional. Zlatic will also run at 100 meters after placing third in the sectional.  

Other state qualifiers for Waterloo are Ellie Zweigart in the long jump (sectional third place), the 4×100 relay team of Zlatic, Juleana Schulte, Wilhelm and Smith (sectional second place), and the 4×800 relay team of Emily Vogt, Calla Espenschied, Charley Funk and Ella Brown (sectional second place).

Last year, Crump placed fourth at state in the 3,200 meter run. Waterloo’s 4×800 relay placed sixth at state, with its 4×200 and 4×400 relay squads also running well at Charleston.

At the Class 1A Chester Sectional, a few locals qualified for state by virtue of solid showings. 

Gibault’s Clara Willson placed second in the 1,600 meter run, and teammate Anastasia Melvin placed second in the shot put. 

Valmeyer’s Autumn Lewis placed second in the 300 meter hurdles, and teammate Ava McClellan placed second in the long jump. 

Dupo’s Allison Taylor, who competed at state last year, placed second in the discus and just missed qualifying in the shot put at third place. Teammate Keara Prater was the sectional champion in the triple jump.