By Mike Clark
CHARLESTON — In Jordan Hamb’s house, there’s a book bag hanging in a closet that holds the tangible evidence of one of the greatest legacies of any Public League athlete.
“It’s not even full yet,” Hamb said after wrapping up her high-school track career on May 23 at Eastern Illinois University’s O’Brien Field.
“But it’s full enough to where it’s really, really heavy.”
The book bag, where Hamb keeps her medals, got heavier after another busy and productive day at state.
She won five more medals, including a pair of individual firsts, and a team third-place medallion. That brings her total to 11 individual medals, five state titles and two team medals.
Hamb, a Wisconsin recruit, had two of the Public League’s three event titles. Simeon’s 4×400 relay had the third, also in Class 2A.
This year, Hamb won the 2A 100 hurdles in 13.90 seconds and the 2A triple jump at 39 feet, 0.5 inches. She also finished third in the 100 (12.29) and the long jump (17-9.75).
Competing in back-to-back events on the track and in the jumps isn’t something many athletes would even attempt. How did she make it seem so effortless?
“Don’t get it twisted,” Hamb said. “It wasn’t easy at all. It was extremely tiring.
“But I know personally what I signed up for, what I agreed to do. … I just had to mentally prepare myself. I had goals set, I didn’t hit all my goals. But I hit some goals and I made it through and that’s all that really matters to me. I’m just happy about that.”
South Shore’s team trophy was its second in three years, after a runner-up finish in 2A in 2024. The Tars edged Eureka by one point for third place.
“I figured it could go either way,” South Shore coach Jason Cooper said. “I knew we had a shot, but I knew a lot of things had to go right to do it. We made some gambles with jumbling all of Jordan’s events on the front load, but it was our best option.”
In the 2A 4×400, Simeon’s K’saundra Frison, Calyce Douglas, Serenity Esper and Sa’Myah McCraney won in a season-best 3:55.54. The young quartet — all are freshmen except McCraney, who is a sophomore — dropped more than five seconds off their prelims time of 4:00.86, which was their previous season best.
How did it all come together for the Wolverines to win the program’s first state title?
“It was stressful,” McCraney said. “I had a hard time in practice … but I just came to show out for my team and to help them because I know they wanted it as bad as I did. …
“I was expecting to get top three, but winning is amazing, too.”
In Class 3A, Public Leaguers won seven medals in individual events and two more in relays.
Young triple jumper Courtney Burt finished second at 39-0.5.
“I obviously want better, but I’m happy because the past few years I came in third,” Burt said. This time I finally broke in, I came in second.”
Young high jumper Jordyn Ellis took third with a personal-best clear of 5-7.25.
“My goal is to PR, I did that,” the sophomore said. “The goal is always to win, but I’ve got more years (to chase a title).”
Ellis won another medal by anchoring the Dolphins to fifth place in the 4×400 in a season-best 3:52.23.
Young’s Kayla Riepe also won a pair of medals, taking fourth in the 400 (PR of 54.82) and joining Ellis, Julia Ijimakin and Phoenix Higginbottom on the 4×400.
Ainsley Carter was a double medalist for Lane, taking eighth in the 1,600 (PR of 4:57.99) and anchoring the 4×800 to third. Antonina Leary, Amy Herzog, Kaila Burns and Carter ran a season-best 9:06.26.
Also winning 3A medals were Kenwood’s Kamdyn Redway, who finished fifth in the 300 hurdles (44.28); Ag. Science’s Taya Rice, who was seventh in the triple jump (37-7.75) and Jones’ Samaya Butler-Batista, who was ninth in the 100 (12.40).
Photos courtesy of the IHSA
