Kankakee’s Naomi Bey-Osborne caps career with trio of medals at state track and field finals

CHARLESTON – Naomi Bey-Osborne has experienced success few athletes can dream of.

And the Kankakee senior has experienced heartbreak few people can imagine.

Now she has wrapped up one of the greatest careers in program history, earning three more state medals – boosting her career total to 11 – Saturday in the IHSA Class 3A finals at Eastern Illinois University’s O’Brien Field.

Bey-Osborne won seven firsts among eight state medals in Class 2A in 2022 and ’23, leading the Kays to the first two state titles by a girls team in school history. Who knows how many she would have added last spring had she not suffered a season-ending hamstring injury at the sectional?

“It was devastating to the point that I didn’t even want to come to state (last year),” Bey-Osborne said. “But it wasn’t just for me. I was a team captain so I had to act as such.”

As hard as that was, it didn’t compare to what Bey-Osborne faced afterward: the death of her grandfather, Hikey Osborne.

“I was living with him at the time and I found him passed away,” Bey-Osborne said. “I didn’t cry till three days later. And ever since then, everything I do ... whenever I fail, I know it’s all in the plan. I stick the course. My granddad was like, ‘You got to accept what you can’t change.

“And I accepted it. Not that I wanted to. But I did.”

On Saturday, competing in the 3A state meet for the first time, the Illinois recruit was fourth in the 400 meters with a PR of 55.09 and anchored two medal-winning relays. She teamed with DaMariana Tooles, Essence Bell and Trinity Noble for a 46.49 in a blazing 4x100 that produced the season’s four best times in the state — and four U.S. top-70 times.

Jasiah Hawkins, Jamaya McMurtry, Ki’Asia Wilson and Bey-Osborne ran a season-best 3:50.21 in the 4x400.

Bey-Osborne was aiming higher in the 400. “I’m going to accept it because it was a PR, but that was not my goal,” she said. “My goal was really high. ... I’ve been having a hamstring injury (and) it attacked me like, the last 50 meters. So I was just trying to finish the race at that point. I didn’t want to stop or get off the track. So I just kept pushing.”

The Kays had another relay medal in the 4x200, as Tooles, Noble, Wilson and Bell ran a season-best 1:38.86 to finish runner-up.

The area had one champion in Reed-Custer junior Sophie Burciaga, who cleared 3.55 meters to win the 2A pole vault on a tiebreaker.

Burciaga, who transferred in this school year from Plainfield South, came to the sport later than most. “I was a gymnast for about nine years and it was not a good mental space,” she said.

So she went out for track at Plainfield South, looking for an event like vault – which had been her favorite event in gymnastics.

“I found out what pole vault was and I randomly started it,” Burciaga said. “I realize that it was fun and that it started to give me the same adrenaline that I missed when I was a gymnast.”

The Comets also had a ninth from Alyssa Wollenzien in the 2A 300 hurdles (46.65).

Manteno freshman Klarke Goranson won a pair of medals in 2A, running a PR of 2:11.43 to take second in the 800 and finishing third in the 1,600 at 4:57.85. That followed a sixth-place medal in 2A cross country last fall.

“I didn’t know what to expect going in, but I’m really happy with how I did and I can’t wait for the coming years,” Goranson said.

Another Panthers freshman, Sophia Most, was seventh in the 1A discus at 37.71.

Wilmington freshman McKenna Van Tillburg took fifth in the 1A 100 with a PR of 12.31, seventh in the 300 hurdles (46.04) and eighth in the 100 hurdles (17:09).

Milford-Cissna Park junior Addison Lucht took fifth in the 1A triple jump at 10.95 and eighth in the long jump at 5.20. Peotone senior Terrynn Clott had a PR of 37.00 to finish eighth in the 2A discus and Central sophomore Lia Prairie was eighth in the 1A shot put with a PR of 11.86.