To the finish: Meet The Times area’s Class 1A and 2A girls track and field state qualifiers

The IHSA Track and Field State Championships get underway with preliminaries Thursday, with the finals Saturday at Eastern Illinois University’s O’Brien Field in Charleston.

Here’s who is competing from our Times area schools.

Class 2A

Sunny Weber, Sandwich: The four-time medal winning junior qualified for the 1,600- and 3,200-meter run for the third time. Her sectional winning times in the 3,200 (10 minutes, 47.13 seconds) and 1,600 (5 minutes, 7.24 seconds) have her seeded first and third (four seconds off the top spot), respectively. Weber was the 2A champion in the 3,200 last year and finished runner-up in the 1,600.

Alayla Harris, Sandwich: The Indians sophomore posted a personal best and qualifying time of 16.62 second in the 100 hurdles at sectionals. She’ll need to slice 1.09 off her time to crack a top-12 time.

Delanie Card, Sandwich: The sophomore won the sectional title at Sterling in 400 with a time of 1:00.76 and is seeded 28th. She’ll need to cut 1.44 to reach a top-12 time.

Sandwich 4x800 relay team: Senior Joanna Rivera, senior Erin Lissman, junior Emily Urbanski and sophomore Kayla Kressin finished in 10:07.31 to place second at sectionals. They are seeded 18th, but just over four seconds off a top-12 seed time.

Class 1A

Abbi Armstrong, Flanagan-Cornell/Woodland: The Falcons freshman was the sectional champion at Maroa-Forsyth in the 200 (26.02) and long jump (5.22 meters), while placing third with a qualifying time of 12.88 in the 100. She is seeded 10th in the 200, tied for 12th in the long jump and 28th in the 100, but only .4 off a top-12 seed. Armstrong is part of F-C’s state qualifying 4X200 relay team.

Flanagan-Cornell/Woodland 4x200 relay team: Sophomore Alivia Waschle, junior Kaylee Delheimer, senior Gabby Jacobs and Armstrong finished third at sectionals, but with a qualifying time of 1:49.55. They are seeded 18th, less than a second away from a top-12 seed.

Evelyn O’Connor, Seneca: The Fighting Irish senior finished second in the 1,600 with a time of 5:26.41 and is part of the 4x400 and 4x800 relay teams that also advanced to state. She seeded 13th in the 1,600, just a second over a top-10 seed. O’Connor - who already has seven state medals - placed fifth at state last year in the 1,600.

Lila Coleman, Seneca: The junior captured the sectional title in the 400 in a time of 59:86 and is part of the qualifying 4x400 relay team. In the 400, Coleman is seeded 10th, just over three seconds from the top seed.

Avery Aldridge, Seneca: The freshman placed fourth at sectionals in the pole vault but cleared the state advancing height of 2.76. Her personal record has her tied for the 10th seed with six other vaulters, .37 away from a top 5 seed.

Seneca 4X400 relay team: Coleman, O’Connor, sophomore Elsa Douglas and sophomore Julie Mueller won the sectional title with a personal-best time of 4:15.47. They are seeded 15th, but only three seconds away from the top 10.

Seneca 4X800 relay team: O’Connor, senior Natalie Misener, freshman Tenley Yandell and junior Lily Mueller won the sectional title with a personal-best time of 10:20.06. They are seeded 11th and six seconds from reaching a top-10 seed.

Addison Ness, Newark: The Norsemen senior won the sectional title in the triple jump with a leap of 10.92 and is also part of the 4x200 and 4x400 state qualifying relay squads. In the triple jump, Ness - who missed medaling last year by .06 - is seeded 6th, just .13 from a top-three seed.

Tess Carlson, Newark: The senior - who already has three state medals - won the sectional title at Seneca in the pole vault, clearing 3.36. She is seeded third, just .22 away from the top seed. Carlson placed fifth at state in the pole vault last year.

Newark 4x200 relay team: Carlson, senior Isabella Creps, sophomore Malia Maddox and Ness won the sectional title with a personal-best time of 1:51.61. The are seeded 34th and will need to cut three seconds to reach a top-12 seed.

Newark 4x400 relay team: Freshman Kyla Wesseh, Carlson, Creps and Ness finished runner-up at sectionals in a personal best time of 4:16.81. They are seeded 18th and four seconds off a top-12 seed.

Maggie Jewett, Marquette: The Crusaders senior - now a two-time state qualifier in the 400 - sprinted to a runner-up sectional finish in 1:01.46. She is seeded 24th and will need to shave off 1.33 for a top-12 seed.

Gwen Jimenez, Marquette: The sophomore qualified in the shot put with a second-place finish at sectionals with a toss of 10.22. She is seeded 30th and will need to throw 1.08 farther for a top-12 seed.

Alexis Punsalan, Somonauk: The Bobcats sophomore finished runner-up in the pole vault (3.06) and 200 (27.49) at sectionals to advance in the events for the second straight season. She placed 11th in the pole vault at state as a freshman. This year she is seeded tied for sixth in the pole vault and 37th in the 200, the latter needed to cut 1.37 for a top-12 seed.

Finley Jobst, Earlville: The Serena sophomore as part of a co-op, she ran a personal best 2:33.22 in the 800 at sectionals to advance. She is seeded 32nd and will need to slice 10 seconds off her time for a top-12 seed.

Macy Gochanour, Fieldcrest: The Knights junior placed third in the 300 hurdles at the Lewistown Sectional, but with an advancing with a time of 49.55. Gochanour - who also made it to state in the event last season - is seed 22nd and will need to cut 1.06 for a top-12 seed.

Pru Mangan, Fieldcrest: The junior finished runner-up at sectionals in the discus with a throw of 33.41. Mangan - who qualified for the event last year - is seeded 28th and will need a toss 2.64 better for a top-12 seed.