Girls track and field: Downers Grove North junior Ava Gilley is the Suburban Life Athlete of the Year

Downers Grove North junior Ava Gilley quickly showed girls track and field versatility during one of her first indoor meets as a freshman.

When a fresh-soph 4x400-meter relay had only three distance runners, sprinter/jumper Gilley was “recruited” to fill out the lineup.

“I got put in it. It was a little hard for me,” Gilley said. “[But] everyone was all pumped up.”

Downers Grove North coach Matt Maletich learned something, too. Even then, Gilley was showing signs of being a great contributor – and an even better teammate with an infectious laugh that she said she sometimes has trouble stopping.

“The three girls on the distance side were so excited that they were running with Ava [in that 4x400],” Maletich said. “You could tell they were excited because she was talented but they knew she was just fun to be around.”

These days, Gilley trains with the distance group as one of the state’s top 800 runners.

She had two All-State performances at the Class 3A state finals May 18.

For her accomplishments, Gilley is the 2024 Suburban Life Girls Track and Field Athlete of the Year.

Gilley was part of the second-place 4x800 that ran a school-record 9 minutes, 2.66 seconds with seniors Sarah Paul and Sydney Hnatiuk and sophomore Lily Eddington.

Gilley later finished ninth in the 800 in 2:15.27 after a personal-best 2:12.44 in preliminaries – just shy of Emma Moravec’s 2:12.22 school record from 2015.

“Everyone just wanted to try more and everyone stepped up to be better for the team [this season],” Gilley said. “I just kind of put it all out there in the 4x800. Coming back in the 800, with 200 to go I got so lactic but I was trying really hard. I think ninth is pretty solid for doubling back.”

At state in 2023, the 4x800 relay with Gilley, Eddington, junior Alayna Todnem and 2023 graduate Maeve Courtney was third (9:17.68) and Gilley was 11th in the 800 (2:20.56).

This year, besides breaking their 9:05.47 school record from the West Suburban Conference Silver Meet on May 3, the Trojans’ 9:02.66 in the 4x800 ranks No. 4 all-time in state finals history. Prospect won with the No. 3 time (9:00.83).

Gilley’s 2:11.84 split on the third leg was the fastest by anyone in the finals. In the 800, that would have finished second to the 2:05.33 by Normal’s Ali Ince – the all-time IHSA state finals record.

“[The 4x800] definitely felt really hard because I was pushing so hard for my team,” Gilley said. “It was just super exciting because last year we got third. It was a little disappointing because we were really hoping to break 9:00. We still got second and did really well.”

In the WSC Silver, probably the state’s toughest conference, the Trojans swept outdoor and indoor titles on both levels. Juniors Audrey Casten and Kenzie Willard broke 11:00 in the 3,200. After the high school season, Gilley joined Eddington as sub-5:00 finishers for a 1,600 with 4:54.74 at the Magis Miles invite June 1.

“That was just kind of like an insane moment. I just didn’t think I’d ever be able do that,” Gilley said. “We’re serious when it counts but we like to have fun and laugh a lot and goof around sometimes, which isn’t the best but it makes it fun.”

“The competitiveness was always in her and it’s been just fun to watch it evolve and come to the surface,” Maletich said. “She tries to make you believe that running isn’t super important to her. Then you see her run and she flips a switch.”

Gilley played golf as a freshman. Summer running before sophomore year helped persuade her to join cross country. Her track days as a long and high jumper were soon numbered. At the 2023 3A state cross country meet, the Trojans finished second with Gilley (24th) their fourth of four top-25 individual all-staters even while she battled low iron issues the latter half of the season.

After receiving iron infusions in January and February, Gilley contributed to indoor school records in the 4x800 (9:10.14) by 13 seconds and 4x400 (4:02.96) March 4. At the indoor Silver Meet on March 15, she won the 800 with an indoor school-record 2:13.12 that broke the 2:13.64 meet record by former Glenbard West standout Katelynne Hart in 2018.

“Just the [team] environment made me want to try to get better and start improving. When everyone around you is just trying to get better, trying to perform well, you kind of feed off that energy,” Gilley said. “We’re really excited for this [coming] season.”