Here are 5 storylines to watch for Suburban Life-area athletes at the IHSA girls state track and field meet

The IHSA girls track and field state meet is this weekend on the campus of Eastern Illinois University in Charleston. Class 1A preliminaries are scheduled for Thursday, Class 2A and Class 3A prelims Friday, with the finals in all three classes set for Saturday.

Here are five storylines to watch for Suburban Life-area athletes this weekend:

St. Francis’ distance crew

St. Francis last year set the Class 2A 4x800 relay state meet record of 9:12.80, and the Spartans did it with three then-freshmen – Erin Hinsdale, Allie Sheldon and Elena Mamminga – and one sophomore, Margaret Andrzejewski.

What will they do this weekend?

Well, a big question is if St. Francis runs those four together in the relay, which it has not this season. Rockford Boylan has the best time of 9:29.13 in 2A.

Mamminga has qualified in the open 3,200 with the seventh-fastest sectional time, Andrzejewski and Hinsdale qualified in the 800 with top five sectional times, and they both also qualified in the 1,600, along with the qualifying 4x800 relay.

However St. Francis runs its lineup, its distance crew will be one to watch.

Westmont’s Kyla Babb goes for distance double

Westmont’s Kyla Babb just missed medaling in both distance events last year, taking fourth in the Class 1A 3,200 and coming back for 10th in the 1,600.

She should be near the front of the pack again this weekend.

Babb ran the fourth-best 3,200 time of 11:27.75 in sectionals, but she could have more in the tank. Babb ran a 10:23.84 at the Illinois Indoor Championships in March at Gately Park. She also ran a 5:19.98 1,600 at sectionals, sixth-best in the state last week, but in that event she went 4:52.77 at Distance Night in Palatine.

Going the distance

If you’re looking for the event with the most promising medal hopefuls across the board, the Class 3A 3,200-meter run would be a good place to start.

Downers Grove North freshman Macy Ermitage, Downers Grove South sophomore Nia Ortega, Willowbrook senior Amelie Ojeda and Benet senior Delilah Helenhouse all posted top-nine sectional times in the event. Helenhouse took third in the state last year behind Barrington’s Mira Sirois, who should be considered the favorite to repeat in the event this weekend.

Distance events are worth watching, with Benet junior Keire Jenke and Downers Grove North senior Ava Gilley medal hopefuls in the 800 with top-nine sectional times and Glenbard West junior Alexa Novak in the 1,600.

Relay-wise, Glenbard West posted the second-fastest 4x800 sectional time and Downers Grove North and York could also be in the mix for a medal.

Pole position

If the distance events are the ones to watch on the track, the pole vault appears to have the strongest area flavor in the field events.

Downers Grove South senior Kailee Rodeck had the top sectional height of 3.80 meters (12 feet, 5.5 inches) and is one of six girls statewide in Class 3A who have cleared 12 feet. Hinsdale South senior Anya Patel had the second-best sectional vault of 3.65 meters, and Wheaton North senior Emerson Smith also cleared that height. Downers Grove South senior Rebecca Snouffer and Glenbard West senior Kendal Cullen are also medal hopefuls.

Others to watch

Who are the area’s other top medal hopefuls?

Downers Grove junior Karen Boakye, who had the state’s fourth-best triple jump and 10th-best long jump at sectionals, would be a good place to start. Hinsdale South junior Kennedy Ruff and Wheaton North sophomore Sophia Dalrymple both had top-five 300 hurdles times at sectionals. In Class 2A, Montini’s Sydney Gertsen posted the state’s fifth-fastest 3,200 sectional time and also qualified for state in the 1,600.