Sterling goes back-to-back on home track

STERLING — Bounce back performances. Personal records. Contributions from nearly everyone.

And yet Sterling did not win one event at Thursday’s Class 2A sectional on its home field.

But it didn’t matter.

The Golden Warriors topped the team standings to win back-to-back sectional titles for the first time since winning five straight from 1991-95.

“Two years in a row we didn’t win a single event. At all,” Sterling coach Tyler Gaumer said. “We got more state qualifiers this year and I think the points kind of reflect that. It’s absolutely a great team effort.

“The results speak for themselves what our kids did tonight.”

Sterling tallied 97.5 points as Freeport and Sycamore tied for second with 74. Dixon took 15th with 24.

Junior Anessa Johnson took second in the 300 hurdles and hit a PR of 16 seconds flat to race below state qualifying time in a fourth-place finish.

“I definitely was a little scared but I knew I could go out there and do it,” she said of the 300 PR. “It feels great. I’m just a junior and I’ve went [to state] three years so far. I’m just excited.”

Sterling‘s Presley Winters and Abby Ryan were both able to come through after falling short last year.

Ryan hit a PR of 1.59 meters to hit the state qualifying mark in a bronze finish in the high jump. Sophomore Kaelee Varden also qualified as one of eight girls to jump at least 1.54 meters.

Winters hit 2.97 meters to qualify for state as she tied for third.

Ryan said she was motivated after “hiccups” at the Western Big 6 Conference meet and last year’s sectional.

“It felt amazing,” she said, “and to have a [high jump] teammate go there with me is everything to me honestly.”

Ryan said she and Winters have leaned on each other after down performances, making Wednesday’s performances even more satisfying.

“As soon as I was done with high jump I ran over to Presley,” Ryan said. “She was the first person I ran to. I was like, ‘oh my God, we did it.’ It felt amazing.”

Winters said it was nervewracking after last year didn’t go her way, and the Big 6 meet was ‘rough’.

“The outcome was so worth it,” she said. “You just have to be in a good mindset. ... My jumps were so much better because I kept telling myself I could do this.

“The redemption feels amazing. I’ve never felt more relief than when I got over that crossbar.”

Sandwich sophomore Molly Russelburg won the event with a PR of 3.67 meters, just over 12 feet for one of the top leaps in the state this season and the best in 2A.

Sterling‘s Johnson, Nia Harris, Alivia Gibson and Taah Liberty took second in the 4x100 to qualify for state.

Liberty anchored the win as she qualified for state in the event for the second straight year.

“It’s always amazing to qualify for state,” she said. “It’s a good experience there. good exposure and always fun to see other people run really fast.”

Liberty, a senior, was joined by two juniors and a sophomore, Harris.

“I’m always happy to be a leader on and off the track,” Liberty said. “I love to get my teammates where they need to be at the end of the day.”

Sterling freshman Emma Pham was third in the 3,200, which was won by Sandwich’s defending state champion Sunny Weber in 10:47.13, over 100 seconds ahead of the field.

Another Sterling freshman, Kendall Barajas, contributed with a state-qualifying throw in the discus of 34.56 meters as she took third. She was the only freshman in the top 18.

“I kind of knew I had to PR,” she said. “It was really exciting when I qualified the first throw.”

She said the team is diverse in its strengths. That showed in the team victory.

“We have a lot of people in different sports,” she said. “And that helps with this win.”

Sterling senior Addison Robbins took third in the long jump with a PR of 5.00 meters, nearly qualifying.

“We score in I think every event but one,” Gaumer said. “We talk with our kids all the time about just keep competing. Just keep showing up, keep working hard and keep giving everything you’ve got and then good things happen.”

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Sterling’s Abby Ryan clears the bar in the high jump to qualify for state Wednesday, May 14, 2025, during Sectionals at Sterling High School. (Alex T. Paschal)