King takes sixth in the 200; Smith 11th in triple jump.
By Mike Miazga
Correspondent
Jordan Rowell tore it up on the football field this past fall for IC Catholic Prep.
And he’s doing the same thing in track and field this spring.
Rowell, who will play football at Northern Illinois University this fall, recently competed in the Illinois Top Times indoor meet at Illinois Wesleyan University in Bloomington. The meet is the de facto indoor state meet.
Rowell qualified and competed in four events in the meet. “Though this was a heavy load this early in the track season, Jordan competed well in all four events,” noted IC Catholic Prep coach Bob Cronin.
Rowell started with the long jump, where he took third place with a best jump of 21-4 1/2. He missed second place by a quarter-inch.
“Six jumps took a lot out of Jordan, but he still had three events to go, including the prelims and finals of the 60 meter dash,” said Cronin.
Rowell won his preliminary heat of the 60 with a time of 7.15. He went on to take second overall, running a 7.07 in the finals.
Shortly after the 60 finals, Rowell competed in the 400. “That is not his favorite distance, but one in which he excels,” said Cronin.
Rowell took third in the 400 with a time of 52.16.
Soon after running the 400, Rowell competed in the 200 where he took sixth overall with a time of 23.42. “Jordan was exhausted but resigned to run his best,” said Cronin. “Jordan was disappointed that he didn’t win any of his events, but qualifying and competing in four events at a state-championship-level meet is an extraordinary accomplishment. Jordan led our football team to a dominant state championship last fall and for him to continue at that level in track in the spring is truly exceptional. I know he wants to finish higher at the state meet in May, so hopefully this will be something that drives that vision.”
IC Catholic Prep girls track
The IC Catholic Prep girls track team had two individuals compete at the Top Times meet in Bloomington.
Junior sprinter Kiersten King took sixth in the 200 with a time of 26.93. “Kiersten ran well,” said Cronin.
Sophomore triple-jumper Jaida Smith took 11th in the event with a jump of 33-7. Smith took fifth in the outdoor state meet last year in the triple as a freshman.
“Jaida didn’t jump her best, but still finished 11th in the de facto indoor state-championship meet for Class A,” Cronin pointed out. “This was great experience for our two girls. I’m proud of their hard work and desire to compete at the highest level. Kiersten, in particular, was really psyched up for the competition and performed well. This is great experience as we transition outdoors.”
