State Track 2023

It was an INCREDIBLE weekend for Morris Grade School at the IESA 3A State Track & Field Championships in East Peoria! The Braves brought home many top finishes, new personal records, and TWO STATE CHAMPIONS!!

- On Friday morning, Malachi Congo got the Braves off to a great start in the 2nd flight of the 7th Grade Boys Shot Put. Congo put in a respectable 40' 2" throw on his second attempt, and held the lead until late in the flight, when Deante Hand of East St. Louis Lincoln topped Congo's throw with his last put at 41' 1". With one attempt remaining, Congo came through for the Braves, and threw a new PR of 42' 2.5" to retake the lead and ultimately seal the deal, becoming the new 3A 7th Grade Boys Shot Put State Champion and the first individual champion for Morris Grade School since 1996 - the heyday of Shabbona Middle School! Congratulations, Malachi - your family, coaches, teammates, and friends are all so proud of you!
- Dynasty Hicks put in an excellent showing in the 3A 7th Grade Girls 100m Dash! Hicks kept pace in the preliminary round, earning a 7th place finish and a spot in the finals with an initial time of 13.28s. In the finals, Hicks ultimately crossed 8th in an incredibly tight race, earning a spot on the podium with a time of 13.48 seconds. Congratulations, Dynasty!!
- Dominic Sallese also made an appearance in the 100m Dash on the 3A 7th Grade Boys side. Sallese earned a tremendous PR of 12.65s in the preliminary race against some ferocious competition. Well done, Dom!
- Ryan Resar of ICS made his first State appearance as well, representing the team's distance runners in the 1600m. Resar nearly topped his Sectional time, a PR of 5:09, crossing at 5:12.5 against a very tough group of milers. Great work and amazing growth you've had this season, Ryan!

- On Saturday, Carter Snyder represented Morris at State once again, and got the Braves started in the 3A 8th Grade Boys Shot Put! Snyder put on an absolute show, CRUSHING his previous PR from Sectionals by an entire 4 and a half feet! Snyder's phenomenal throw of 45' 4.5" on Saturday put him ahead of many of the top 3A 8th Graders, and led to a well-earned 3rd place finish amongst some of the state's heaviest hitters. Incredible work, Carter!
- Malachi Congo took to the ring once again for the 3A 7th Grade Boys Discus Throw! Congo's growth throughout the season was on full display, as Malachi earned a stellar 4th place finish with a throw of 107' 3". Congo looks to turn this year's finish into another state title in his 2024 campaign - well done and exemplary work, Malachi!
- 6th grader Aniston Caputo had a busy day, throwing Discus in the first flight of the 3A 7th Grade Girls division. Caputo got her morning started in the best possible way - with a new PR and a new 3A 7th Grade Girls State record discus throw of 85' 11" on her first attempt! After a quick break to run the 4x100 relay, a few more throws, and a second flight of 7th Grade girls, it became clear that Caputo's throw of 85' 11" was all she needed to earn her an individual State title and the second of the Braves' weekend! Caputo now holds the IESA 3A 7th Grade Girls Discus Throw record and - best of all - gets to try and break her own record next year! Aniston, we are so incredibly proud of you and all the hard work you've put in this season - you are a champion through and through!
- Caputo and her Lady Brave teammates Sadie Valentine, Cora Passerman, and Dynasty Hicks also turned in their best race of the season in the 3A 7th Grade Girls 4x100 Relay! A great start from Valentine led to a series of perfect handoffs, as Passerman and Caputo led the way to anchor runner Hicks, who sealed a 1st place finish in the 2nd heat of the relay, and ultimately, a magnificent 4th place finish overall and a new relay team PR of 55.7s. Absolutely amazing work, ladies - your growth over the season has been so fun to watch!
- Ryan Resar made his second appearance at the State meet, this time in the 3A 7th Grade Boys 800m run! Resar closed out his weekend in a big way, finishing at 2:16.77 and shaving nearly 8 seconds off his previous PR earned at Sectionals. Fantastic work, Ryan - we know you'll be back next spring!
- Aubrey Lines made her Track & Field State meet debut in the 3A 8th Grade Girls 800m run! Lines left it all out on the track as she nearly topped her PR from Sectionals, finishing at 2:33.69. Aubrey, you've left a colossal impact on so many of your peers in both XC and T&F - we can't wait to see what you do at MCHS!

From Coaches Guilinger, Hood, Lawrence, & Behrens - we are all so tremendously proud of all our kids that signed up, came out this season, and committed themselves to being a little bit better every day. We're humbled by the recognition you all have brought to our school and community! We're also thankful for the many wonderful parents that volunteered at meets, cheered on our athletes, and even worked with their kids on events well into the evening hours. And a huge shout-out has to go to our Athletic Director, Mr. Ty Anderson - thank you for all the good you've done these past two years as our AD!

Even greater things to come - until next spring, Braves!