Brooklyn Rexford’s breakthrough long jump leads Oilers at IHSA Sectional
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SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - East Alton-Wood River closed its girls track season with one of its sharpest nights of the spring at the Springfield Southeast 2A Sectional, turning in a string of personal records and standout finishes against a large postseason field. The Oilers’ biggest highlight came from freshman Brooklyn Rexford, who reached a long-sought milestone in the women’s long jump with a leap of 16 feet, 3 inches to place fourth and earn a medal.
Rexford entered the meet ranked 10th and answered with one of the best performances of the night for East Alton-Wood River. Her 16-3 mark pushed her past the 16-foot goal she had been chasing and moved her into the medal stand in fourth place overall. It was the kind of breakthrough effort that gave the Oilers a lift and set the tone for a young team that, as the season reached its 19th week, looked ready for the moment.
The Oilers also found points and momentum in the women’s 800 meters. Freshman Eleanor Brame won her heat convincingly and finished seventh overall in 2:37, scoring two team points while missing a medal by just 0.09 seconds. Mackenzie Minner added another strong race in the same event, breaking 2:40 for the first time with a personal-record 2:39. In the women’s 400 meters, Ami Parsons delivered a strong 67-second effort, another sign of East Alton-Wood River’s late-season progress on the track.
Sprint events brought more personal-best performances. Gabby Johnson ran 14.3 in the women’s 100 meters, continuing the Oilers’ productive night in the short sprints. East Alton-Wood River also put together a solid showing in the women’s 4x100 relay with Tara Jones, Johnson, Dyhari McGee and Rexford combining for another encouraging effort. In the women’s 4x400 relay, Parsons, Brealyn Hartkopf, Brame and Minner turned in a season-best 4:51, a fitting finish for a group that kept finding another gear as the postseason arrived.
In the field events, Kylah Wreath gave the Oilers another quality result by placing 10th in the women’s shot put. That finish added to a well-rounded sectional performance that featured contributions from sprints, middle distance, relays and jumps. For a roster described as very young, the Oilers showed poise and growth across the board, and the collection of season-best efforts made the trip to Springfield a memorable one.
There was no team trophy to define the night for East Alton-Wood River. Instead, the Oilers left with something that can matter just as much for a developing program, proof of progress. From Rexford’s medal-winning jump to Brame’s near-podium 800 and a wave of personal records, the Oilers saved some of their best work for the final meet of the season.
