East Alton-Wood River opens indoor season with promising performances at Blazen Brave Invitational
East Alton-Wood River Community High School’s boys and girls track and field teams opened the 2026 season with a strong showing at the Blazen Brave Invitational on Saturday at Mt. Zion High School, using the large indoor meet as an early benchmark for a young roster. With the Oilers fielding expanded girls numbers and a small but competitive boys group, the day was highlighted by competitive relay efforts, encouraging early-season times and a host of performances that coaches expect will lead to significant improvement as the year progresses.
The Oilers’ girls squad, featuring just two seniors and a core of freshmen and sophomores, made the most of its first outing in the field events and sprints. In the throws, Kylah Wreath led a trio that also included Averi Gilliam and Emalyn Murphy, with all three getting marks on the board to establish a baseline for upcoming meets. In the long jump, freshmen Tara Jones and Brooklyn Rexford gained valuable experience in their first competition in the event, with coaches anticipating personal records ahead as they settle into their approaches and technique.
On the track, the meet opened with a milestone for East Alton-Wood River as the girls entered two 4x200-meter relay teams, a first for the program. The top relay of senior Gina Truax, freshman Ami Parsons, Rexford and sophomore Mackenzie Minner finished 12th overall, with all four running competitive legs in the season opener. The second quartet of sophomores Braelyn Hartkopf and Emma Gray and freshmen Eleanor Brame and Jones also turned in a solid performance, giving the Oilers multiple lineup options for future relays as the season progresses.
Truax set the tone individually as well, placing 12th in the 60 meters and then winning her heat of the 200 with a strong finish, running down a competitor at the line in what coaches described as a very good start to her season. The 60-meter dash also featured tight finishes from Jones, Gray and Brame, with Jones clocking 9.82 seconds as all three bunched closely together. Parsons impressed in the 400 meters, showing late-race toughness to reel in a runner at the finish, while Minner opened her season with an 800 in the 2:50 range. Rexford capped a busy day with a fast 200 after competing in the long jump and the 4x200, underscoring the depth and versatility the Oilers are building on the girls side.
The boys team brought five athletes to Mt. Zion and also produced a series of promising early-season efforts. The Oilers’ 4x200-meter relay of senior LeBron Reed, sophomores Carson LeMond and Noah Willeford, and freshman Peyton Shaw turned in an impressive 1:48, particularly noteworthy given that the anchor leg came from a two-mile specialist. That performance helped set the tone for a day focused on controlled but competitive efforts designed to build toward the heart of the indoor and outdoor schedules.
LeMond led the way in the 400 meters, placing 12th in 56.7 seconds, a full three seconds faster than his opening time from last year and a clear indication of his offseason progress. In the middle distances, seniors Reed and Taven Wardein both opened ahead of last year’s pace in the 800, running 2:19 and 2:35, respectively. Willeford turned in a 6:01 in the 1,600 meters to establish his early-season standard, and Shaw closed his day with a 27-second 200, adding sprint depth to the boys lineup.
With the meet coming very early in the schedule, head coach Russ Colona and assistant coach Nic Colona emphasized building confidence and fitness over chasing peak performances, and the Oilers largely met that objective with solid times, clean relay exchanges and complete days from both squads. With a larger girls roster, a versatile core on the boys side and multiple athletes already ahead of last year’s opening marks, East Alton-Wood River leaves Mt. Zion encouraged about its trajectory. The Oilers will look to build on these results at their next meet in two weeks in Carbondale, where continued drops in times and emerging personal records are expected.
