EAWR Oilers shine with records and personal bests at Lake Michigan Indoor Invitational
East Alton-Wood River Community High School’s track and field program turned its annual Wisconsin trip into a statement weekend at the Lake Michigan Indoor Invitational in Kenosha, highlighted by a pair of school records and a long list of personal bests from both the girls and boys squads.
The girls opened the meet on Friday, March 20, with an emphatic performance in the 4x800-meter relay to set the tone for the trip. The quartet of Mackenzie Minner, Ami Parsons, Braelyn Hartkopf and Eleanor Brame broke the existing EAWR indoor record of 12:37, clocking 12:23 to establish a new standard for the Oilers. That relay victory spearheaded a strong all-around showing that included quality efforts in the sprints, jumps and throws.
In the field events, freshman Brooklyn Rexford turned in a notable performance in the long jump, finishing 10th overall with a mark of 14 feet, 11½ inches in one of her first high school meets. The shot put group also produced a solid outing, led by Kylah Wreath at 26-2, followed by Averi Gilliam at 25-5 and Emalyn Murphy at 23-5. On the track, Rexford ran 8.34 seconds in the 55 meters, with Tara Jones close behind at 8.87. Senior hurdler Gina Truax matched her indoor mark from last year, placing 11th in the 55-meter hurdles in 9.86 seconds to cap another consistent effort in the event.
Middle-distance and sprint depth carried the Oilers through the remainder of the girls session. In the 400 meters, Parsons ran 1:13 and Hartkopf followed in 1:21. Minner delivered one of the best individual efforts of the day with a personal-record 2:43 in the 800 meters, continuing her upward trajectory in the event, while Brame, competing in her second 800 of the meet, posted a strong 3:01. The Oilers closed out the girls competition in the 200 meters, where Truax ran 30.6, Parsons 32.1 and Jones 33.6 to complete a demanding schedule of events for the squad.
The boys followed on Saturday, March 21, and matched the girls’ momentum with a productive day of their own. Freshman sprinter Lucas Heaton opened his high school career in the 55 meters, running 7.43 in his debut. He later joined LeBron Reed, Carson LeMond and Bennett McCormick on the 4x200 relay; the group was running well before a fall disrupted the race, though the Oilers still managed a respectable finish. LeMond later came back with a personal-record 57.9 in the 400 meters, while the 800 meters produced PRs for Reed in 2:15 and Taven Wardein in 2:31 as both athletes continued to build early-season fitness.
Distance depth was on display as well, with sophomore Noah Willeford running a lifetime-best 5:47 in the 1,600 meters and then returning with Wardein in the 3,200 after their earlier races. Freshman Peyton Shaw added to the sprint corps with a 27.6 clocking in the 200 meters. The Oilers’ biggest track performance of the day came in the 4x400 relay, where Reed, LeMond, McCormick and Jasiah Brown combined to run 3:49, placing 10th overall in a competitive field and closing the meet on a strong note for the boys on the track.
Brown delivered the signature performance of the meet in the field events. The junior triple jumper set another EAWR indoor record with a leap of 44-1, finishing second overall in the triple jump and posting a mark that currently ranks ninth in Illinois Class 2A for 2026. His performance, paired with the girls’ record-setting 4x800 relay and a series of personal-best efforts across events, underscored the significance of the Lake Michigan Indoor Invitational as an early-season test. With the outdoor season set to open Tuesday, the Oilers leave Kenosha with confidence and momentum after representing East Alton-Wood River with strong efforts throughout the weekend.
