Donner, Rush claim indoor state titles

Princeton senior Alyssa Donner steadies the pole as she attempts to make her run in the pole vault in Friday’s Illinois Prep Top Times Meet. She won at 10-6. (Photo contributed)

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BLOOMINGTON — Two schools, two athletes, two champions.

Princeton’s Alyssa Donner and Hall’s Kendall Rush claimed first-place finishes in Friday’s Illinois Prep Top Times Indoor Classic, which is considered the unofficial indoor state meet. Donner soared to a Bureau County record clearance of 10 feet, six inches in the pole vault while Rush went 37-5 1/2 to win the triple jump at the Illinois Wesleyan Shirk Center.

Bureau County produced eight medalists on the day, including Princeton’s Sarah Maynard, second in the triple jump and fifth in the long jump, Bureau Valley’s Aubrey Franklin, fourth in the 55-meter high hurdles, Melanie Thompson, seventh in the shot put (36-9) and Alex Franklin, seventh in the 200 (23.96), and Hall’s James Thompson, seventh in the pole vault (13-0) and Anthony Urbanski, eighth in the 400 (52.89).

Donner, the fourth-place finisher in the outdoors state finals as a junior, has been training in the pole vault under PHS pole vault guru Lew Flinn since last fall. She gave up running cross country her senior year to work on her speed and strength for vaulting, and it all paid off Friday.

“I worked in the hallways at school and lifted at home to do what I can to get better,” she said.
She knew she had the 10-6 in her, but was hoping “I’d have a 10-10 in me, too.” The next closest competitor was Kaitlin Walden of Stanford Olympia at 9-0.

Donner  tried to up the meet record of 10-9 set by Byron’s Tyra Woodruff in 2007. She came close on two attempts and tried a new pole for her third, and didn’t make it.

PHS coach Pat Hodge said it was a great honor for his senior vaulter.
“She’s worked hard in the offseason and deserved the championship in the vault,” he said.

With the indoor title in hand, Donner said she “definitely would like that outdoor championship this spring.”
The PHS senior found out from her dad, BV track coach Dale Donner, if she can clear 12-1, she be listed on the national list, which she said would be “pretty cool.”

Rush, the third-place medalist last spring, hit 37 feet for the first time this spring with her Bureau County mark of 37-5 1/2. She went 37-7 1/2 outdoors at state last spring.

“I kind of wanted to jump farther, but that’s OK,” she said.

The Hall senior had never competed in the Top Times Meet before and said it was “exciting and cool to watch” some of the AA athletes. The ISU signee said she got to meet some of her future Redbirds teammates who were competing in the meet.

Maynard took second behind Rush with a personal best triple of 35-10 1/2, an all-time PHS record. She also put up a 16-0 effort for fourth in the long jump.

“It was great for Sarah to medal in two events, even getting a personal best,” Hodge said. “It was also nice to see two Bureau County athletes go 1-2 in the triple jump.”

Bureau Valley’s Aubrey Franklin clocked an 8.81 for fourth in the 55-meter hurdles and just missed a medal in the long jump by a 1/4 inch with 15-5 3/4 effort.

“We are very happy with how Aubrey ran the hurdles. That is a great time for indoors,” BV coach  Dale Donner said. “It was disappointing to see her miss a medal by 1/4 inch in the long jump. Hopefully, that will motivate her. We haven’t worked much on the long jump with her, so there is a lot of upward potential with her.
Donner said Thompson was a little disappointed with her seventh-place finish in the shot, but “needs to remember she is coming off of being sick for a week.”

Princeton freshman Jasmine Kunkel placed 10th in the 55 meter high hurdles, running a 9.52 in prelims.

For Hall, freshman Elizabeth Mosbach placed 16th in the 800 (2:32.14).

• Former Princeton athlete Matthew Smith, a senior at Mt. Zion, captured the 2A shot put crown with a toss of 56-7 1/2.

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