Central-Southeastern’s 4×100 girls relay team one of state’s best again this spring

CAMP POINT, Ill. — The Central-Southeastern girls 4×100 relay team saved their best for last in 2024.

That quartet could be headed for similar success in 2025.

Macie Lierly, Faith Alford, Ellie Foote and Adi Foss won the 4×100 meter race at Friday’s CSE Invitational in 50.74 seconds — 2.64 seconds ahead of South Fulton in second and 1.61 seconds ahead of their previous season best — in helping the Panthers win a team title. It was also the first time any Panthers 4×100 relay team had ever broken the 51-second barrier in a regular season meet.

Those same four finished fifth at the 2024 Class 1A state meet in 49.91 seconds, their best time to date and a program record. 

“We came into the year with a couple of them with a few things injured earlier in the school year, so we’re just trying to get them healthy,” Panthers coach Brad Dixon said. “They ran a phenomenal time today. I’m excited about them.”

Foss said cleaning up their handoffs was the secret to running their best time since the state meet and the third-fastest time in Class 1A this season.

“We were really good last year, but then we weren’t doing too well with the handoffs, so we really worked on it at practice and we got it at this meet,” Foss said.

Foss likes that group’s chances at another competitive showing, possibly even a podium finish, at state.

“It feels great because we got fifth last year, and third would be even better,” Floss said. “I feel like Ellie, our third leg, got faster. I feel like I got faster, and our second leg (Elford) is really good at catching people, so I feel like that puts that all together and makes us a really good team.”

Lierly, Alford, Foote and Foss also paced the field in the 4×200 relay, beating South Fulton by 3.02 seconds and posting the seventh-fastest time in the state this season. Foss, Alford, Foote and Emily Baker finished sixth in Class 1A in the 4×200 last season.

“We almost hit our PR (1:48:19, set in the state finals last season) at this meet, so I think we have a good chance to place again this year,” Foss said.

The CSE girls team finished with 106 points, 11 ahead of Winchester West Central in second.

Foss finished only behind Mendon Unity junior and reigning state qualifier Saylor Barry in the 100 meters. Agnes Genenbacher eked out two wins over Winchester West Central’s Maci Peterson in hurdles races. Genenbacher beat Peterson by .16 seconds in the 100 meter hurdles and by .06 seconds in the 300.

“I love competitive events, and those are definitely very exciting for me,” Genenbacher said. “I can’t wait to race against her again.”

The Panthers also won the three-team race in the 4×800 relay. Alford won the triple jump with a best of 33 feet, 8.5 inches.

Unity and West Hancock finished tied for fourth in the nine-team invite, with Liberty, Quincy JV, Brown County and Payson Seymour rounding out the field.