Parade to Celebrate Griffins Girls Track Team: 3A State Champs

Lincoln-Way East Griffins Girls track team is 3A State Champs.

The Lincoln-Way East Girls Track team scored 79 points compared to the next highest scoring team, Edwardsville, which earned 68.5 points at IHSA Girls Track and Field competition May 18 at Eastern Illinois University in Charleston. A parade to celebrate their success began at 1 p.m. Sunday, winding through Mokena and Frankfort. A trophy ceremony was held in the Fieldhouse at Lincoln-Way East High School. Fans filled the bleechers and listened to accolades form the coach and Principal Scott Tingley.  ………………………………………………………………………………………………………............................. Have sports news to report? Post it on the Lincoln-Way Patch sites: New Lenox / Mokena / Frankfort Like New Lenox / Mokena / Frankfort on Facebook. Related Topics: Aaliyah …

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Griffins Girls Track Star Makes Historic 1st for Fastest Time

Aaliyah Brown from Lincoln-Way East High School has won five state titles and 11 medals, Sun-Times Media reports.

The Griffins Girls track team has achieved the fastest 400 and 800 relay times in Illinois history, but official IHSA records can only be set at the state meet. The team is competing today at Class 3A finals at Eastern Illinois University.   Aaliyah Brown, a senior, ran the fastest times in Illinois history—46.45 for the 400-meter dash and 1:38.83 for the 800-meter dash in the Friday qualifying meet.  IHSA official records can only be set at the state meet, the Sun-Times Media reports. Brown is heading into the state meet having earned five state titles and 11 medals.   The Lincoln-Way East High School girls track team is setting records for the 100 and 200 meter dashes too. On Friday Brown ran the 100 at 11.99 seconds and the 200-meter …

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College Signing Day: Lincoln-Way East's Lucky Number is 13

Senior girls track and field standout Aaliyah Brown the headliner in Lincoln-Way East's recruiting class.

The first time Lincoln-Way East girls track and field coach Caroline Gerritsen met Aaliyah Brown's father she was set back on her heels by his line of questioning. Angelo Brown wanted to know if the Griffins ran in any national track meets. Gerritsen soon learned she was in for the ride of her life when Aaliyah joined the program at Lincoln-Way East. Four years later, Brown is the reigning Gatorade Illinois Girls Track & Field Athlete of the Year. And she stands at the head of Lincoln-Way East's February recruiting class, one that was unvieled during a national signing-day ceremony Wednesday afternoon in the Griffins' Lair at school. Eleven student-athletes made their college choices official, Brown opting for Texas A&M where she plans to …

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L-W East Officials Shower Praise on Gatorade Track Athlete of the Year Aaliyah Brown

Lincoln-Way East girls track and field standout Aaliyah Brown is recognized as the 2012 Gatorade Illinois Girls Track & Field Athlete of the Year during a ceremony at school on Thursday.

"Mature for her age." "... works very hard to excel at an incredible level." The words were used to describe Lincoln-Way East track and field standout Aaliyah Brown during a formal presentation at school Thursday to recognize her for being named the 2012 Gatorade Illinois Girls Track & Field Athlete of the Year. Brown, who just started her senior year at Lincoln-Way East, led the Griffins to a fourth-place finish in the Class 3A state meet last spring. She won the 200-meter dash (24.18) and placed second in the 100 (11.67). She also ran legs on two second-place relay teams. Brown teamed with Sydney Barrera, Maria Perozzi and Dana O'Grady for a clocking of 47.66 in the 4x100 and with O'Grady, Perozzi and Nicole Nepote for a time of 3:52.45 …

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Lincoln-Way East's Aaliyah Brown Named Illinois Girls Track Athlete of the Year

Call her state champ. Or call her Illinois Girls Track Athlete of the Year. Lincoln-Way East's Aaliyah Brown answers to both names nowadays.

Lincoln-Way East's Aaliyah Brown is going by a new name these days: Illinois Gatorade State Girls Track & Field Athlete of the Year. Brown led Lincoln-Way East to a fourth-place finish in the Class 3A state track and field meet in May at Charleston. She won the 200-meter dash (24.18), placed second in the 100-meter dash (11.67) and also ran a leg on the Griffins' second-place finishing 4x100 relay team (47.66). She later placed second in the Adidas Grand Prix Dream 100 in New York. She was clocked in a blistering 11.44. The time ranked her fourth among all prep competitors nationwide in 2012. She was recognized by an ESPNHS panel based on three pillars: athletic production and impact in the 2012 season, high academic achievement and …

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Brown Leads L-W East to 4th Place Finish in Class 3A Girls State Track

Aaliyah Brown won one individual event, placed second in another and ran on two second-place finishing relays as Lincoln-Way East placed fourth in the Class 3A girls state track and field meet.

Aaliyah Brown's bid to sweep the sprint events for the second year in a row was denied Saturday during the finals of the Class 3A state track and field meet at Eastern Illinois University's O'Brien Stadium in Charleston. But only because the Lincoln-Way East junior fell just short in one of the fastest races in IHSA history. Waubonsie Valley senior Morolake Akinosun nipped Brown to win the 100-meter dash in recordy-tying time of 11.41 seconds. Akinosun's mark equaled the previous best set by Morgan Park's Alexandria Anderson in 2004. Brown placed second in the 100 with a time of 11.67. She later won the 200-meter dash—and topped Akinsun in doing so—with a time of 24.18. The victory was Brown's third in the last two seasons at the IHSA …

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Local Sports Notebook

Lincoln-Way Softball Teams Get Thrills from Jills

A farewell to one Jill (Reid) and another to watch next year (Galich) and beyond.

Lincoln-Way East's Jill Reid and Lincoln-Way North’s Jill Galich enjoyed excellent seasons in softball. Reid just graduated after hitting .549 with 21 runs and eight doubles. She’ll be playing next spring at Baylor University. Galich will be able to punish pitchers for two more years playing for the Phoenix in Frankfort. She hit .410 during her sophomore year with six doubles, 24 runs and 20 RBIs. Both players were all-conference selections. The roster certainly looks different, but the results were the same, at least in Monday’s summer league baseball opener as Lincoln-Way North defeated Crete-Monee 12-2. Dominic Hartman doubled and drove in three runs, while Matt Murray contributed a two-run single. Flotrack.org has published a video …

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L-W East’s Aaliyah Brown Runs Away With Our Top Spring Sports Athlete Award

The combination of Brown’s speed and team spirit helped lead Lincoln-Way East's girls track and field team to its first state runner-up trophy.

Aaliyah Brown, Lincoln-Way East, sophomore, track and field Brown was the big winner in the IHSA Class 3A state finals in Charleston. She won three state titles, taking home top honors on her own in the 100 dash (11.46) and 200 dash (24.00) as well as the 4 x 100 (47.00) with Dana O’Grady, Meghan Marias and Maria Perozzi. Brown was the SWSC champion and the sectional champion in the 100 dash, 200 dash and 4 x 100, along with O’Grady, Marias and Perozzi. She also teamed up with the same relay foursome to win the 4 x 400 in the sectional and that same relay team placed third in the IHSA state finals. Brown was named MVP for Lincoln-Way East girls track and field. She broke four indoor Lincoln-Way East records: 55 dash, 200 dash, 4 x 200 (…

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Local Sports Notebook

Two Old Teammates Match Coaching Wits in Baseball Supersectional

Lincoln-Way East coach Paul Babcock and Mount Carmel coach Brian Hurry, who sent their teams into battle in Monday's Class 4A supersectional at Crestwood, were teammates at the College of St. Francis in the '90s.

Monday's Crestwood Supersectional baseball game provided the rare opportunity for two College of St. Francis (Joliet, Ill.) alums to match coaching wits. Lincoln-Way East coach Paul Babcock was a captain of the 1993 College of St. Francis NAIA National Champions. The Saints went 46-16 that year, beating Southeastern Oklahoma State University 4-2 for the title. Mount Carmel coach Brian Hurry was a redshirt freshman at the College of St. Francis in 1993. The school changed its name to the University of St. Francis in 1998. "We only had four seniors on the team and Coach Babcock was one of the captains," Hurry said. "He had a great work ethic and attitude, and his approach to the game inspired me. I still love all of my St. Francis teammates…

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Lincoln-Way East Track & Field Celebrates with Parade and Trophy Presentation

After taking second place in the Class 3A girls state meet at O'Brien Stadium in Charleston, the Griffins returned home carrying hardware.

It was a whirlwind weekend for the Lincoln-Way East girls track and field team. On Saturday, the Griffins took second place in the Class 3A state meet at O’Brien Stadium in Charleston. Coming home Sunday, the team celebrated with a parade through the streets of Frankfort and Mokena followed by a trophy presentation in the Lincoln-Way East main gym. “For a group of girls, for a school that’s never had a state trophy, this means everything,” Lincoln-Way East athletic director David Brost said. “These girls not only won second in state, but they made memories that will last a lifetime.” The Griffins not only brought home the first girls’ state track and field trophy in school history, they joined six other sports at East to have won a state …

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