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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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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Brown, L-W East Girls Bring Home First State Track Trophy in School History

Sophomore sprinter Aaliyah Brown won two individual events and helped the Griffins win medals in two relay events as they captured second place in the Class 3A girls state track meet.

CHARLESTON -- It was the ultimate act of redemption for Lincoln-Way East sophomore sprint standout Aaliyah Brown. One year after leaving a trail of tears from the start line of the 200-meter dash to the finish line after false starting in the preliminaries, Brown answered the bell with a resounding flurry of upper cuts and left hooks at the Class 3A girls track and field state finals Saturday afternoon at Eastern Illinois’ O’Brien Stadium. The end  result was the Griffins placing second as a team in the large-school competition. “I don’t want to be known as the girl who false-started in the 200,” Brown said. Brown, the defending champion at 100 meters, denied Waubonsie Valley junior Morolake Akinosun--the indoor state champion--to retain …

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What Can Brown Do for L-Way East? Deliver the Goods in State Track Meet

Griffin sophomore sensation Aaliyah Brown will compete in four events in the Class 3A girls state track and field meet. And she could win them all.

Lincoln-Way East sophomore Aaliyah Brown believes she’ll compete in Rio in the 2016 Olympics. For now, though, she’s focused on this weekend’s trip to O’Brien Stadium in Charleston  for the IHSA girls track and field state finals. Brown won the 100 dash (11.96) and 200 dash (24.21) during last week’s Homewood-Flossmoor Sectional, which was held over two days because of thunderstorms. She also qualified in the 400 relay (46.83) and 1,600 relay (3:58.28). “Knock on wood, but if we keep our exchanges clean we should be coming home with three champions, the 100, 200 and our 4x100,” Lincoln-Way East coach Caroline Cunningham said. “They’re all ready. They’ve worked their butts off.” Brown may only be a sophomore, but she’s been recognized as …

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Local Sports Notebook

Lincoln-Way North Softball Hitting on All Cylinders

The Phoenix outscored three opponents 35-6 and were on an offensive tear heading into weekend action.

The Lincoln-Way North softball team was looking for its fourth consecutive win when it faced Andrew on Friday. And for more offensive firepower. North blasted Thornwood 13-2 on Monday behind a few strong performances with the bat. Katie Plotke and Kelly Sweeney each had two hits, and Leann Buzzard had three hits. Plotke led the team with 3 RBIs, while Sweeney and Buzzard each chipped in with two. Sweeney continued with her hot bat on Wednesday, getting two more hits and two RBIs in a 17-0 blowout against Thornridge. Kirsten Iversen threw a no-hitter and fanned 10. Things got tighter on Thursday as the Phoenix survived Oak Lawn, 5-4. Shannon O’Donnell had a pair of hits, including a double. Lincoln-Way North went into the weekend with a …

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Local Sports Notebook

L-W East Baseball Starts Week with a Stunner

Griffins rally for four runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to top St. Laurence.

Lincoln-Way East bolted to quite a start to the week on Sunday, rallying for four runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to beat St. Laurence 10-9 in the Stevie’s Way Tournament Challenge at Standard Bank Stadium in Crestwood. Alec Ornelas delivered the huge blow, hammering a two-out, three-run game-tying triple. He then came home to score the winning run on a base hit by Matt Rosenberger. The Griffins continued their winning ways on Thursday, blanking Joliet Central 8-0 behind Matt Von Albade’s effort on the hill. Von Albade struck out 12. Dan Huizenga, Chris Scott and Rosenberger all had two hits and drove in runs. For more on this game, check out coverage in The Herald News. Add Lincoln-Way East freshman Dana O’Grady to the list of …

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