The long two-hour trip north to Monticello proved to be well worth it for the Salem Wildcats boys track team. What started as a beautiful evening for the IHSA 2A Sectional eventually turned cold and windy by the end of the meet, but the Wildcats never slowed down as Salem turned in one of its best overall postseason performances in recent years.
By the end of the night, Salem had qualified five events for next weekend’s IHSA State Finals at Eastern Illinois University in Charleston, highlighted by a pair of sectional championships in the field events and a thrilling performance from the 4×400 relay team to close the evening.
In the field events, Salem continued its dominance in the throws behind standout senior Silas Lux and Trey Clark. Lux captured the sectional title in the shot put while Clark claimed the championship in the discus, giving Salem two sectional champions on the day.
Lux wasted little time making his statement. On his very first throw of the competition, he surpassed the state qualifying standard, immediately punching his ticket to Charleston and continuing what has been a dominant season in the shot put circle. Clark followed suit later in the evening with a championship performance in the discus as the Wildcats showcased elite strength in the throwing events.
Payton Gullion also continued his outstanding postseason run in the high jump. Fresh off winning the Cahokia Conference championship, the junior cleared the state qualifying height of 1.87 meters to earn his spot at EIU. Gullion’s success in the event is nothing new, as he previously qualified for New Balance Nationals in Philadelphia as a freshman.
On the track, Alex Spencer delivered one of the most dramatic performances of the night in the 800 meters. Knowing every second mattered, Spencer battled through the fast pace and difficult conditions late in the meet to clock a 2:00.1, narrowly slipping under the automatic state qualifying mark of 2:00.24. His gritty finish secured Salem another trip to Charleston.
The night concluded with perhaps the most exciting moment for the Wildcats as the 4×400 relay team of Avery Gullion, Hunter Malan, Payton Gullion, and Alex Spencer delivered a season-best performance when it mattered most.
Coming into the sectional, the relay team already owned a personal record of 3:30.14, which sat under the state qualifying standard. However, IHSA rules required the team to hit the mark again at the sectional meet, and they did exactly that despite the cold and windy conditions.
Running in an extremely fast heat, Salem finished fourth overall but qualified comfortably by time with a new personal record of 3:29.85.
Avery Gullion gave the Wildcats a tremendous start with a blazing 51.14 opening split. Hunter Malan followed with a strong 53-second leg before handing the baton to Payton Gullion, who delivered a huge 51.5 split to keep Salem in contention. Spencer then anchored the relay home with another steady 53-second leg to secure the state berth and send the Salem faithful home celebrating.
Following the meet, Salem coach Trevor Greene summed up the evening perfectly.
“It was a GREAT day to be a Wildcat!” Greene said.
And after five state-qualifying performances, two sectional championships, and a memorable finish under the lights in Monticello, it was hard to argue with him.
