CHARLESTON — Father McGivney Catholic senior sprinter Lily Gilbertson advanced to the girls' state track and field finals on Thursday, May 22, 2025, in Charleston at Eastern Illinois University with strong performances in the 100- and 400-meter preliminaries. At the end of the day, she qualified in third place in the 200 meters with another sensational time of 25.36.
Gilbertson qualified seventh in the 100 meters with a time of 12.39 seconds and secured first first-place qualifying mark in the 400 meters, finishing in 58.10 seconds. She led the field ahead of Emma Randecker of Savanna (West Carroll), who qualified second with a time of 58.55. The results for the 200 meters have not yet been posted.
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In reflecting on her 400-meter race, Gilbertson said she paced herself after realizing she had a comfortable lead.
She is a Byron, Carlson, Petri & Kalb Female Athlete of the Month for the Griffins in outdoor track and field.
“I came out strong and when listening to the announcer, I heard there were girls competing for second place, which I knew meant I was ahead, so I knew I needed to slow down and not push myself until the finals,” she said.
“I was hoping not do a P.R. goal today but to get first place overall in the qualifying. It is surreal to be here at state again. I have been here before, but it is a privilege to be here and I am very happy to be here. I look forward to the finals on Saturday.”
Gilbertson’s teammate, Elena Rybak, opted to scratch from the 400 meters to focus on the 800 and 1,600 meter races.
The girls state track and field finals are scheduled for Saturday, May 24, 2025, at Eastern Illinois University.
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