Here are The State Journal-Register’s girls track and field athletes of the year and the other members of the Springfield all-area team for 2026.
The two winners are listed first, followed by the rest of the all-area team in alphabetical order.
Elsie Williamson, Taylorville
The junior undertook numerous events over the spring.
From short sprints to the jumps, “pretty much anything,” Williamson said.
They provided a mental break from the monotony of focusing on just one specific event, while also improving her overall physical endurance.
They turned out to be the winning ingredients. Williamson won the Class 2A discus throw at the state meet in Charleston.
She tacked on a new personal best on three attempts before settling on a winning distance of 139 feet, 7 inches on Saturday, May 23.
The State Journal-Register’s Large School Girls Track and Field Athlete of the Year previously won two elementary state titles, but this was her first on the high school stage.
It was also the first girls track title in school history after achieving second place in 2024 and fourth in 2025.
“I felt great and then I was able to set another personal best today,” Williamson said at the meet.
Millie Schumacher, Jacksonville Routt
The sophomore was just hoping to do her best.
She walloped her own expectations and personal best to win the Class 1A 800-meter run at the state meet in Charleston.
She finished in 2 minutes, 13.86 seconds to beat out Glasford Illini Bluffs runner-up Audrey Dickenson by 0.44 seconds and become the school’s first ever state champion for both boys and girls.
She is also The State Journal-Register’s Small School Girls Track and Field Athlete of the Year.
She never reached below 2:16 until the race.
“It was definitely difficult,” Schumacher said of the finish. “I definitely felt my legs falling off, but I just kept pushing looking for that finish line.”
Ella Brawner, Gillespie
The freshman tied for fifth place in the Class 1A pole vault. She reached 10 feet, 6 inches. She had a personal best 11-2 ¼ at the Macoupin County meet on May 7.
Taylor Bressan, Williamsville
The senior summoned seventh place in the Class 2A 400-meter dash. She posted a time of 58.31 seconds. She also qualified in the 200 and the 4×100 relay. She will run at Illinois Wesleyan University.
Elayna Harker, Taylorville
The sophomore hatched sixth place in the Class 2A 3200-meter run. She ran 11 minutes, 1.06 seconds. She was also 18th in the 1,600 with a time of 5:19.19.
Diana Huerta, Beardstown
The senior reeled off third place in the Class 1A triple jump. She reached 36 feet, 1 ¾ inches. She additionally qualified in the 100, 200 and the long jump.
Ali Londrigan, Chatham Glenwood
The junior added two more track and field medals to her collection. She was ninth in both the 1,600 (5 minutes, 0.31 seconds) and 3,200 (10:47.99) in Class 3A to give her four medals so far.
Alannah Lowery, Southeast
The senior earned fourth place in the Class 2A triple jump for a second straight season. She reached 37 feet, 9 ¼ inches. She was 13th in the long jump with a distance of 17 feet, while also qualifying in the 4×100 relay. She will resume track at University of Illinois Springfield.
Reagan McGlauchlen, Pana
The senior garnered third place in the Class 1A discus throw. She hurled 132 feet, 5 inches for her second state medal in the event, just shy of her personal best of 134-2 at the Shelbyville Sectional.
Taylor Short, Lincoln
The freshman reached fourth place in the Class 2A 800-meter run. She ran 2 minutes, 13.70 seconds. She was also a state qualifier in the 1,600 and 4×400 relay.
Peyton Zeidler, Rochester
The junior medaled in two separate jumps in Class 2A. She took fourth place in the long jump (17 feet, 9 inches) and sixth in the triple jump (37-5).
Maggie Zimmerman, Petersburg PORTA
The senior grabbed a couple long-distance silvers in Class 1A. She grabbed second place in both the 1,600 (4 minutes, 59.13 seconds) and 3,200 (10:44.12). She will run at St. Louis University.
This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: Meet the SJ-R’s girls track and field athletes of the year, all-area team
Reporting by Bill Welt, Springfield State Journal-Register / State Journal-Register
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