Another Historic Day for MSL at Girls State Track Meet
Prospect Becomes Only Third Program to Win Five Consecutive Relay Titles; Conant's Brunson, Barrington's Sirois and Palatine's Kazeem Win Gold Again
Prospect’s 3,200-meter relay, Conant junior hurdler/sprinter Daisha Brunson and Barrington sophomore distance runner Mia Sirois stayed on track for historic accomplishments in Illinois high school girls track and field.
And Palatine senior Aisha Kazeem’s 300-meter hurdles title gave the Mid-Suburban League memorable repeats in the 2025 Class 3A meet Saturday in Charleston. Prospect won its fifth consecutive 3,200 relay, Brunson her third 100 hurdles title in a row and Sirois repeated as 3,200 champion in record-setting fashion. The four event titles in one meet from the MSL matched 2024 and the first state meet in 1973.
Here’s a look at how this year’s meet stacks up historically. The MSL girls state track and field history has also been updated with the 2025 results.
Knights Continue to State Their Trophy Case
Prospect had cracked the top 10 as a team six times before 2022 and its highest finish was a tie for fourth in 1974. A second-place finish this year by head coach Pete Wintermute’s crew with 52 points, just 4 behind Homewood-Flossmoor, was its fourth consecutive top-three trophy along with last year’s title, a second in 2023 and a third in 2022.
That made the Knights the first MSL team to claim four consecutive top-three track trophies. Wheeling had three successive runner-up finishes under Mark Saylor in 1985-87 and Palatine had third-place finishes under Pat Gleason and Steve Currins respectively and a tie for second under Currins from 1991-93.
What the Knights have accomplished in the 3,200 relay is remarkable. Veronica Znajda, Ireland Wildhart, Mary Laba and Meg Peterson’s 9:04 made it five years in a row they have won the event.
2021 - Hailey Erickson, Audrey Ginsberg, Lily Ginsberg, Cameron Kalaway, 9:13.29
2022 - Hailey Erickson, Audrey Ginsberg, Lily Ginsberg, Cameron Kalaway, 9:10.38
2023 - Lily Ginsberg, Cameron Kalaway, Samantha Patterson, Hailey Erickson, 9:07.46
2024 - Sophie Fransen, Mary Laba, Kaitlin Skelton, Veronica Znajda, 9:00.83
2025 - Veronica Znajda, Ireland Wildhart, Mary Laba, Meg Peterson, 9:04.00
Finding the right quartet to win any state relay isn’t easy. To win one five consecutive times puts the Knights in rare air in state history with only two other schools - South Shore, from Chicago’s southeast side, in the 800 from 1982-86 and East St. Louis Lincoln in the 1,600 from 1983-87.
Palatine won three consecutive 3,200 relays from 1991-93 and a fourth in five years in 1995. The MSL has won the event 15 times since it started in 1986.
One Hurdle Left for History for Conant’s Brunson
Conant junior Daisha Brunson made it 3-for-3 in the 100 hurdles with her blazing 13.75 this year. The only girls competitor to go 4-for-4 in the event was Imani Carothers from Chicago Brooks in 2A from 2015-18. Carothers went on to compete at Georgia.
Two others have won three consecutive 100 hurdles titles - Jenny Kimbro of Caitlin Salt Fork in 1A (2014-16) and Chelsea Humphrey of Kewanee Wethersfield in Class A in the two-class system (1999-2001). Also winning three times were Dawn Harper of East St. Louis (1999, 2001-02) and Debi Kilhoffer of Illiopolis when it was 110 yards (1974, 1976-77).
Brunson can also join Wheeling’s Dana Miroballi in the 3,200 (1984-87) as the only MSL athletes who are a four-time state champion in an event. Brunson also has the most individual championships for a Conant girls track athlete as she surpassed Mary Ann Johnson’s two in the shot put (1974-75).
The MSL’s other girls 100 hurdles champions are Palatine’s Donna Wechet (1993) and Conant’s Sarah Gorden (2011).
Nearly a Perfect Sub-10 for Barrington’s Sirois
Barrington sophomore Mia Sirois is now halfway to matching Wheeling’s Dana Miroballi as a four-time champion in the 3,200. Sirois’ 10:01.12 shattered the 3A mark of 10:12.96 by Katelynne Hart of Glenbard West in 2018.
The only sub-10 minute 3,200s in the state finals were both in 2A by Tatum David of Olney Richland County (9:53.96 in 2023) and Kayla Beattie of Woodstock (9:56.96 in 2011).
The only other four-time 3,200 champ in any class is Katelyn Bastert of Carthage in Class A (2004-07). Hart would have likely won her fourth consecutive title in 2020 if the meet had not been canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Palatine’s Amy Laskowske won three 3,200 titles (2003-04 and 2006) and finished second in 2005. The other MSL 3,200 champions were Hersey’s Jenny Zehr (1994) and Wheeling’s Amy Siegel (1991).
Kazeem Completes Dream for Palatine
Palatine senior Aisha Kazeem repeated her feat as the only 300 hurdles champion from the MSL. Kazeem also increased the Pirates’ MSL-best total of individual/relay state champions to 17.
Kazeem and three-time 3,200 champion Amy Laskowske are the only Palatine athletes to win multiple individual event state titles. Kazeem’s fifth in the 100 hurdles and seventh in the long jump gave her 7 career state medals.
Other Bits and Pieces
Prospect medaled in all four relays for the second consecutive year and medaled in three in 2023. Barrington (2007) is the only other MSL school to medal in four relays in one meet. Palatine (2003, 2005, 2006), Schaumburg (1999), Barrington (2005) and Conant (2006) also medaled in three relays in one meet.
The MSL has not had a pole vault champion since the event was added for the girls in 2001, but Rolling Meadows’ Nora DeMaria set a league standard in the state meet this year when she cleared 12-3¾ to finish in second place. The previous best was Barrington’s Anna Etherington clearing 11-9 to finish second in 2010. Palatine’s Jocelyn Kuksa also took second in 2008 and Meadows’ Amy Dahlin and Alison McGinnis finished 3-4 at 11-6 in 2004.
Schaumburg had multiple medalists in one meet for the first time in 15 years with Amy Carhee taking third in the 100 hurdles and Kaylee Meyer fourth in the high jump. Karen Lesiewicz won the 1,600 and Colette Falsey was eighth in the 800 in 2010.
Kaylee Meyer cleared 5-6½ for the second consecutive year and only a 5-7 by Schaumburg’s Vicky Bell in 1983 ranks better in the MSL’s “Honor Roll” of top-five state finals performances in each event. The high jump Honor Roll has stood the test of time with Bell and Hoffman Estates’ Char Warring (1977) and Wheeling’s Sandy Rainey (1978) clearing 5-6.
The MSL champions from the first girls state meet in 1973 were Prospect’s Trudi Rebsamen (220 and 440 yards), Forest View’s Vanessa Calabrese (discus) and Hersey’s Kathy LaPorte (80-yard low hurdles).