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5.0 years ago @ 8:23AM
irls track and field athlete of the year: Stepney cements legacy in first season at Belleville West
From the 2018 Girls Track and Field All-Metro series
Belleville West's La'Qwasia Stepney finished third in the 100-meter hurdles during the girls IHSA State Track and Field Championships at O'Brien Field on Saturday, May 19, 2018 in Charleston, Ill. Paul Halfacre | STLhighschoolsports.com
- Paul Halfacre
Belleville West's La'Qwasia Stepney leaps over the hurdles in the 300-meter hurdles during the girls IHSA State Track and Field Championships at O'Brien Field on Saturday, May 19, 2018 in Charleston, Ill. Paul Halfacre | STLhighschoolsports.com
- Paul Halfacre
Belleville West's La"Qwasia Stepney leaps over the hurdles during the 12th Annual Belleville West Lady Maroon Invitational at the Belleville West High School on Friday, March 30, 2018 in Belleville, Ill. Paul Halfacre | STLhighschoolsports.com
- Paul Halfacre
Belleville West's La'Qwasia Stepney leaps over the hurdles during the 2018 O'Fallon Girls Invitational at O'Fallon High School on Friday, April 13, 2018 in O'Fallon, Ill. Paul Halfacre | STLhighschoolsports.com
- Paul Halfacre
Maroon hair braided down her back, La'Qwasia Stepney climbed atop the podium and made a promise to herself.
“I'm not going to cry.”
It wasn't an easy promise to keep. The view in that moment was better than she imagined. All eyes in the stadium were on her as she was announced as a state champion for the first time.
It won't be the last.
A junior jumper and hurdler for the Belleville West girls track and field team, Stepney is the Post-Dispatch All-Metro girls track and field athlete of the year.
Stepney, 18, is the first track athlete from West to earn the distinction. Had life not thrown her family a curveball, she wouldn't even have been at West. A standout at Cahokia as a freshman and sophomore, Stepney had to move last year. Her mother, Angela Horton, was given notice that the house they were renting in Cahokia had been sold. They had 30 days to pack up, clear out and find somewhere else to live.
“It was stressful,” Horton said.
The 5-foot-4 Stepney wasn't keen on moving. She'd established herself as a track standout for one of the premier programs in Illinois. She was successful and happy. Moving would throw all that out of whack.
“She was kind of scared that she was No. 1 in Cahokia and it wouldn't follow her,” Horton said. “At one point she did talk about going back to Cahokia. It all worked out. It was a blessing in disguise.”
Stepney's personality smoothed her transition at West. Outgoing, friendly and quick to crack a smile, she ingratiated herself at her new school.
“She's well-liked. She gets along with lots of kids. She makes new friends,” West coach Sally Stephens said. “She fit in right away.”
Stepney took that same approach with her new track team. Stephens pulls no punches at practice. The workouts are grueling. Even when it was bitter cold the Maroons were outside getting it in.
“At Cahokia we didn't train like that,” Stepney said. “I was up for the challenge and went with the flow.”
No matter what Stephens and West assistant coach David Searcy threw at Stepney, she never blinked. She just kept working.
“We train hard. We train a very long time. We start early and we go the whole time and we train in a way to peak at the right time,” Stephens said. “She wasn't really used to that, but she jumped in with both feet and never complained, never missed practice, never dogged a workout. She just took all of it and ran with it.”
Stepney was open to whatever Stephens and Searcy could do to help her improve.
With six all-state finishes on her resume, including consecutive fourth-place finishes in the 300 hurdles, it would have been easy for Stepney to retreat to what worked before. Instead she made the adjustments Searcy suggested.
“The easiest part was her working with me and being able to accept the transition,” Searcy said. “Sometimes when you get hurdlers that have been doing it for years they have a tendency to be stuck in their ways. I know what I'm doing, absorb it, let it sink in and you'll see the changes later. That's what she did.”
The small changes brought big rewards. Stepney became the Maroons' first field event state champion when she won the Class 3A long jump with a leap of 19 feet, 4.25 inches, the best by an area athlete this season. She was the runner-up in the 300 hurdles in 44.67 seconds and took third in the 100 hurdles (14.16) by a tenth of a second. It was her best showing at the state track meet and helped the Maroons score 39 points to finish third in the team standings. It was West's highest finish since it was the runner-up in 2012.
Stepney kept the momentum of her first season at West rolling. She competed for Team Illinois at the Great Southwest Classic in New Mexico last week and long jumped 20 feet, 3.25 inches. The distance left Stepney's jaw hanging open.
“I never thought I could hit a 20. I was surprised myself,” she said. “When I jump I don't feel like I'm jumping far, but then I hear the number and I'm like, 'I just jumped that?' ”
By hitting that personal best, Stepney qualified to compete at the United States of America Track and Field Junior Outdoor Championships next week at Indiana University's Haugh Complex in Bloomington, Ind. A good showing could land Stepney on the youth national team as it travels to the Junior World Championships from July 10-15 in Tampere, Finland.
Stepney never imagined track could give her a chance to travel the world. She didn't think it could help pay for college, but it can. Stephens said Stepney's performance at the state meet has caught eyes, turned heads and put her on the radar.
“It was just something to do for fun because I liked running,” Stepney said.
Stepney still has a hard time wrapping her head around her accomplishments. Should she make the trip to Finland, she would be the first West track athlete to represent her country in international competition. It almost doesn't seem real.
“She's just so humble. I don't think she realizes all the time what her capabilities are,” Stephens said. “I think it helps her be successful. She doesn't get in her head. She's very humble about what she does and she works very hard to achieve the things that she does.”
All-Metro First Team
Athlete of the Year: La'Qwasia Stepney, junior, Belleville West
La'Qwasia Stepney, Belleville West track and field
Won the Class 3A long jump with a leap of 19 feet, 4.25 inches, the best long jump in the area in the spring season. Finished second in the 300-meter hurdles in 44.67 seconds and took third in the 100 hurdles (14.16).
Newcomer of the Year: Sydney Juszczyk, freshman, Trinity
Sydney Juszczyk, Trinity track and field
Won Class 3 javelin state title with throw of 142 feet, 3 inches. Had the fourth-longest javelin throw in the nation this spring when she posted a 161-8 at Ladue’s Brusca/Strohbach Invitational on April 21. Second at state in the 100 hurdles in 14.93 and sixth in triple jump (35-4). Anchored Trinity’s 800 relay to a runner-up finish.
Sprints: Jada Moore, junior, Pattonville
Jada Moore, Pattonville track and field
The Class 5 100-meter dash champion in 11.93 seconds, the third-fastest time in the state this season. Finished second in the 200 (24.23) and fifth in the 400 (56.97). Anchored Pattonville’s 1,600 relay to a runner-up finish.
Middle: Courtney Williams, sophomore, Nerinx Hall
Courtney Williams, Nerinx Hall track and field
Young speedster claimed the Class 5 400-meter title with a thrilling victory in 55.43 seconds. Took second in state in the 100 (12.09) and third in the 200 (24.57). Posted the fastest 100 in the
