Katie Mans left Charleston with another all-state medal in the high jump on Saturday.
The Alton junior finished in a tie for third with Cary-Grove's Tabor Gleason and Yorkville's Sydney Anderson with a jump of 5 feet, 6 inches in the Class 3A girls state track at Eastern Illinois University. She became the third Alton athlete to receive three all-state medals or more. The others were LaJarvia Brown (9) and Jessica Stockard (3).
Mans finished seventh in the high jump in her sophomore year and eighth as a freshman.
Mans qualified for the state meet in the high jump by winning the event Class 3A Belleville West Sectional on May 12. Heading into the state meet, the junior had won the high jump in all six meets she had competed in.
Bloom Township's Jelena Rowe won the event in six feet. Thornwood's Kameesha Smith was third with a 5-8. Both athletes are seniors.
Also, Alton's 400-meter relay team of sophomores Jeanea Epps and Daysha Lacey, senior TyRiss Holloway and freshman Alleyah Tuggle placed eighth in 48.95 seconds, making it the first time the Redbirds earn all-state honors in a relay.
AHS, which placed second in last year's meet, finished in a four-way tie for 33rd with Bolingbrook, Hinsdale Central and Plainfield East with eight points.
The Redbirds' all-state medals in two events put a remarkable end to Jaida Moore's first season as AHS coach. Moore, who competed in track at Alton High and Eastern Illinois, replaced Terry Mitchell as the school's coach this spring.
Granite City's 4x1 team of seniors Robyn Pointer and Niya Wilson and sophomores TyKazia Jones and Toni Rush placed sixth in 48.87 seconds, making it the third year in a row and the fourth time in the last five years the Warriors earned a medal at the state meet. Before '13, the program hadn't had an all-state medalist since 1997.
It's also the second year in a row GCHS placed at state in a relay. Last year, the 4x2 team of Wilson, Jones, Rush and now-graduated Andrea Hyde finished fourth at state.
Granite City finished in a seven-way tie for 58th place with four points.
O'Fallon won the 4x1 in 47.55 seconds. The Panthers placed fourth with 29 points, one place short of a state trophy.
