Maddie Sullivan has made steady progress in her first two years on the Hinsdale Central girls track and field team.
The junior ran with varsity as a freshman and made the sectional lineup in the 1,600-meter relay.
As a sophomore, she qualified for state in the 400, taking third at sectionals in 59.44 seconds. She knocked that time down to 58.94 in the preliminaries of the Class 3A state meet to finish 15th and just miss advancing to the finals.
Now with a strong offseason under her belt, Sullivan and her coach, Pat Richards, feel like there’s no limit to what she can accomplish in 2015.
“My times have improved a lot since last year, so I’m on track,” Sullivan said. “Last year my best indoor 400 was a 63 and this year I had a relay split that was 60.”
“She’s stronger this year and faster,” Richards said. “Her best days are still ahead of her and she’s going to be a big, big instrumental part of our team.”
Runner and coach have developed a strong bond, going back to when Sullivan was in second grade and started attending camps run by Richards. Sullivan played soccer and softball, but jumped into track as well.
She became a middle-distance runner, but at Hinsdale Central started focusing on the sprints and has excelled.
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The experience she gained at the state meet last year will prepare her for what to expect if she makes it back downstate this spring.
“It was a really awesome experience,” Sullivan said. “It was a lot bigger scale and everyone was a lot faster than the meets I was used to going to. It was so intense and I’m super-excited about possibly going again this year.”
While her best race is the 400, she’s versatile and prepared to do whatever it takes to help the team score the most possible points. That’s one of the reasons why she has plenty of friends on the Red Devils.
“I know she’s even run the 55 and it’s great for the coaches because she’s a reliable team player and even though the 400 is her best event she’s totally willing to run anything else,” junior Emma Stapleton said. “She understands being on track isn’t just about doing the best in your event but helping the team as much as you can. That’s why she’s one of the best leaders on the team and why everyone gravitates towards her.”
While Sullivan is expecting a big year, she wasn’t at her best Friday for the West Suburban Silver indoor meet hosted by York. She ran with a sore throat and fever but still managed to place fourth in the 400 with a time of 1:01.86. She also took sixth in the 300 (44.25).
Hinsdale Central finished second in the meet with 99 points, 14 behind Downers Grove North.
The Red Devils took home three titles: Grace McCabe in the 1,600 (5:17.36), Ugochi Ihemeson in shot put (36-feet-81/2 ), and Katie Sluman, Monica Bhagavan, Torie Chiaramonte and Maddie Becker in the 800 relay (1:49.1).
“McCabe did a fabulous job and (Ihemeson) is really working hard,” Richards said. “She put in a lot of time in the offseason getting where she’s at and her best days are ahead of her.”
Rob Valentin is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.