If this was her last hurrah in organized sports, Megan Williams went out in style.
The Newark senior won two events and medaled in two others in the rain-delayed Class 1A state meet at Eastern Illinois University in Charleston on Saturday. Her performance led the Norsemen, who don’t have a track, to a runner-up finish in the chase for the team title.
“We use our meets as glorified practices,” Newark coach Dr. Jeff Schutt said. “We use our walk-throughs in warmups for working on a lot of the little details.”
Williams took care of the big stuff, winning the long jump and the triple jump, placing third in the 100-meter high hurdles and running a leg of Newark’s second-place 800 relay team that included freshman Addison Ness, senior Lindsey Hatteberg and sophomore Kiara Wesseh.
Williams had a hand in 35 of Newark’s 54 points. Tuscola won the team title with 57 points, and Winnebago was third with 44.
“This group gets after it and gets things done, and Megan has led the way as a multiple-time four-event qualifier,” Schutt said.
Williams has been a two-sport standout for the school of 161 students, playing on two state championship teams and a supersectional qualifier in girls volleyball.
A 6-foot-1 outside hitter, Williams committed to NCAA Division II Colorado Christian in January 2021, but last month she decided to decommit.
“It was a very tough call to make,” said Williams, who could have track opportunities in college too. “I don’t really know what I want to do (athletically). I don’t think I want to do volleyball in college, and I’m finally at peace with that.
“I still want to continue to train. But mentally and physically, I think my body needs a break (from competition).”
She has earned credits at Waubonsee Community College while in high school and plans to finish an associate degree, which shouldn’t take her a full two years.
“Once you get to college as a scholarship athlete, it’s almost like they own you,” Williams said. “I want to make sure I’m feeling the love for the sport if I continue to compete. I want to be there because of my love for the sport.”
Wesseh also qualified for four events and placed in all of them. She was second in the high jump to Indian Creek senior Brooke Probst, third in the 100 and sixth in the 100 hurdles.
“It’s been fun teaming up with Kiara,” Williams said. “She’s amazing, and running together in the hurdles finals was a lot of fun.”
The duo were key in the relay.
“Megan and Kiara made up a lot of ground as we moved up from fourth place, both of them running 25-second splits,” Schutt said. “Kiara is going to be even bigger in the coming years.”
Many of Schutt’s younger athletes gained valuable experience this season.
When the suggestion to start a girls program and revive a long-dormant boys program by Principal Jim Still was OK’d by Newark’s school board six years earlier, Still convinced Schutt to become the coach.
“It’s a sport you can take on the road,” Still said.
And Newark isn’t alone. Numerous 1A schools compete without a home track.
Schutt also coaches Yorkville Christian’s teams and uses the space he rents there for his athletic training business to work indoors with athletes from both teams.
“We don’t have any jumping pits, but we can practice our approaches in the gym and jump into pads,” Schutt said.
They also use a 60-meter indoor track that could hold up to five hurdles.
“If you put all five up, though, you’d run into the wall,” Williams said. “We usually use just two, maybe three to work on steps and starts.
“Having a track would definitely change the dynamic of the team a lot, but at the same time, ‘Doc’ works super well with what he has and is very good at it.”
It showed last weekend.
The girls track program’s first state trophy carries on an impressive tradition. It’s one of eight that Newark’s athletes have won since 2008. Girls basketball has one for second place, boys basketball has one for first and one for fourth, baseball has one for third and girls volleyball has two firsts and a fourth.
“They’ve got it down for the celebration too,” Schutt said, noting the fire truck parade through town to an assembly in the school gym. “I’d never been a part of it, but the community really does it well.”