Eggemeyer finishes 17th at state meet in shot put

Chester High School junior Emma Eggemeyer's track and field season ended Thursday, May 19, in the preliminary round of the state meet at Eastern Illinois University in Charleston.

Competing in shot put, Eggemeyer threw 10.38 meters to finish 17th. Only the top 12 advanced to the state finals Saturday, May 21.

Jenae Bothe of Oregon was the state champion in Class 1A with her throw of 13.13 meters. Sparta's Kayla Braun was the runner-up in second place with her distance of 12.21. Hannah Seivers from Red Bud missed the finals by just one place, finishing 13th overall out of 24 competitors.

CHS coach Jennifer Cartwright said Eggemeyer threw very well at state, especially considering she was experiencing that type of atmosphere for the first time.

"It is my opinion that after seeing all of the athletes and experiencing the state meet atmosphere, that she is ready to go back again next year and make the finals," Cartwright said.

"We were lucky to have Emma come out for track this year. She is a dual sport athlete with softball being her primary sport. She would find spare time to practice with coach Jim West and she made the meets that didn't conflict with the softball schedule.

"Emma puts in a lot of time into her sports, but also maintains good grades in the classroom. That takes discipline and lots or organizational skills. Not many kids can handle that!"