
Riane Bear Faces of Spring photo shoot at the News-Gazette in Champaign on Sunday, February 23, 2025.
Riane Bear
Sullivan junior
Jumps/sprints
Why she made the first team ... Bear held the title of the area’s best high-jumper after taking her performance up a notch in the postseason. She jumped 5 feet, 5½ inches to win sectionals and qualify for state with the top mark. She then earned Class 1A state runner-up honors.
Her biggest track and field superstition is ... her fun socks give her good luck.
Her dream career is ... a kindergarten teacher.
Her go-to snack is ... fruit snacks.
If she could make the Olympics in any other sport, she would pick ... gymnastics.
The actor she’d pick to play her in a movie would be ... Vanessa Hudgens.
If she could have dinner with three people from any time period, she would pick ... her grampy, Schafer Ogle and Nelson Mandela.
Three things on her bucket list are ... getting married, buying a Bronco and learning to crochet.

Julia Bilsbury Faces of Spring photo shoot at the News-Gazette in Champaign on Sunday, February 23, 2025.
Julia Bilsbury
Champaign Central senior
Triple jump/sprints
Why she made the first team ... Along with being the best triple-jumper in the area — her personal-best leap was 37 feet, 0 ¾ inches, and she finished 14th at the Class 3A state finals — Bilsbury stepped up as a leader for the Maroons and anchored their 1,600-meter relay at state.
Her biggest track and field superstition is ... wearing ankle socks and tucking her spike laces for practices and meets.
Her dream career is ... a corporate attorney.
Her go-to snacks are ... celery with ranch and Chomps meat sticks.
If she could make the Olympics in any other sport, she would pick ... swimming.
The actor she’d pick to play her in a movie would be ... Halle Berry.
If she could have dinner with three people from any time period, she would pick ... Taylor Swift, Charlotte Brontë and Princess Diana.
Three things on her bucket list are ... fostering cats, volunteering in wildlife conservation in Madagascar and trying a sprint triathlon.

Centennial's Nina Brown made The News-Gazette's 2025 All-Area Girls' Track and Field First Team.
Nina Brown
Centennial junior
Sprints
Why she made the first team ... After an even more successful junior season, Brown has set herself up for quite the senior campaign. Her 100- and 200-meter dash times of 11.98 and 24.72 seconds were tops in the area, and she anchored the Chargers’ state 400- and 800-meter relays.
Her biggest track and field superstition is ... dropping the baton before a relay is bad luck.
Her dream career is ... a diagnostic medical sonographer.
Her go-to snack is ... a yogurt parfait with fruit.
If she could make the Olympics in any other sport, she would pick ... gymnastics.
The actor she’d pick to play her in a movie would be ... Keke Palmer.
If she could have dinner with three people from any time period, she would pick ... Nina Simone, Gabby Thomas and Michelle Obama.
Three things on her bucket list are ... snorkeling, visiting Hawaii and swimming with dolphins.

Samantha Brown, Faces of Spring photo shoot at the News-Gazette in Champaign on Sunday, February 23, 2025.
Samantha Brown
Danville sophomore
Pole vault/triple jump/sprints
Why she made the first team ... Brown did a little bit of everything for the Vikings, with the highlight of her year being her area-best pole vault of 11 feet, 8 inches. She placed 12th in Class 3A in her signature event while also running on Danville’s state 400- and 800-meter relays.
Her biggest track and field superstition is ... if she does well with a certain hairstyle, she wears it again the next meet.
Her dream career is ... radiology.
Her go-to snack is ... Welch’s fruit snacks.
If she could make the Olympics in any other sport, she would pick ... gymnastics.
The actor she’d pick to play her in a movie would be ... SZA.
If she could have dinner with three people from any time period, she would pick ... Gabriel Iglesias, Michael Jordan and Suni Lee.
Three things on her bucket list are .. . visiting Italy, snorkeling in Hawaii and learning sign language.

Emily Decker XC Unity 8/18/2024.
Emily Decker
Unity senior
Long distance/middle distance
Why she made the first team ... The Rockets don’t win their first-ever state trophy in Class 2A if Decker doesn’t secure a third-place finish in the 3,200-meter run and a fourth-place finish in the 1,600. She was the area’s top miler and gave Tuscola’s Kate Foltz a run for her money in the 3,200.
Her biggest track and field superstition is ... eating whole grain bread with peanut butter and a banana for breakfast on meet days.
Her dream career is ... an elementary school teacher.
Her go-to snack is ... peanut butter crackers.
If she could make the Olympics in any other sport, she would pick ... beach volleyball.
The actor she’d pick to play her in a movie would be ... Reese Witherspoon.
If she could have dinner with three people from any time period, she would pick ... Jesus, Chris Stapleton and Queen Elizabeth I.
Three things on her bucket list are ... designing and building her dream house, visiting Dubai and running a marathon.

Ashlyn Denney XC Unity 8/18/2024.
Ashlyn Denney
Unity senior
Middle distance
Why she made the first team ... Denney was also key in the Rockets’ Class 2A runner-up team finish. She anchored the 3,200-meter relay to a state title with a time of 9 minutes,19.34 seconds as well as the 1,600 relay to second place, and she took fourth in the 400-meter dash.
Her biggest track and field superstition is ... wearing a hair tie with ribbons during big meets.
Her dream career is ... a neuropathologist.
Her go-to snack is ... popcorn.
If she could make the Olympics in any other sport, she would pick ... figure skating.
The actor she’d pick to play her in a movie would be ... Reese Witherspoon.
If she could have dinner with three people from any time period, she would pick ... Rachael Ray, Steve Harvey and Keanu Reeves.
Three things on her bucket list are ... skydiving, traveling outside the country and attending a Nicki Minaj concert.

Danville's Jamia Esther made The News-Gazette's 2025 All-Area Girls' Track and Field First Team.
Jamia Esther
Danville freshman
Sprints
Why she made the first team ... If you don’t already, you’ll get to know the name Jamia Esther. Just a freshman, she was the area’s second-fastest sprinter, taking 12th in the 200-meter dash and 17th in the 100 at the Class 3A state finals. She also led off a pair of state relays for the Vikings.
Her biggest track and field superstition is ... not letting the baton touch the ground.
Her dream career is ... a pediatrician.
Her go-to snack is ... Cheez-Its.
If she could make the Olympics in any other sport, she would pick ... gymnastics.
The actor she’d pick to play her in a movie would be ... Keke Palmer.
If she could have dinner with three people from any time period, she would pick ... her mom, Rod Wave and Lil Durk.
Three things on her bucket list are ... traveling to Paris, riding a horse and visiting the White House.

Tuscola's Kate Foltz made The News-Gazette's 2025 All-Area Girls' Track and Field First Team.
Kate Foltz
Tuscola junior
Long distance
Why she made the first team ... Foltz followed her record-setting state championship cross-country season with another successful spring. She took third in Class 1A in the state 3,200-meter run and placed 10th in the 1,600, scoring valuable points for the Warriors’ runner-up team trophy.
Her dream career is ... working in a mental hospital and doing research on the side.
Her go-to snack is ... fruit.
If she could make the Olympics in any other sport, she would pick ... rock climbing.
The actor she’d pick to play her in a movie would be ... Jennifer Garner.
If she could have dinner with three people from any time period, she would pick ... Anne Frank, Mother Teresa and Sigmund Freud.
Three things on her bucket list are ... bungee jumping, skydiving and traveling.

Noelle Hunt Faces of Spring photo shoot at the News-Gazette in Champaign on Sunday, February 23, 2025.
Noelle Hunt
Centennial senior
Long jump/sprints
Why she made the first team ... Hunt’s personal-best long jump of 18 feet, 7 inches was tops in the area, and she took 14th in Class 3A in the event. She was also on the Chargers’ first relay to ever make a 3A state final, leading off the 800-meter relay team that finished sixth.
Her biggest track and field superstition is ... doing her lucky pigeon stretch before competing.
Her dream career is ... a physical therapist.
Her go-to snack is ... Goldfish.
If she could make the Olympics in any other sport, she would pick ... surfing.
The actor she’d pick to play her in a movie would be ... Dove Cameron.
If she could have dinner with three people from any time period, she would pick ... SZA, Jesus and Alexis Hunt.
Three things on her bucket list are ... traveling to all seven continents, owning a private jet and attending the Olympics.

Mahomet-Seymour’s Madalyn Marx celebrates after winning a Class 2A state title in the 400 meters Saturday in Charleston.
Madalyn Marx
Mahomet-Seymour junior
Sprints
Why she made the first team ... Marx proved that last year’s 400-meter dash state title wasn’t a fluke, repeating as the Class 2A state champion with a time of 55.88 seconds. She also became one of the state’s best 200 runners, finishing second in the event to go home with a gold and a silver.
Her biggest track and field superstition is ... wearing the same warmup gear before every meet.
Her dream career is ... a college track coach.
Her go-to snack is ... Goldfish.
If she could make the Olympics in any other sport, she would pick ... tennis.
The actor she’d pick to play her in a movie would be ... Margot Robbie.
If she could have dinner with three people from any time period, she would pick ... Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, Izzy Roundtree and Cora Ummel.
Three things on her bucket list are ... skydiving, visiting Greece and going on a cruise.

Abi Moser Faces of Spring photo shoot at the News-Gazette in Champaign on Sunday, February 23, 2025.
Abi Moser
Clinton junior
Throws
Why she made the first team ... Moser was one of the area’s most well-rounded throwers, with her shot put and discus marks both putting her in the area’s top five. Her outdoor-best shot put of 36 feet, 9 inches earned her fifth place in Class 2A, and she finished 18th in the discus.
Her biggest track and field superstition is ... putting her hair in braids for every meet.
Her dream career is ... a dog trainer.
Her go-to snack is ... B212 chow.
If she could make the Olympics in any other sport, she would pick ... rugby.
The actor she’d pick to play her in a movie would be ... Florence Pugh.
If she could have dinner with three people from any time period, she would pick ... Tom Cruise, Ilona Maher and Will Ferrell.
Three things on her bucket list are ... traveling the world, owning a huge house with a pool and going on a cruise.

Lia Patterson Faces of Spring photo shoot at the News-Gazette in Champaign on Sunday, February 23, 2025.
Lia Patterson
Tuscola senior
Hurdles/sprints
Why she made the first team ... Now a three-time All-Area girls’ track and field Athlete of the Year, Patterson defended her Class 1A 300- and 100-meter hurdles state titles with times of 43.16 and 14.39 seconds, took second in the 200-meter dash and anchored the Warriors’ third-place 800-meter relay.
Her biggest track and field superstition is ... wearing silver hair for every meet to match Tuscola’s uniform.
Her dream career is ... an FBI profiler.
Her go-to snack is ... her homemade buffalo chicken dip with chips.
If she could make the Olympics in any other sport, she would pick ... basketball.
The actor she’d pick to play her in a movie would be ... Zendaya.
If she could have dinner with three people from any time period, she would pick ... Jesus, her birth parents and Dwayne Johnson.
Three things on her bucket list are ... traveling to Paris, France, for her honeymoon, visiting Haiti and skydiving.

Unity's Lauren Shaw made The News-Gazette's 2025 All-Area Girls' Track and Field First Team.
Lauren Shaw
Unity senior
Throws
Why she made the first team ... Maybe the area’s most well-balanced thrower — she’s top four in both discus and shot put— Shaw’s pair of top-three finishes at sectionals helped the Rockets win their fourth straight title in Class 2A. She then took 20th in discus and 27th in shot put at state.
Her biggest track and field superstition is ... eating Oikos Triple Zero yogurt before every meet.
Her dream career is ... a speech pathologist.
Her go-to snack is ... Goldfish.
If she could make the Olympics in any other sport, she would pick ... beach volleyball.
The actor she’d pick to play her in a movie would be ... Jennifer Lawrence.
If she could have dinner with three people from any time period, she would pick ... Jesus, Adam Sandler and Anna Hall.
Three things on her bucket list are ... traveling the world, scuba diving and visiting Hawaii.

Rylie Vanausdoll will run at state on Tuscola’s 800-meter relay team and also compete in Charleston in both long jump and triple jump, with the prelims of the Class 1A state girls’ track and field meet set to take place on Thursday and the finals on Saturday at O’Brien Field on the Eastern Illinois campus.
Rylie Vanausdoll
Tuscola senior
Jumps/sprints
Why she made the first team ... After getting on the triple jump podium a year ago, Vanausdoll took it to another level this season, placing third in Class 1A while also taking 11th in the long jump. The versatile senior was also a member of the Warriors’ third-place 800-meter relay.
Her biggest track and field superstitions are ... wearing the same things for every meet, including the ribbons in her hair, and using the same approach for every jump.
Her dream career is ... an alternative medicine nurse practitioner.
Her go-to snack is ... sourdough bread.
If she could make the Olympics in any other sport, she would pick ... gymnastics.
The actor she’d pick to play her in a movie would be ... Amanda Seyfried.
If she could have dinner with anyone from any time period, she would pick ... Jesus.
Three things on her bucket list are ... visiting every country in the world, moving somewhere else and having her own family.