Naperville Central senior Kait McHale and junior Maverick Ohle each won an IHSA 3A individual track and field state championship in late May.
McHale won the championship in pole vaulting with a 3.88m (12ft, 8.75in) vault at the IHSA Girls Track and Field State Finals on May 20. Ohle won the championship in discus with a 55.82m (183ft, 1.75in) throw at the IHSA Boys Track and Field State Finals on May 27.
Coming off of a second place state finish as a Sophomore in 2022, Ohle struggled to start the discus season, finishing in fourth place at two early April meets.
“I slowed things down after that and took it week by week,” Ohle said. “I ended up getting back to where I wanted to, I finally threw a [personal record]. I got some consistency and I PR’d pretty much every week going into state.”
Ohle ended the season as the first seed at the state final, coming in second place in prelims before ultimately winning the championship.
“[Winning the championship] means a lot, it would have meant less if everything went right,” Ohle said. “It was a pretty cool experience to be able to go through those peaks and valleys throughout the season, then to come back and do what I really should have done [at state].”
Ohle aims to repeat as a champion in 2024, and to never lose a competition during the season, he said.
McHale did not respond to multiple Central Times requests for comment on her state title. Like Ohle, McHale came second in prelims at state before winning the championship.
McHale will continue pole vaulting in college at the University of Michigan, according to her Instagram account.
