Galesburg will send four wrestlers to the IHSA Girls Sectional Feb. 13–14 in DeKalb.
Dai Driana Willford finished first at 130 pounds, Amyah Pruitt placed third at 120, Delilah Gregory was third at 135 and Vivian Aldus finished fourth at 140 pounds.
Galesburg placed fifth with 81 points, finishing behind Geneseo with 169 points, Pekin with 107, East Peoria with 101 and Canton with 94.
Top finishers at the sectional advance to the IHSA Girls State Wrestling Tournament, scheduled for Feb. 27–28 at Grossinger Motors Arena in Bloomington.
Galesburg will face East Peoria in the opening round of the East Peoria Regional, with the two teams scheduled to meet at 6 p.m. Monday, Feb. 16.
Galesburg enters the postseason with a 25-3 record and one regular-season game remaining. East Peoria is 2-25 entering its final regular-season contest.
The regional also includes Morton and Bartonville Limestone, who will meet in the second semifinal at 7:30 p.m. Monday. The winners of Monday’s games will advance to the regional championship at 6 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 19, with the champion moving on to the Galesburg Sectional.
The Galesburg Sectional will also feature regional champions from Metamora, LaSalle-Peru and Dunlap. Sectional play begins Tuesday, Feb. 24, with the championship game scheduled for 6 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 26.
East Peoria Regional (at East Peoria)
Monday, Feb. 16
• Game 1 — 6 p.m.: (2) Galesburg vs. (8) East Peoria
• Game 2 — 7:30 p.m.: (3) Morton vs. (6) Bartonville Limestone
Thursday, Feb. 19
• Championship — 6 p.m., Winner of Game 1 vs. winner of Game 2
Galesburg Sectional
Tuesday, Feb. 24
• Game 1 — 6 p.m., Winner of Metamora Regional vs. winner of East Peoria Regional
• Game 2 — 7:30 p.m., Winner of Dunlap Regional vs. winner of LaSalle-Peru Regional
Thursday, Feb. 26
• Championship — 6 p.m., Winner of Game 1 vs. winner of Game 2
The Carl Sandburg baseball team opened its season with a three-game weekend series against Three Rivers at Arsenal BG Ballpark in Sauget, dropping Saturday’s nine-inning opener and both games of Sunday’s doubleheader.
Feb. 7 — Three Rivers 21, Sandburg 3
Sandburg showed early promise in the season opener, but Three Rivers’ offense proved overwhelming as the Raiders pulled away.
Brady Veselack jump-started the Chargers’ season with a solo home run in the first inning, giving Sandburg a 1-0 lead. Three Rivers answered quickly, taking a 5-1 lead after two innings before breaking the game open with nine runs on five hits in the fourth.
Braley Burford reached base four times to pace the Chargers, finishing 2-for-2 with a double, two walks and an RBI. Ethan Krei took the loss, pitching two innings with one strikeout and two walks.
Feb. 8 — Game 1: Three Rivers 8, Sandburg 3
The Raiders struck early in the opener of Sunday’s doubleheader, using a four-run third inning — highlighted by a two-run home run — to build a 5-0 lead.
Sandburg responded in the fourth, loading the bases on a hit batsman and two walks. Carter Ramsey and Kody Knecht then scored on consecutive wild pitches to cut the deficit to 5-2, but the Chargers were unable to close the gap.
Ramsey singled, reached on a hit by pitch, scored twice and stole a base. Clayton Cawley took the loss after working 2.1 innings.
Feb. 8 — Game 2: Three Rivers 6, Sandburg 3
Sandburg showed resilience in the series finale, rallying late but coming up short.
Trailing 5-0 in the fifth, Chuck Hathaway launched a two-run home run to right field to put the Chargers on the board. Ramsey’s RBI groundout in the sixth trimmed the margin to 5-3, but the rally ended with the tying run left on base.
Hathaway drove in two runs with his home run, while Knecht and Jameson Dickerson each went 2-for-3, with Dickerson adding a double. Nathan Hill took the loss, striking out four over 3.2 innings.
Sandburg will return to action at 2:30 p.m. Feb. 15 at Southeastern Illinois College.
Lance Miller led the way for the Knox College indoor track and field team, finishing second in the 3,000 meters at the Illinois College Invite on Saturday.
Miller covered the distance in 8:36.23, setting another program record by more than two seconds. The time eclipsed the mark he set earlier this season.
On the women’s side, freshman Elsie Conwell finished sixth in the 3,000 meters in 11:02.27, a time that ranks third all-time in program history.
Another freshman, Delylah Briscoe, added a top-10 finish for Knox by placing ninth in the 200-meter dash in 28.25.
Knox will compete next at Monmouth College on Feb. 14.
The Knox College men capped a 2-0 week with an 86-74 home victory over Beloit on Feb. 7.
The Prairie Fire (9-12, 5-7 Midwest Conference) were led by Noah Campbell, who scored 24 points while adding eight rebounds and six assists. Josh Stewart chipped in 18 points.
Knox jumped out to a 12-2 lead, but Beloit trimmed the margin to 32-29 at halftime.
Beloit briefly took control early in the second half, building its largest lead at 40-36 with 17:08 remaining, before Knox responded with a 19-3 run to take a 55-43 lead with 10:43 remaining.
Willie Rogers III scored 13 points, Carl Dortch added 11 and Russell Wright finished with nine.
Knox shot 50 percent from the field (28 of 56) and held a free-throw advantage, going 27 of 38 compared with Beloit’s 14 of 21. The Prairie Fire also outrebounded the Buccaneers 44-35.
Knox will play next at Monmouth before closing the regular season at home on Valentine’s Day against Ripon. The game will serve as Senior Day for seniors Russell Wright and Carl Dortch.
Knox College used a strong second-half performance to pull away from Beloit for an 87-57 win on Senior Day on Feb. 7 at Memorial Gymnasium.
Beloit shot efficiently early, but Knox stayed within striking distance by forcing turnovers, holding a 21-21 tie after the first quarter.
Knox took a 38-37 lead into halftime before taking control after the break, opening the third quarter with a 14-2 run. The Prairie Fire outscored Beloit 31-8 in the period to take a 69-45 lead into the fourth.
Five Knox players scored in double figures, led by Bria Medina’s 23 points.
Seniors Carly Smith and Kylee Callahan turned in strong performances. Smith recorded a double-double with 14 points and 14 rebounds, while Callahan added 14 points, five rebounds, five steals and four assists. Nayeli Nidez Acuña scored 11 points, and Sarah Finley added 12.
The win kept Knox tied for second place with Lawrence in the Midwest Conference. The Prairie Fire will play next at Monmouth before closing the home schedule against league-leading Ripon.
