Female Track Phenom McClain Signs with Ill. State
Photo by Keith Stewart
Okaw Valley senior Amanda McClain signed her letter of intent to become an Illinos State track athlete on December 5. Pictured, left to right: mother Michelle, SOV girls’ track coach Kali Taylor, Amanda McClain, and father Rod.
December 17, 2014
SOV athlete will be Redbird beginning next fall
by Keith Stewart
keith@newsprogress.com
Amanda McClain has already left her mark on girls’ high school track.
She has 11 high school state medals over just three years, including three first place medals. Two of those are from the 4x2 relay that took the top spot both this past spring and in 2012–the year in which SOV also set a state record. Earlier this year, McClain also nabbed the 400m dash, a race she came up seconds short of for first the two prior. She also took third place in the long jump, marking the second consecutive year the SOV program athlete has earned four medals at the state meet.
And she still has her senior year to go.
But McClain recently made another mark–her signature to continue her track career at Illinois State beginning next year after officially singing her letter of intent before classmates December 5 at Okaw Valley high school.
“I couldn’t be more proud of her,” said SOV girls’ head coach Kali Taylor. “It’s been a very rewarding experience for me as a coach to be a part of the success she has had and that she’s brought to the program. She’s definitely leaving a legacy, not only for our track program, but for her competitors, for the state of Illinois, for her teammates, and definitely for her coaches.”