Video of El Paso-Gridley girls track with Class 1A IHSA championship trophy
El Paso-Gridley girls track won the 2025 IHSA state championship on May 24, 2025, in Charleston, Illinois.
- Stark County senior Chelsey Stotler won the Class 1A shot put title at the IHSA girls track and field state finals.
- El Paso-Gridley won its first state title in any girls sport, taking the Class 1A team championship.
CHARLESTON — Chelsey Stotler has won a pair of track and field championships for Stark County.Literally, one at the 2025 IHSA track and field girls state finals at O’Brien Field on the campus of Eastern Illinois University on Saturday, and the other in a field for FFA.
The senior won the Class 1A shot put state title with a throw of 12.91 meters on Saturday. Her title was one of six won by Peoria-area athletes, including three from El Paso-Gridley and one each by Dunlap and Eureka.
Before Saturday, Stotler was named Illinois champion in the FFA for her work with Southern Illinois-Carbondale, where she collaborated on creating bio-stimulants to put on soy beans.
“That took about a year of work,” she said. “I have to wait now to see if I move on as a top 10 finalist in the nation.”
Her work with the shot put has taken a little longer. Her mother, Jodi, was a shot put athlete at Blackhawk College, and Chelsey started up with the sport in fifth grade.
It’s been a labor of love, and perseverance.
“I’ve been injured, had surgery, all four years of my high school career,” she said. “Surgery on both shoulders and both elbows. The journey has taken time and patience.
“I changed my style, to a rotational style, this year. I worked with Andrew McGhgy at Rochester High School and with my coach here, Coach (Clint) Terwilliger. They believed in me, and without them I could not have made this change and gotten to this top spot on the podium.”
Her winning toss came in the prelims, and let her relax in the finals Saturday.
“I knew it was a good throw,” she said. “I was nervous in the prelims, but once I qualified for the finals, it was just a fun day.”
Stotler will head to University of Illinois in the fall and major in food sciences. She says she has enough credit hours already earned to allow her the time for shot put, and might throw for the club team there.”
A second in jump
Illini Bluffs senior Tori Brown was the top seed in the class 1A triple jump, but came up just short, finishing runnerup with an effort of 11.15 meters.
It hit her hard, as she battled her emotions before climbing the podium
“Second place was all I could ask for,” she said. “The difference between first and second was 2 inches. Two inches. It’s hard, but I’m proud of my career and I move on to the next chapter.”
That will be at Illinois Wesleyan, where she plans to compete in the triple jump.
El Paso-Gridley strikes gold
El Paso-Gridley had to finesse a lineup change for its 4×100 relay, and it helped lead a run to the 1A state title.
Senior Kiera Stoller shifted to the anchor leg after Aubrey Phillips had to drop out because she had maxed out her events. Stoller, Jaida Reed, Keyli Cogdal and Teagan Tibbs raced to a school-record :48.9 finish.
“We honestly didn’t know we had that in us,” Stoller grinned. “We got in there and did what we do best. If you do that, you get rewarded.”
Stoller will head off to Indiana Wesleyan in the fall, but her athletic career is over. “I’m going there for academics, I won’t be running,” she said. “This was it for me.”
EP-G won its first state championship in any girls sport, taking first as a team in Class 1A. The Titans won seven medals — including three golds — to score 56 team points. Tuscola (49) was second and Glen Carbon Father McGivney (48) third.
Tracking details
Kendall Gray, a senior from Southland, was part of a sixth-place finish in the class 2A 4×100 relay.
She came to the podium wearing her graduation robe.
“Our graduation is today, but I chose to come here and run,” she said. “So I brought everything here with me to celebrate it since I’m going to miss the graduation ceremony.”
A rising pole vault
Peoria Christian sophomore Addie Lehman surprised the field when she captured third place in the 1A pole vault with an effort of 11-1.75.
“This is my first year in pole vault,” she said. “I’ve been working at it for 10 or 11 months now. I love flying through the air and I love my teammates around me.
“It’s really coming together for me in this event.”
This story will be updated.
Dave Eminian is the Journal Star sports columnist, and covers Bradley men’s basketball, the Rivermen and Chiefs. He writes the Cleve In The Eve sports column for pjstar.com. He can be reached at 686-3206 or deminian@pjstar.com. Follow him on X.com @icetimecleve.