Manzano puts bow on decorated New Trier career with two more state medals

Gaby Manzano was taking the glass half-full approach to her weekend at state.

The New Trier senior did not advance from Friday’s IHSA Class 3A preliminaries in the horizontal jumps, finishing 15th in the triple jump and 20th in the long jump. But she had better luck on the track, advancing in one individual event and a relay to earn a pair of medals Saturday, May 18, at Eastern Illinois’ O’Brien Field.

Manzano anchored the Trevians’ 4-by-400-meter relay team to fifth place in a season-best 3 minutes 55.68 seconds, following Emilia Smith, Carly McConnell and Anna Rivera around the track.

Manzano also ran a personal-best 57.27 to finish sixth in the 400.

“My expectations were higher than it turned out,” said Manzano, who placed fourth in long jump in 2023. “I was supposed to place high in the long jump and the triple jump. But I didn’t get a lot of sleep the night before prelims because I was so nervous.

“I fouled my first two jumps, they were pretty big. But then my last one I was just trying to get a mark. It didn’t turn out the way I wanted it to. But I was really happy I bounced back for the 400 and the 4-by-4.”

Finishing strong had her upbeat after the final meet of her high-school career.

“I’m proud of myself for what happened,” Manzano said. “I’m not even that upset.”

There’s a back story to that, too.

Saturday marked likely the final competitive races for Manzano, who is headed to the University of Connecticut, where she’ll be competing in the jumps.

Her emotions at the end of the running phase of her career?

“Bittersweet,” Manzano said. “I loved running with my teammates. It was a lot of fun, I do love the 400.”

Next up is summer track: “I’m going to try to qualify for the U20 National Championships in the long jump,” Manzano said.

The Trevians tied for 23rd as a team with 12 points. Besides Manzano’s two medals, they had a seventh from junior Josie Cahill in the 3,200. Cahill ran the 2-miles race in 10:56.06, and she also had a PR of 5:05.24 in the 1,600 prelims but did not advance.

Other notable non-qualifying efforts for New Trier in the prelims were Rivera’s PR of 2:18.99 in the 800 and season-bests in the 4-by-200 relay (1:45.05) and the 4-by-800 relay (9:41.98).

Loyola Academy had one placer in 3A as junior Jane Lynch finished eighth in the 3,200 at 10:59.

“Our expectations were high,” Ramblers coach ChrisJon Simon said. “She finished 13th in the state last year. We wanted to be on the podium this year.”

With that accomplished, the bar will be raised next school year.

“Short-term goal for me would be All-State in cross country,” Simon said. “And really have a great track season.”

In Class 1A, North Shore Country Day sophomore Reese Meyers took seventh in the 400 with a PR of 59.13.

She also joined Emilise Comeau, Ellie Rose Horowitz and Devin Todd on North Shore’s 4-by-400 relay team, which ran a season-best 4:33.25 in the prelims but did not advance.

“First, I wanted to finish the race,” Meyers said of the 400. “I just thought, ‘I made it here, I want to finish strong.’ And then I was hoping I’d be able to either PR or beat a couple people down the stretch because I’m pretty sure I had the lowest seed. So I just wanted to see what I could do, do my best against this great competition.”

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