Madie Ohlinger’s final outdoor performance with the Rochelle Township High School track and field program wound up being the best showing of her four-year career with the Lady Hubs.
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Madie Ohlinger’s final outdoor performance with the Rochelle Township High School track and field program wound up being the best showing of her four-year career with the Lady Hubs.
Ohlinger had been slowly progressing in the triple jump throughout the 2019 season. Her efforts culminated in not only winning the Ogle County Championship with a mark of 33 feet 1 ½ inches, but a fifth-place showing at the IHSA 2A Rochelle Sectional, where she set a new personal record with a leap of 33 feet 2 ½ inches. Ohlinger had been slated to return as Rochelle’s senior leader in the jump pits before the COVID-19 cancellation of spring sports.
“I definitely became faster after my freshman season, but my jumps have improved the most since I started track and field,” Ohlinger said. “Being a member of the track and field team taught me perseverance. When I had meets where I didn’t perform my best, I went back into practice with the mind set of getting better. In any situation where things didn’t go as well as they could have, I remembered to focus on how I could improve myself.”
Ohlinger spent four years with the track and field program, competing in multiple events including the 100-meter dash, the 200-meter dash, the 400-meter relay, the 800-meter relay and the long jump before breaking out in the triple jump her junior season. As Ohlinger improved in the jump pits, she competed alongside teammates like former Lady Hub student-athlete Cam Turner, who Ohlinger said was her biggest role model in track and field.
“I enjoyed the atmosphere of the meets and contributing to the team,” Ohlinger said. “I started track and field when I was in fifth grade, and I knew I wanted to participate in a team sport. Some of my favorite memories include getting to compete with Cam. She was a great role model in both academics and athletics. She always supported me while I competed.”
Ohlinger contributed to two victories during the Yorkville-Plano triangular meet in 2019, winning the triple jump and helping Rochelle take the 800-meter relay. She finished her high school career with personal-best marks of 29.98 seconds in the 200-meter dash and 13-5 ¾ in the long jump. Ohlinger, who will be attending Butler University to study political science, said she hopes to pursue a career in government.
