The Taylorville High School girls' track and field team is rewriting the record books this season—and they’re not done yet. In what’s being described as the most successful run in program history, the Tornadoes are headed to the state meet with a roster stacked with record-holders, conference leaders, and state qualifiers. Coach Robert Dunn came in while these seniors were sophomores, and he says he saw something special in this group.
Led by a powerhouse group of seniors, Taylorville has shattered multiple indoor and outdoor school records in 2024 and made a name for itself on the state stage. From sprints to field events and relays, this team has delivered across the board. Lyla Repscher, Lilliella Vail, Sydney Lowis, Brooke Bonitzer, and Elsie Williamson talked a little about track and what it is about Coach Dunn that unlocked that little extra.
During the indoor season, senior Alyssa Andreatta cleared 10’4” in the pole vault to set a new school mark, while Lyla Repscher set indoor records in both the 60m (8.21) and 200m (27.37). Distance standout Ella Goodman, now competing at SIUE, clocked a school-best 2:24.73 in the 800m. The 4x200m relay team of Liliella Vail, Sydney Lowis, Brooke Bonitzer, and Repscher also made waves, running 1:51.10 to finish 12th at the prestigious Illinois Top Times indoor meet. Outdoors, the Tornadoes broke a 42-year-old school record in the 4x100 relay at the Mattoon Invite, finishing in 49.97 seconds. That same day, the 4x200 squad ran a blistering 1:46.89, breaking the meet record and earning a current No. 10 state ranking in Class 2A. The team just finished up sectionals and is doing things that haven’t been done ever or haven’t been done since Allison Curtin.
Senior Lyla Repscher has been at the center of the team’s success, now holding five school records. She ranks first in the conference in the 100m and second in the 200m, and is a key leg on both the 4x100 and 4x200 relay teams, which placed second and first at sectionals, respectively. Liliella Vail continues to build her legacy as one of the program’s most decorated athletes. A state qualifier in both indoor and outdoor seasons three years running, Vail has a shot to qualify for state in three events this year and is part of four school-record performances. Sydney Lowis, another senior standout, is part of three school records and previously competed at state in the 4x400 as a sophomore. She ran at indoor state last season in the 400m and was part of this year’s 4x200 squad that placed 12th in the state.
Coach Dunn says he’s proud of these girls, especially the seniors, for all they’ve accomplished.
To hear our full interview with the Taylorville girls track stars, see below.
Good luck at state, Taylorville track and field!
