While working out over the summer on the track at Lockport High School, Mollie Sloyan and fellow hurdler Matt Benes came upon a group of younger runners.

Benes told them that they had to clear out of the way as a pair of All-Staters were coming through.

“It was then that it hit me,” Sloyan said. “I am an All-Stater.”

Because of her accolades during the bowling and track seasons, she’s also the Joliet Bugle Female Athlete of the Year.

Sloyan earned the All-State tag her senior season when she placed third in the long jump at the state meet with a leap of 17-feet, 9 inches.

She entered her senior campaign never having competed in any jump events.

“Coach told me we would do high jump in the middle of the season and then he told me we were going to do the other jumps,” Sloyan said.

The point of the jumps was not only to get Sloyan involved in more events, but to get her mind off the hurdles in hopes that the less pressure would allow her to qualify for state in the hurdles. “When I started the jumps, I cut back on hurdles a little, but this was the first year I qualified in hurdles as well,” she said. “I have thanked coach over and over again for doing this for me. I thought he was crazy and I never thought I would make it to state in one of (the jump) events.” She did and she enjoyed every moment in the spotlight at the state track meet at Eastern Illinois University.

“It was awesome,” Sloyan said. “It was one of my happiest moments of high school. I kind of wonder what I could have done if I started earlier. This is really even better than bowling, because in bowling I went to state knowing what my potential was. In this, I really had no idea how I would do.”

When not on the track, Sloyan was an all-state bowler for the Porters. She qualified for the state meet as an individual this season after helping the Porters win a state bowling title her junior season.

“To be part of Lockport bowling was an honor,” Sloyan said. “Going into this year as state champs, there was more pressure. I don’t let pressure get to me. Bowling is all about fun for me.” Sloyan admits she has more fun when her team is with her.

“I qualified individually this year and I fell apart at state this year because I didn’t have my team and that was a bit of a setback,” she said. “But, without the rest of the team there is no Lockport and we did the best we could. We were such a team. Other teams compete against their teammates, we play together.”

Despite her bowling success, Sloyan is leaving that behind as she heads to Illinois State University.

She will attempt to walk onto the track and field team in the heptathalon.

“The boys coach, coach (Tom) Razzo said he thought I would excel in the multiple event events and that’s what Illinois State coaches thought,” Sloyan said. “It is the high jump, long jump, 100 hurdles, 200 dash, 800 run, shot put and javelin, so I only need to learn two events.” After all, it was the multiple events in high school that kept her mind off other events and made her a state medalist.