The Sentinel: 02/15/25

Off-season work pays off; St. Joseph-Ogden's Maddie Wells heads to state wrestling

Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

St. Joseph-Ogden's Maddie Wells (left) wrestles Urbana's Rickasia Ivy in dual meet in December. Wells and Ivy, who took second place, qualified for the IHSA Girls Individual Wrestling State Finals in Bloomington Feb. 28 - Mar. 1.

HIGHLAND - At the beginning of the season in December, when asked what she wanted to accomplish this season, St. Joseph-Ogden's Maddie Wells said, "I'm really hoping to qualify for girls' state for the first time." Mission accomplished.

Wells, a junior who started wrestling three years ago, is a warrior. Yesterday, she became the first St. Joseph-Ogden female athlete to qualify for the IHSA's Girls Wrestling State Finals. Finishing third in the 140-pound division, the junior's grueling path through the bracket to punch her ticket to the state tournament in Bloomington was sealed after six matches at the Highland Sectional.

"I was kind of in disbelief and I was happy for all my friends that I’ve made along the way that also qualified," Wells said after her third-place finish. "I was most excited to eat Chipotle, though."

Except for her quarterfinal loss to Collinsville's Taylor Dawson, who won the sectional title in their division, Wells won four matches by fall and recorded a techfall in her consolation semifinal win over Mt. Vernon's Daniya Musgrave.

Mentally and emotionally, she said her first match of sectionals was the most stressful.

"My qualification match was my toughest," she admitted. "My previous two years I had been knocked out in this round so I was the most nervous."

Wells won her sectional opener, pinning Salem's Alan Finney at 1:44. Her quarterfinal loss to Dawson lasted 42 seconds. She bounced back from the defeat to win her next four bouts.

All the work Wells put in during the off-season paid dividends. She heads to the state tournament at Grossinger Motors Arena with an 18-6 record.

"I do a lot of open gyms," she said. She also attended camps at the University of Illinois during the summer to sharpen her technical skills. "And, I did some off-season girls tournaments."

Now a trailblazer for the Spartan girls' program and one of two girls on this year's squad, she hopes that her success will influence other female athletes to join the sport.

"I feel privileged to be able to pave the path but I feel excited to see the girls that follow," she said. "I hope I inspired girls younger than me to not be afraid of trying new things despite their gender and being able to follow their dreams."

Maddie Wells sectional match results:

Champ. Round 1 - Maddie Wells won by fall over Alana Finney, Salem - Fall 1:44
Quarterfinal - Taylor Dawson, Collinsville 32-3 won by fall over Maddie Wells - Fall 0:42
Cons. Round 2 - Maddie Wells won by fall over Kaisley Shotkoski, Mahomet-Seymour - Fall 1:15
Cons. Round 3 - Maddie Wells won by fall over Jacee Mardirosian, Carterville - Fall 3:34
Cons. Semi - Maddie Wells won by tech fall over Daniya Musgrave, Mt. Vernon - TF-1.5 2:18 18-0
3rd Place Match - Maddie Wells won by fall over Lillien Roughton, Unity Christian - Fall 3:09

Strength training can help women live longer, healthier lives

by Paul Arco
OSF Healthcare

ROCKFORD - It’s no great surprise to read that men and women both benefit from working out.

But women may receive greater benefits from regular exercise than men, according to a study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

Photo provided

Mary O’Meara
OSF Cardiovascular Institute

The study centered on the importance of exercise as a way to avoid dying prematurely. The researchers studied data from 400,000 people and found that women who exercised were 24% less likely to die early from any cause. Men who exercised, however, were 15% less likely to die early.

The study also revealed that the women who exercise had a 36% lower risk of dying from a cardiovascular event, compared to men at 14%. That’s important because women have twice the risk of dying from a heart attack than a man.

Mary O’Meara is a nurse practitioner with OSF HealthCare. She says society still views heart attacks more as a man’s disease. That’s simply not true.

“Usually, a male is feeling this really bad chest pressure, chest pain going in the left arm into the jaw, very pale. Women, very often, will just complain of fatigue, nausea or heartburn. ‘I feel wiped out. I just can't walk across the room. I need to sit down,’” explains O’Meara. “Unfortunately, that can be a sign of a heart attack in a female, and it gets missed quite often.”

While any movement is good, O’Meara stresses the importance of women incorporating strength and/or resistance training, such as lifting weights. Frequency and the amount of weight depend on the person and their situation.

Photo: MovePrivateFitness/Pixabay

“For a long time, women were encouraged to do more aerobics-calisthenics. We were always thought of as the weaker sex, I guess you can say, and we weren't really encouraged to do any weight bearing exercise,” says O’Meara. “A lot of research has come back that states that women should be focusing on weight bearing exercises for several different reasons.”

Strength training can also help women as menopause becomes an issue. According to O’Meara, hormones start changing between the ages of 40 and 50 – a time when women start losing muscle and see an increase in body fat. Strength training can help with that change, along with other health issues.

“We found that weight bearing exercise can reduce our risk of dementia and Alzheimer's, and also reduce our risk of osteoporosis, which is a big one,” says O’Meara.

O’Meara also has a nutrition tip for her patients. Protein, she says, is important for women to prevent muscle loss, especially during menopause. O’Meara recommends 30 milligrams of protein before and 15 milligrams after a workout, to help rebuild muscle that has been naturally broken-down during exercise.

Additionally, O'Meara is a proponent of healthy fats. She encourages patients to incorporate grape seed oils, olive oils, fish oils, flax seed oils, nuts and avocados into their diets. Her philosophy is that good fats battle bad fats, and good fats protect our heart.

O’Meara stresses that it's never too late for women to start exercising. Even a short walk or work around the home, for instance, can go a long way to a healthier future.

“You read many testimonials from people who were couch potatoes and never exercised,” she says. “And then, they go into these exercises and do wonderful things that have really made a difference.”

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What you need to know about Tuberculosis: Symptoms, Spread and Safety Tips

by Matt Sheehan
OSF Healthcare

PEORIA - A Tuberculosis (TB) outbreak in Kansas City, Kansas, has people on edge, with not much public knowledge about the disease or how to prevent it.

The Kansas Department of Health & Environment reported as of January 31, 67 people were infected in the latest outbreak. Two people died and roughly half have finished treatment and are considered cured.

What is Tuberculosis?

OSF doctor Sharjeel Ahmad

Dr. Sharjeel Ahmad
OSF Healthcare

“TB is referred to as ‘the great mimicker,’ says Sharjeel Ahmad, MD, a staff physician of infectious disease with OSF HealthCare, meaning the signs and symptoms are like many other viruses and bacterial infections people get.

“Tuberculosis is a very contagious bacterial infection,” Dr. Ahmad says. “It’s caused by a bacterium called Mycobacterium tuberculosis. It is spread when people cough, sneeze or spit. So, if you cough, spit or sneeze, you generate tiny particles. When someone else inhales that, you can get infected by TB.”

While active TB disease cases are rare, Dr. Ahmad says it's likely that one in four people worldwide have been exposed to this bacterium. In Peoria, Illinois, OSF HealthCare Saint Francis Medical Center treated six TB patients in 2024. The bacteria can be transmitted easily, with the infectious dose being a single live bacterium sufficient to infect people. The infection is transmitted airborne, through droplets and aerosol.

Tuberculosis signs and symptoms

“Warning signs include, but are not limited to, unexplained fever, night sweats and unintentional weight loss,” Dr. Ahmad says. “The infection is spread through inhaling, so the lungs are the primary site for infection”

Lung symptoms include a chronic cough that doesn’t go away, along with vague chest aches and pains. You may have phlegm, which could sometimes have blood in it.

What you should know:

Tuberculosis outbreak was reported in Kansas City, Kansas
The disease is not common in the United States
There is a vaccine, but its efficacy is questionable
Symptoms can be unexplained fevers, night sweats, and weight loss
The disease is spread airborne through respiratory droplets

“The Vampire Effect”

Dr. Ahmad says, "Before the Industrial Revolution, folklore often associated tuberculosis with vampires. When one member of a family died from the disease, the other infected members would lose their health slowly. People believed this was caused by the original person with TB draining the life from the other family members".

"It can be deadly if it's left untreated. It was colloquially referred to as 'the consumption,' way back when because it consumes the body, and the body can get overwhelmed by it."

Why do most people not get the TB vaccine?

There is a vaccine for TB, and 2021 marked 100 years it has been around. It's made from a weakened strain of bacteria, Dr. Ahmad says. It's called Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG). The rates of protection against tuberculosis infection vary widely.

"It offers protection from getting TB of the brain/meningitis, especially in kids. It also has some protection against TB outside the lungs," Dr. Ahmad says. "There are some factors like genetics and where the patient is, which means it is not 100% protective. Estimates of protective effect vary between 20-70% for protection against TB disease.”

The TB vaccine can also interfere with a particular skin screening test for TB if the vaccination was given recently.

“Since the disease is so rare” Dr. Ahmad adds. We've opted over the years to not mess up our ability to detect known cases," he says.

Who is most at risk?

The youngest and oldest populations are both at high-risk for TB, along with those who have been around an infected person.

"This is a disease of overcrowding and poor hygiene," Dr. Ahmad says. "It's been around in humans forever. It's transmitted from person to person via the respiratory route."

People with a weakened immune system are also at risk of developing the disease if they are exposed to it. This could include people with diabetes or HIV. Patients who take medications that suppress the immune system – including patients with autoimmune diseases, transplants, and cancer patients are also more at risk. Patients with prior history of lung disease/damage are also at risk.

Dr. Ahmad adds that homeless shelters, correctional facilities and those with substance use disorder are also at-risk for becoming infected with TB.

How TB is treated in the hospital

Dr. Ahmad says care teams use "airborne precautions," including rooms with special ventilation systems in the hospital. TB patients are kept in these "negative pressure rooms" away from others to prevent the spread of infection. The entire care team wears personal protective equipment, including gowns, gloves and N95 masks, while in the room with the patient.

The medication regimen for TB patients is intense. Traditionally, four different antibiotics will be used for the first two months. "Once we have the antibiotic susceptibility results, and everything looks good, we can drop the patient down to just two antibiotics until we reach six months’ duration of treatment for lung TB," Dr. Ahmad says. If TB spreads outside the lungs, treatment can be even longer.

While therapy can be initiated at the hospital, the patient does not have to stay in the hospital for the whole duration of treatment. Once a care plan has been formulated, it is coordinated with the local health department to ensure there are no gaps in care during the transition, the patient continues to have access to the medication, and they do not pose a public health risk to others. The aim is to limit the patient's interaction with others inside and outside the hospital until they are deemed non-infectious, meaning they cannot transmit the infection. The hospital infection control/prevention team and county health department also remain vigilant, ensuring any potential exposures are traced and screened.

SJO wrestlers still in the mix at sectionals for a spot to the IHSA state wrestling tournament

Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks

St. Joseph-Ogden Landen Butts heads back to the bench after his match during the Spartans' home dual against Hoopeston last month. The 144-pounder lost his opening match on Friday. He needs two wins today to advance to the IHSA state wrestling tournament next weekend. Butts and three other sectional qualifiers are still active at the Clinton sectional, hoping to advance to state on the consolation side of their brackets.

CLINTON - Four wrestlers from St. Joseph-Ogden launched their sectional campaigns yesterday at Clinton High School, aiming for a spot in this year's state tournament at State Farm Center on Friday. Here's a recap of their performances:

Jackson Walsh fell 13-8 in his quarterfinal match against Clinton's Briley Carter in the 113-pound weight class. Walsh started strong, leading 4-2 in the first period with a takedown and a penalty point. In the second period, he maintained control, extending his lead to 6-5 despite conceding a reversal. However, Carter turned the tide in the final period, securing a takedown and nearfall to take a decisive 13-6 lead. Walsh fought back with a reversal in the closing seconds but ultimately moved to the consolation bracket, now aiming for a third-place finish. Today, he faces sophomore Jackson Buehler (25-22) from Camp Point Central.

Cam Wagner began his sectional debut with a victory, pinning Williamsville's sophomore Liam Dodsworth in 2:33. He faced a first-period defeat in his second match against Olympia's Darian Holloway. Wagner advances to the consolation round in the 285-pound bracket, where he will meet Clinton senior Dawson Thayer (26-6).

Another Spartan, Ben Wells, also contends for a third-place finish today. He is set to wrestle Farmington freshman Jayden Schmider (19-24) in the consolation bracket. Wells secured his sectional opener with a second-period pin against Clinton's Cayden Bostic. In his subsequent match, he was pinned in the first period by Canton's Jaxsun Owens.

Today, senior Landen Butts (35-14) continues his pursuit through the 144-pound consolation bracket. Butts narrowly lost his opening match to Normal University's Hayden Washum, 10-8. Washum took an early lead with a takedown and near fall in the first period, leading 5-0. Butts responded in the second period with a reversal, closing the gap. Washum earned an escape point, countered by Butts with a takedown, making it a one-point match. In the third period, Butts briefly led 8-6 with a takedown but was outscored by Washum, who secured a reversal and near fall in the final seconds to win 10-8.

Receiving a bye in the second round of the consolation bracket, Butts faces Olympia's Austin Kisner today. He needs two victories to secure a spot in next week's state tournament in Champaign.