Maljevic Doubles Down To Find More Success

Athletes like Lejla Maljevic don’t come along every year, even in a girls track program like Evanston’s.

And although competing in the long jump will always be the Evanston junior’s first love --- she’s also exploring unusual options now that she’s 100 percent healthy this year.

The first ETHS female trackster to successfully combine the long jump with the throws in at least 25 years, Maljevic climaxed the indoor portion of the 2025 season by winning the shot put and placing second in the long jump Saturday at the Lake Michigan Invitational meet held at Carthage College in Wisconsin.

The meet featured top competitors from Illinois, Wisconsin and Indiana. Maljevic missed out on the long jump title by a margin of exactly one inch despite a best leap of 18 feet, 2 inches when Natasha Bianchi of Genoa-Kingston passed her up in the final flight with an effort of 18-3.

Maljevic did take top honors in the shot at 39 feet, 9 inches and ranks among the elite in both specialties so far in the state of Illinois. She only took up the weight events last season --- her first at ETHS after emigrating from Montenegro --- and might threaten school records in the long jump, shot and discus by the time she graduates.

No one on the Wildkit coaching staff would have been surprised if Maljevic had opted out of the throws this year. She didn’t get the opportunity to jump at all last season because of a leg injury that caused head coach Fenny Gunter to take a conservative approach with her despite her obvious ability.

That ability surfaced in the throws --- to the point where she won conference championships outdoors in both the discus and shot --- and she’s looking to add to that success in 2025 instead of limiting herself to just one specialty.

The last ETHS female track athlete to find success in such disparate field events was Teesha Block, who back in 2000 finished fifth in the triple jump and seventh in the discus at the Illinois High School Association state finals.

Before that? Even Gunter would have to search his memory for another name.

“When you get a kid who is a quality kid like Lejla, one who can do rare things, then you take advantage of it,” said the veteran coach. “It is odd, because you don’t find many shotputters who can also long jump. She lost a year when she couldn’t jump because she was too beat up (physically) when she came to us. We just wanted to get her through the summer and fall with her rehabbing, and now she can do two things.

“She’s listening and learning and knows how to execute and tap into what the coaches are telling her. Like all of those European athletes, she’s dirt tough. But she’ll be even better once she learns to control her emotions, because she wants to throw bombs and jump bombs (personal bests) every time she’s out there. She needs to rein it in a little that way. She needs to understand that she has to be patient.”

Maljevic doesn’t think her choice is THAT odd.

“I just wanted to take a chance and see what I could do in something else,” she said after leading Evanston to a second place finish in the team standings in the 23-team field Saturday. “I just saw that I was capable of something more. I try to do my best in anything I try, and last year I wasn’t able to focus on the long jump. But I saw that I could be successful in the shot and being able to work on it for a full year made a huge difference. I put in a lot of hard work.

“I really, really enjoy the long jump. I get so much joy from doing it and it really makes me happy. I did a lot of physical therapy to focus to getting back on track to do what I love to do and I’m really grateful that I’m 100 percent healthy again.

“My legs are stronger now and there’s a lot for me to balance (in practice and at meets). Each of the coaches has something to tell me that will benefit me --- it is a lot of voices --- but I know they’re all there to help me improve my results.”

Maljevic divided her practice time on a weekly basis during the indoor campaign between jumping two days a week and throwing twice a week. And Saturday she said she’s not surprised by the results.

“I know my body, and I know what I’m capable of,” she said. “I knew I could be around this number (18 feet). My best jump in 2022 was 5.14 meters and I didn’t have a pit to practice in at home (Montenegro), so I’d get to meets early and try to practice there.

“My goal this year? Just to stay healthy and give it my best in practices and in meets. If I do that, I know the numbers will come when it’s meant to be.”

Maljevic’s performances Saturday weren’t the only highlights for the Wildkits, who totaled 75 points and trailed only Lake Central of Indiana (124.5) in the team standings.

Evanston also counted individual wins from freshman Brie Noel in the 400-meter run, Hunter Vandergriff in the 200, and the 800-meter relay team of Amari Robinson, Francesca Decastro, Ingrid Sylvester and Vandergriff. Stella Davis added a runner-up effort in the 3200-meter run, and Sylvester (third in the 55 hurdles), Vandergriff (third in the 55 dash) and Ebony Turner (shotput) also contributed to the Wildkit point total.

Noel’s eye-catching win in the 400 came in her first actual open 400 race this season. She was timed in a dazzling 58.17 seconds, a four second drop from the seed time Gunter posted for the first-year runner and a full three seconds faster than the next best competitor at the meet.

“She ran a 59-second split in our 1600 relay last week, so we knew she was capable of this,” Gunter said. “We decided to have her run back-to-back 400s today (she also ran for the 1600 relay that was disqualified Saturday) just to see what she could handle. We knew what was possible with her, it was just a matter of when we would try it. This was a perfect day to do it because we decided not to load up the 4 x 200 relay (even though they won it).

“Like the rest of our young girls, Brie is listening and learning. We’re just letting her find herself right now. I thought she managed that race very well today.”

Vandergriff, a junior, was timed in 26.53 while ruling the 200 and the 800 relay unit smoked the field with a time of 1:46.98 even though the Kits were missing most of what Gunter considers his front-line runners in that race.