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With Neuqua Valley and the West Suburban-Conference Silver Division teams not in attendance, there was a little bit of a drop off in the 3A Boys races in this meet. There was excitement in all the distance races in this meet. Katelynne Hart was the star of the distances running the nation’s fastest time in the 3200 Meter Run while setting a meet record. She just missed the record on her win in the 3A 1600 Meter Run.

Here is a look back at each of the 3A classes and the distance races that were run last weekend.

Class 3A

What more else can we say about what Katelynne Hart of Glenbard West did during the indoor season? I said in the national recap that watching Hart run is hypnotic in that you are focused on what she is doing instead of the rest of the race. The US #1 10:11.51 that she ran to win the 3200 Meter Run was great. She lapped the entire field except for teammate Lindsey Payne and Naperville North’s Alex Morris. Payne’s time of 10:42.66 is ranked tenth nationally.

This was only the second time that Hart has run this distance. It is the third if you want to consider her win at 2 Miles at the University of Kentucky in February. 10:15.95 and 10:11.51 is good to have on your resume especially as a freshman. Glenbard West Coach Kelly Hass does not know what events she will run at state in May. She does have the fastest indoor times in all three indoor races. Also, check out the splits below of the two 3200 races that she ran indoors. Her race at this meet demonstrates that she is getting stronger. If she does run this event at state, do we see a sub 10 from her?

PWI - 71.6 – 2:27.9 (76.3) – 3:45.2 (77.3) – 5:03.6 (78.4) – 6:22.3 (78.7) – 7:41.6 (79.3) – 9:00.6 (79.0) – 10:16.0 (75.4)

ITT – 71.5 – 2:28.1 (76.6) – 3:45.3 (77.2) – 5:03.3 (78.0) – 6:21.1 (77.8) – 7:39.1 (78.0) – 8:56.6 (77.5) – 10:11.51 (75.0)

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I talked to Whitney Young Coach Billy Poole-Harris before the start of the 3200 Meter Run. “He’s going for Keller’s record,” he said about his star junior Clayton Mendez and his attempt on Tim Keller’s 16-year-old meet record of 8:58.

It is tough to do it yourself especially when you have to push the pace. When he ran the US #2 9:01 at the end of February, he stayed comfortably in third as Danny Kilrea and Irwin Loud set the tone up front. He was on pace through 1600 meters when he passed that point in 4:30.5. His pace slowed down after that. You can’t take anything away from Mendez in this race in which he ran 9:11.30 for the win. It was impressive. He is focused and should run under nine minutes when we get outdoors.

Mendez – 65.5 – 2:14.5 (69.0) – 3:22.9 (68.4) – 4:30.5 (67.6) – 5:38.1 (67.6) – 648.0 (69.9) – 7:59.9 (71.9) – 9:11.3 (71.4)

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The Girls 3200 Meter Relay was over basically after the first leg. Naperville North’s Claire Hamilton was moved up to the leadoff leg and gave her team the lead with a 2:16.1 opening split. Naperville North did not relinquish their lead as they pulled away to run the state’s best 9:21.69 to win by eight seconds ahead of Minooka (9:29.91) and Hersey (9:32.85). Their depth in the distance events is one of the reasons why the Huskies were the state cross country champions and one of the top track teams in the state. They should score in all four distance races in Charleston.

Minooka Coach Nick Lundin had to substitute in his 3200 Meter Relay because illnesses forced two runners out of the meet. Whitney Young had the same problem as their top runner Evan Radomski could not run also because he was sick. It did not bother Whitney Young as they held the lead through the first half of the race. At the end of the second leg, Whitney Young still had the lead ahead of Bloom, Oswego, and Jones Prep. Minooka was fifth but they had Soren Knudsen running the third leg. Knudsen, who usually is their anchor, was running in this spot as Lundin was experimenting with their lineup. Knudsen responded with a 1:59.2 split moving his team into the lead. Freshman Hector Ramos had no experience in the anchor spot but he responded on the final 800-meters of the race with a 1:59.8 split. Minooka crossed the line in 8:04.73 winning by almost three seconds ahead of Whitney Young (8:07.51).

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Both 800 Meter Run races in his classification were tactical. Jenna Diers of Lincoln-Way West emerged from the pack and held off Evanston’s Enyaeva Michelin to run 2:18.77 winning by nine hundredths of a second (2:18.86). Pre-meet favorite Emma Moravec of Downers Grove North finished third (2:19.14).

Will O’Keefe of Granite City took the lead with 250-meters left in the Boys race. He pulled away in the final lap to run 1:57.19 (IL #2) to win by more than a second ahead of Jones College Prep’s Arthur Santoro (1:58.33).

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Katelynne Hart’s second race of the meet was just as spectacular as the 3200 Meter Run three hours earlier. Hart ok the lead in the opening lap and maintained a lead on Naperville North’s Claire Hamilton throughout the race. It was only three seconds at 800-meters. It grew to eight seconds with 400-meters to go. She was going after Kayla Beattie’s meet record of 4:51. She did get the 3200 Meter Run record. In this race, she fell short by only a couple of seconds. She had a look of disappointment after the race because she did not achieve the goal she had set. Her standards are so high which is okay especially for a freshman. That record will be hers eventually. Hart has three more times to do that.

Hart – 69.7 – 2:25.1 (75.4) – 3:40.5 (75.4) – 4:53.7 (73.2)

Hamilton finished eight seconds back in second-place (5:01.89). The next six runners finished within three seconds of each other with all either setting indoor seasonal or personal bests. Emily Shelton of Minooka led the pack finishing third (5:02.20).

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This race was going to come down to top seed Jack Aho of Grayslake Central and Clayton Mendez who was coming back from the 3200 Meter Run. This race was all Aho’s as he went out fast setting the pace. Mendez stayed close to the front throughout only a second down with 400-meters to go.

It seemed like Aho was playing with the pace sneaking peaks behind seeing where Mendez was and making little surges. The All-American from Grayslake pulled away in the final two laps to run 4:15.48 for the win (4:15.48). Mendez fell back at the end but still able to hold off Maine South’s Reese Jordan for second (4:19.30 – 4:19.74). Both runners achieved indoor personal bests. It was a great double for Mendez. After the race, he showed that he had a huge blister on his foot that he was trying to pop during the race.

Aho – 30.2 – 62.2 – 1:34.6 – 2:07.8 (65.6) – 2:39.9 – 3:12.7 (64.9) – 3:44.9 – 4:15.5 (62.8)

Class 2A

Rockford Boylan’s Delaney Appino and Grace McLaughlin have made it a habit this indoor season to work off each other during races in most cases finishing first and second. McLaughlin, who had the second fastest time in the state in the 3200 Meter Run, was sick and not in attendance at this meet. This would leave it all up to Appino to set the pace.

Appino had help as Dunlap’s Franny Verville was within a second of Appino throughout the race. The Boylan senior held off Verville in the final two laps to run 10:59.23 for the win with Verville at 11:00.48.

The 1600 Meter Run was all Appino with her opening a four second lead going through 800-meters in 2:31. She maintained that gap in the final laps of the race crossing the line in 5:05.26 with her second win of the day. Verville got her second second-place finish of the day (5:10.79) just ahead of Claire Hengesbaugh of Rosary (5:13.26).

We might see more of this double for Appino outdoors. She has the confidence in the longer races ever since she finished second in the 2A race a Detweiller Park last November. She was All-State in the 800 Meter Run and the 1600 Meter Run at last year’s state meet. We could see a longer double from Appino in Charleston in May.

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Rachel Hickey of LaSalle-Peru was the unknown runner heading outdoors this time last year. She came out of the shadows to win the 2A title ahead of two-time champion Karina Liz at the 2016 IHSA State Meet. It is now that everyone points at Hickey as the favorite in races. She did not disappoint in the 800 Meter Run on Saturday.

Her top challenger would be Abby Fioresi of Aurora Central Catholic who had finished second in this race last year. Fioresi came in with a low seed time mainly because her team did not get a chance to run on a 200-meter track indoors. Firoesi was also coming off an Achilles injury in mid-November that forced her out for six weeks. The Aurora forced the pace through the first 500-meters of the race before Hickey found her way out of the pack to take the lead.

Fioresi and Illiana Christian’s Gillian Fiene made a charge in the final 100-meters of the race but Hickey held off the two runners. Hickey crossed the line in 2:17.52 just 16 hundredths of a second ahead of Fioresi (2:17.66) with Fiene finishing third (2:18.50).

The 3200 Meter Relay came down to four teams as Freeburg, Rosary, Kaneland, and Dunlap a one point during the race having the lead. I came down to Freeburg holding off Kaneland down the final 50-meters for the win but just barely. Their time of 9:46.27 was less than half a second ahead of Kaneland (9:46.69) just ahead of Dunlap (9:49.79). Rosary was another four seconds back finishing fourth (9:53.63).

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Brayden Hamblen of Rock Falls ran a great double on Saturday but only one of the races would count. In the first lap of the 3200 Meter Run, there was a look of confusion on the 1A State Cross Country champion’s face as he started to cut in on the second curve of the race from the outside stagger that he was on. Four other runners followed him but returned to the outside alley once they realized that the cut-in point was after the turn. Hamblen said after the race that no one explained to him when the cu-in was supposed to happen. Nevertheless, Hamblen was disqualified after the race.

His run in the 3200 Meter Run was in a workmanship manner clicking off 35 second laps slowly moving away from the pack. His lead at the 1600 Meter point was three seconds on Kaneland’s Matt Richtman. The gap grew to seven seconds two laps later. In another two laps, it was at 13 seconds. Hamblen cruised in for the apparent win but was told he was disqualified afterwards. Richtman’s 9:34.70 was declared the winner.

Hamblen – 67.5 – 2:20.5 (73.0) – 3:30.6 (70.1) – 4:40.5 (69.9) – 5:50.0 (69.5) – 7:00.7 (70.7) – 8:13.5 (72.8) – 9:25.4 (71.9)

The confidence that Hamblen showed in the 1600 Meter Run could be problematic to other 2A runners when we get outdoors. He was focused on this race even though the disqualification earlier still loomed over him. The pace was lackluster for the first part of the race as Marmion Academy’s Michael Ronzone had the lead at 67.7 seconds at the 400. It slowed down even more over the next two laps with Normal University’s Jared Shuckman now in front at 2:16.7 at 800-meters. Hamblen was content to stay in the pack only moving to the front just before four laps to go.

The race was going to be Hamblen’s and everyone in that race knew that. The pace picked up to 33 seconds the following lap with Hamblen pushing the pace. He had the lead going past 1200-meters in 3:22.6 not ready to look back.

Michael Ronzone had made a similar move to win at Batavia two weeks before when he was back in the pack. In this race, it seemed that Ronzone was farther back than before. Hamblen closed in a 29.7 final 200-meters to cross the line in 4:25.23 for the win. Zach Young of Marion made a strong move in the final wo laps but could not get passed Hamblen and had to settle for second (4:25.44). Ronzone ran out of real estate and crossed the line finishing third (4:25.46).

It seems that in every race that Josh Cable of Rochester ran last year, there was something that happened forcing Cable farther in the pack. In the race at this meet last year, Cable was caught in the pack with 200-meters to go and was knocked down. He had to settle for fourth in this race. It did not happen on Saturday to the junior. Cable let Josh Teets of Burlington Central and Chris Stanley of Cahokia lead the pack through a 59.5 first 400-meters.

Cable waited just before the bell ring of the final lap to take the lead. He stayed out of trouble the entire race giving him the win (1:58.36) ahead of Stanley (1:59.30) and LaSalle-Peru’s Brendon Sebastian (2:00.35) who finished third.

Stanley had a good day of racing with this race and a fast anchor leg in the 1600 Meter Relay for Cahokia. He looked strong in the opening leg of the 3200 Meter Relay running 1:56.6 giving his team the slight lead ahead of Metamora who had Jake Gillum running a 1:56.9 opener. Cahokia had a big lead heading into the final 800-meters of the race with Metamora in second and Geneseo set in third. Mahomet-Seymour’s Ben Craw came from nowhere to move up taking the lead. It was then that Metamora freshman Adam Gilbreath-Glaub that refused to let Craw go. The two runners were side by side with 50-meters to go. A final surge at the line by Gilbreath-Glaub gave his team the win just two hundredths of a second ahead of Mahomet-Seymour (8:06.77 – 8:06.79). Geneseo finished third (8:09.95) just ahead of Cahokia (8:10.42).

Class 1A

The races of Friday night came from Anna Sophia Keller of St. Anthony who was attempting to repeat the 800 / 1600 double that she successfully did at last year’s meet. Her schedule heading into the meet was different this year as she was at a school retreat days before the meet. She was unable to run the day before.

She looked a little “rusty” in the first lap of the 800 Meter Run. She said afterwards that she felt a little stiff in the first laps. She was at 35 seconds in fifth as Aubrey Harrod of Hinckley-Big Rock went through the first 200-meters in 30.9. Keller was still four seconds behind Harrod heading into the final lap. Keller though was moving coming from fifth now in second with the fire in her eyes to go get Harrod who was feeling the fast-early pace. Keller passed Harrod with 75-meters to go and crossed the line in 2:16.25. Harrod held her spot for second (2:17.92) with last year’s 1A champion Arielle Summit of Urbana University placing third (2:22.20).

It was Keller’s race in the 1600 Meter Run. It was her last individual race in this meet where she had gone undefeated. Claudia Magnussen of Pana stayed within four seconds of Keller for the first half of the race. Keller found her pace and started to surge in the next two laps opening an 11 second lead. Keller completed her double winning in 5:02.51. She was not happy that her times were as fast as the year before but she understood why. The champion that she is, Keller was still able to overcome different circumstances to find a way to win.

Keller 1600 – 37.8 – 76.6 – 2:34.2 (77.6) – 3:51.3 (77.1) – 5:01.6 (70.3).

Magnussen finished second (5:11.90) ahead of freshmen Fran Hendrickson of St. Thomas More (5:19.98) and Anna Heffren (Lewistown (5:20.02) who finished third and fourth.

Hendrickson was part of St. Thomas More’s winning 3200 Meter Relay. The Sabers were in fourth to fifth in the first two legs of the race as Springfield Lutheran, St. Joseph-Ogden, Harvest Christian Academy, and Knoxville at points of this first half of the race were in contention for the lead. Fran Hendrickson ran a 2:24 third leg split to get her team into contention with St. Joseph-Ogden and Springfield Lutheran. Marguerite Hendrickson’s 2:22.9 anchor leg gave her team the win (10:00.68) ahead of St. Joseph-Ogden (10:04.95) and Springfield Lutheran (10:06.00).

Daly Galloway of Dwight was looking for a time in the 10:40’s in the 3200 Meter Run and it looked that way as she passed through 1600-meters in 5:21. It was 75 degrees outside of the Shirk Center. Inside it felt warmer and Galloway felt the effects of that. She won the race in 11:05.86 seeming to struggle in the final two laps. She did win by 21 seconds ahead of Liberty’s Katelyn Robbins (11:26.83).

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The 1A Boys 3200 Meter Run was one of the feature races on Friday between two of the 1A best Logan Hall of Arthur-Lovington and Wyatt McIntyre of Athens. The race failed to disappoint. Hall had the lead at the start with McIntyre and Jacob Bryan of Illini West on his shoulder for the first 800-meters of the race. Bryan dropped off the pace at that point and McIntyre stayed within two seconds by the time the two were at 1600-meters. Hall continued to push the pace with McIntyre finally dropping off with 600-meters to go. Hall won the race (9:24.13) with McIntyre finishing second (9:35.61). Bryan was next in third with a personal best (9:38.05).

Hall – 67.1 – 2:17.7 (70.6) – 3:28.5 (70.8) – 4:39.6 (71.1) – 5:51.3 (71.7) – 7:05.6 (74.3) – 8:15.7 (70.1) – 9:24.2 (68.5)

McIntyre – 67.2 – 2:18.4 (71.2) – 3:29.9 (71.5) – 4:42.0 (72.1) – 5:53.9 (71.9) – 7:07.2 (73.3) – 8:21.8 (74.6) – 9:35.7 (73.9)

Illini West’s distance program has improved and will help them this May in their hunt for a state championship. It showed in the 3200 Meter Relay when the Chargers ran 8:15.99 to win the event ten seconds ahead of Shelbyville (8:26.00).

Joseph Stone of Newton and Riley Wells of Rockford Christian were close together entering the final lap of the 800 Meter Run with Wells having the slight lead. Wells had the lead entering the final turn as Stone tried to pass. He did get ahead of Wells but may have cut in too fast. Wells had to cut his stride and then tried for the repass. He passed Stone with 25-meters to go to win the race (1:59.23) just ahead of Stone (1:59.66) and Nashville’s Brandon Schnitker (1:59.92).

Sterling Newman’s Chris Ahlers was in complete control in his win in the 1600 Meter Run. He controlled the pace throughout with Jacob Bryan along with Justin Phillips of St. Joseph-Ogden close by. Bryan took the lead on the final lap with Ahlers repassing with 125-meters to go. A 30.3 final lap gave Ahlers the win (4:26.76) ahead of Bryan (4:28.16) and Pittsfield’s Eli Ten Eyck (4:29.57).

Ahlers – 31.3 - 65.0 – 1:40.7 – 2:15.7 (70.7) – 2:49.6 – 3:23.4 (67.7) – 3:55.8 – 4:26.8 (63.4)