By Michael Newman

Just like we said that there will be anticipation in the 3A Boys distance events, the same should be said about the 3A Field events for the 2017 season. All six state champions are back. All six could also make some noise on the national scene.

A.J Epenesa of Edwardsville finished his junior year with the second longest throw in the nation as well as breaking the IHSA Sate Meet Record on his way to the state title. He started to perfect the spin technique in the Shot Put at the end of last season which moved him to second place in that event behind John Meyer of Lockport. We should see some performances from these two athletes this season.

Zach Bradford of Bloomington is only a junior but shook some heads at state when he cleared 16-1 for the 3A Sate title. He has already cleared 16-4 indoors. He has two years to get close to Luke Winder’s state record of 17-3. Camron Donatlan of West Aurora won a state title last year in the High Jump after competing in it for only a couple of months. How high can he go in his junior season?

Cameron Ruiz of Lakes surprised the fans in Charleston jumping 24-0 to win the Long Jump and then 50-6 to win in the Triple Jump. His improvement has been amazing over the past year. It will be interesting to see if he can go after one or two IHSA Sate Meet records.

Shot Put

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Outlook – Both John Meyer and AJ Epenesa switched from the glide technique to the spin technique during the 2016 season. Look what happened! Meyer ended up with a 63-0 best and a state title. Epenesa changed techniques in the middle of the season moving from 55 feet to 60-4 ½ at the state meet. Both should push each other to some fantastic performances in 2017.

There are four other athletes returning that were 57 feet or better last year. Chago Basso (Lake Park, senior) achieved a 61-1 personal best in April. He qualified for state but missed making the finals by one inch. Watch for big things from him. John Stefan (Barrington, senior) had a 58-9 ½ put that placed him sixth at state. William Matzek finished eighth with a 57-6 put. These Mid-Suburban League rivals could push each other over 60 feet. Thrown in another MSL thrower Ethan Hanson (Fremd, senior) who had a 58-9 ½ best at his sectional meet. He could be among the top five in the rankings by the time we get to the state series.

You should also keep an eye on Desmond Chappel (Edwardsville, senior) and John Terry (Hononegah, senior) who were in the 55-foot range last year. You can watch for big improvements from these two athletes as the season goes on.

Discus

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Outlook – So how far can AJ Epenesa throw in this event this season. He had the top throw in the nation for most of the year when his 206-5 mark at the Winston Brown Invitational put him in that position. The University of Iowa signee should do some great things this spring. He could get close to 215 feet or better. A 210-foot mark is a good possibility.

This event is wide open. The big question is who will finish second behind the Edwardsville state champ? Chago Basso finished sixth last year and achieved a 185-6 personal best at the end of April. Brian Keyes (McHenry, junior) finished seventh and had a 173-4 best. John Meyer is the only other athlete that went past 170 feet that is back. He could push for a mark past 190 feet was Basso.

Long Jump

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Outlook – Cameron Ruiz started his finals day on Saturday last year launching a wind-legal 24-0 jump to win the Long Jump. He went past 23 feet four other times last year making him the favorite in the event. Ayo Abiona (Sandburg, senior) finished third and Devonte Tincher (Edwardsville, senior) finished seventh. They are the only all-state athletes returning from last year’s finals. Both athletes should be among the top five this spring in this event.

When it comes down to the returning athletes in this event besides Ruiz, less than six inches separate the next nine athletes. Trevon Hall (Hoffman Estates, junior) and Ian Parker (Belleville West, senior) both went past 23 feet last year and could be factors in this event. Anjiel Jones (Hoffman Estates, senior) jumped 22-10 in his sectional meet but did not make it to the finals. Keep an eye on him. Dan Spejcher (Lake Park, junior), Tony Rolfe (Chatham-Glenwood, senior), and Julian Hill (Pekin, senior) are some of the others athletes to watch for.

Triple Jump

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Outlook – I think we could see two athletes 50 feet or better at the state meet this May. We could also see the IHSA State Meet record that Chris Hercules set 20 years ago (51- ½). Cameron Ruiz jumped his personal best in the finals (50-6) to win the event by 8.75 inches ahead of DaVion Cross (West Aurora, senior). This event could be extremely competitive in Charleston.

Jean Luc Soglohun (East Moline United, senior) finished sixth last year and is the only all-state athlete coming back in this event. There are six other athletes coming back that jumped 45 feet or better led by Tony Rolfe and Diamond Anderson (Hinsdale South, senior). We could also see some new faces among the top ten as well. This event has opportunity written all of it.

High Jump

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Outlook – Camron Donatlan only had a couple of months of experience before he won this event last year clearing 6-10. With a year experience, he does have the talent to possibly clear 7 feet or better. Sebastian Gutierrez (Belvidere North, junior) cleared 6-9 last spring but finished ninth in the finals with a 6-3 clearance. That could drive him to some higher heights this spring.

Michael Shafis (Prospect, sophomore) and DaQuan Cross (West Aurora, senior) are the only other athletes that were all-state returning. Jay Hunt (Batavia, senior) and Jacob Donath (Pekin, senior) are the only other athletes that went past 6-5 outdoors last year. I would not count them out to take home the top prize at the end of May.

Pole Vault

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Outlook – Six athletes are back that cleared 15 feet or better last year. Zach Bradford is back after clearing 16-1 to win the state title last spring. He has already cleared 16-4 indoors this winter. It will be fun to watch on how he progresses the next couple of months. His club teammate Ryan Ashenbremer (Normal West, senior) should be Bradford’s chief competition. He cleared 16-3 outdoors during the regular season as well as finishing fifth in the state finals.

Sam Peschke (Crystal Lake South, senior), Lucas Weaver (Providence Catholic, senior), and Tom Ansiel (Wheaton-Warrenville South, senior) all cleared past 15 feet during the year and were all-state. Ethan Koval (Lake Park, senior) cleared 15-3 during the season and should also challenge for a top finish. Hunter Whitwood (Normal West, senior), Brennan Loughran (Minooka, senior), and Jake Stevens (Lake Zurich, senior) are some of the other athletes to keep watch for.