By Michael Newman

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Here are some of the highlights that took place throughout Illinois this past weekend. The recap for the Proviso West Boys Invitational can be found here.

Huntley Boys Invitational

Grant Community’s Jason Thormo ran his first races of the season Friday night at Huntley. The defending 3A state champion at 400-meters showed that he is more than ready to defend that crown after three wins at this meet. Thormo came from behind in the 60 Meter Dash catching Jahleel Perrin of Stevenson in the final meters for the win. Thormo’s time of 7.04 (IL#5) was just six hundredths ahead of that from Perrin (7.10, IL #7).

There was no question that Thormo would win the 400 Meter Dash as he made up the stagger in the first 100-meters of the race. Thormo’s time of 50.69 (IL #5) was almost four seconds ahead of the rest of the pack. The Grant senior finished his day by running 22.77 (IL #9) to win the 200 Meter Dash.

Ian Geisler of Huntley and Anthony Farmer of Burlington Central worked together into the 3200 Meter Run producing top ten state times. The two runners traded off the lead in the final 400-meters of the race with Geisler holding off Farmer for the win. Geisler ran 9:41.75 (IL #9) just ahead of Farmer’s 9:41.93 (IL #10).

Jason Hoffman and Jason Freese of Minooka took the lead just before 300-meters to go in the 800 Meter Run. The two pushed each other to top five times going under two minutes. Hoffman’s time of 1:59.19 (IL #3) was just ahead of that of his teammate  Freese (1:59.40, IL #4). Both runners were part of Minooka’s winning team in the 1600 Meter Relay (3:31.50, IL #4).

Zack Albrecht of Jacobs took the lead in the first lap of the 1600 Meter Run and never looked back. His time of 4:25.67 (IL #2) was more than 10 seconds ahead of his teammate Mark Lemke who finished second. Huntley ran the fastest time in the state in the 3200 Meter Relay. The quartet of Chris Simek (2:01.9), Jeremy Roe (2:03.2), Charlie Kucz (2:16.2), and Jadon Conroy (1:58.2) ran 8:20.27 to win ahead of Crystal Lake Central (8:29.95, IL #6).

Marengo’s Finn Schirmer was a last-minute entry in this meet. The junior three time all state athlete has been playing basketball all winter and wanted to get some qualifying times for Illinois Top Times in March. He did not look rusty in the 60 Meter Hurdles as he ran 8.48 to win his section and had the fastest overall time in the event.  That time is currently ranked fourth in 2A.  Schirmer also ran 7.27 for 60-meters finishing fourth and 23.48 to finish seventh in the 200 Meter Dash.

Rolling Meadows’ Joseph Boyer had the best field event in the meet in the Shot Put. Boyer had a 58-8 (IL #3) put to win the competition by eight feet.

Homewood-Flossmoor Girls ABC Invitational

The Homewood-Flossmoor Girls team showed why they are one of the top 3A teams in the state with some huger performances in this meet. The Lady Vikings ran a state leading 1:44.57 to win the 800 Meter Relay. They followed that up by running a state leading 4:00.86 to win the 1600 Meter Relay by 14 seconds ahead of West Aurora.

Homewood-Flossmoor’s Madison Myrick was the star of the field events setting state bests in two events. The senior cleared 5-7 to win the High Jump and jumped 19-2 to win the Long Jump over a loaded field where four athletes went past 18-feet.

The 60 Meter Dash was the spotlight race of this meet where the top four runners in the “A” race were under eight seconds. Five hundredths of a second separated the top three runners with Ameia Wilson of Danville winning (7.74) just ahead of Homewood-Flossmoor’s Kaylah McCall (7.75) and Serena Bolden of Springfield Southeast (7.79). Rich Central’s Jayla Campbell ran 7.91 to finish fourth. HF’s Trelyn Newkirk also went under eight seconds running 7.89 to win the “B” race.

McCall was also involved in a close finish in the 60 Meter Hurdles that produced the fastest two times in the state. Bolingbrook’s Kayla Walters ran a personal best of 8.60 for the win just one hundredth of a second ahead of McCall.

Ashanti Denton of Homewood-Flossmoor ran 57.90 (IL #4) to win the 400 Meter Dash ahead of Neuqua Valley’s Mikenna Robinson (58.55).

Ella Behrens of Whitney Young had wins in the 3200 Meter Run and the 1600 Meter Run. Behrens ran 11:07.09 (IL #4) to win the 3200 Meter Run by 10 seconds ahead of DeKalb’s Katherine Olsen (11:17.82, IL #5). Behrens came back to run 5:26.69 to win the 1600 Meter Run.

Batavia Girls Open

The top two times so far this season were produced in this meet by two distance powers. Batavia, with Erin O’Brien, Jenna Schifferer, Mia Gianfrancesco, and Katrina Schlenker ran a state leading 9:38.74 to win the race ahead of Downers Grove South (9:43.96). Schlenker anchored the team to the win with a 2:15.5 finishing split. Downers Grove South had Erin Reidy as their anchor with her 2:16.5 final split.

The two runners faced off again in the 800 Meter Run with Schlenker having the clear advantage. The Batavia freshman came back to run 2:17.01 (IL #6) to win by five seconds ahead of Reidy (2:22.91) and Oswego’s Isabelle Christiansen (2:24.02) who also had run in the 3200 Relay earlier.

Downers Grove South took the first four spots in the 1600 Meter Run only separated by six seconds. South’s Kennedy Warden ran 5:14.18 (IL #5) with teammates Olivia Duax (5:14.44, IL #6), Brenna Cohoon (5:16.51, IL #9), and Rebecca Diddia (5:20.01) close behind.

Normal West Wildcat Invitational

This non-scored Boys meet produced some fast times at Illinois Wesleyan’s Shirk Center. Andrew Johnson of East St. Louis-Senior ran 8.26 (IL #4) to win the 60 Meter Hurdles by just one hundredths of a second ahead of Springfield’s Robert Williams (8.27, IL #5)

John Bickel of Andrew was a double winner in the sprints. The junior ran 7.12 in the finals for the win nipping Oswego’s Jacob Marcus by three hundredths of a second. Bickel came back to run 23.12 to win the 200 Meter Dash ahead of Marengo’s Finn Schirmer (23.45) and Marcus (23.46).

Plainfield North’s Marcellus Moore took a break from the short sprints in this meet opting to run the 400 Meter Dash. The junior ran an indoor personal best of 50.82 (IL #7) to win the event ahead of Oswego’s Dalen Brown (51.45, IL #10).

East St. Louis-Senior, who ran 3:26.54 last week at Principia College, duplicated that time in the 1600 Meter Relay winning in 3:26.70 ahead of Eureka 3:28.95, IL #2) and Plainfield North (3:32.29, IL #7).

Nick Doud of Bloomington ran 4:24.84 to win the 1600 Meter Run with the fastest time in the state. Chatham Glenwood’s Dathan Maton finished second (4:31.96).

Hunter Hendershot of Mahomet-Seymour had a 56-10 put (IL #4) to win the Shot Put with a margin of victory of nine feet.

Olivet Nazarene University HS Invitational

Times are usually fast in this co-ed meet and this year was no exception.

Taylor Gilling of Highland Park highlighted the Girls section of the meet sweeping the two sprint races. The all-state athlete ran 7.79 (IL #6) in the prelims, then 7.81 in the finals to finish ahead of Thornton’s Ranyah Hodges (7.96). Gilling came back to run 25.25 (IL #4) to win the 200 Meter Dash with Lincoln-Way East’s Taylor Wright finish second (26.19). Wright had earlier in the meet won the 400 Meter Dash. The senior looked strong in running 59.97 to win the event by close to five seconds.

Stephanie Kriss of Highland Park dominated the 800 Meter Run as she ran 2:15.08 (IL #2) to win the event by more than 11 seconds.

Lincoln-Way East swept the first three spots in the Long Jump with freshmen Mariam Azeez (18-3, IL #7) and Sophia Barnard (17-10, IL #10) in the top two spots with Taylor Wright jumping 16-9 to finish third.

Evanston Township swept two of the three relays in this meet. Their team in the 800 Meter Relay ran 1:46.80 (IL #2) for the win ahead of Lincoln-Way East (IL #8). The Lady Wildkits also ran 4:11.24 (IL #2) to win the 1600 Meter Relay to win by over eight seconds ahead of Highland Park.

Quemarii Williams of Danville has the fastest time in the state at 400-meters. He stepped up to the 600 Meter Run in Saturday’s meet and conquered that event as well. Williams ran a state leading 1:24.45 to win the event ahead of Evanston’s Julion Michelin (1:24.90, IL #6).

Jared Kreis of Lincoln-Way Central looked impressive as he ran the second fastest time in the state (9:21.60) to win the 3200 Meter Run. Max Peterson of Evanston Township ran 2:00.67 (IL #7) to win the 800 Meter Run ahead of Danville’s Delrey Crowder by more than six seconds.

Evanston Township, with Peterson and Michelin on the quartet, ran 3:30.83 (IL #3) to win the 1600 Meter Relay ahead of Lockport (3:32.18, IL #6).

Sam Liokumovich of Deerfield went over 60-feet for the second time this year in the Shot Put. His put of 61-5.25 was seven feet ahead of teammate Henry Boudreau (54-4, IL #6).

Wheaton-Warrenville South Girls Invitational #3

Palatine’s Erin Oleksak had the performance of this meet. The senior ran a field house record and the top time in the state as she ran 8.50 to win the 55 Meter Hurdles.

Argo Arthur L Sullivan Invitational

Abby Lopez of Argo controlled the 3200 Meter Run on her home track. The junior ran 11:04.75 to win the event by almost three minutes. Lopez came back to run 5:27.14 to win the 1600 Meter Run by over 20 seconds.

Batavia Boys Open

Donovan Turner of Neuqua Valley won three events in this six-team meet. Turner started his meet by running 7.65 (IL #4) to win the 55 Meter Hurdles. Turner came back to run 52.67 to win the 400 Meter Dash ahead of teammate Kel Foley (53.15) and 23.66 to win the 200 Meter Dash by one hundredths of a second ahead of Glenbard West’s Tyquan Cox. The Glenbard senior earlier ran 6.66 to win the 55 Meter Dash. Cox also jumped 22-0 (IL #7) to win the Long Jump.

The top three finishers in the 800 Meter Run all had times that made the state top 10 list. Batavia’s Adam Kennedy (1:59.45, #5) and Joseph Knanishu (2:00.34, IL #6) took the top two spots with Glenbard West’s Rory Cavan finishing third (2:00.71, IL #9). Will O’Brien of Glenbard West ran 4:30.93 (IL #7) finishing ahead of his teammate Cavan (4:31.53, IL #8) by less than a second.

Neuqua Valley’s Matthew Appel achieved a personal best of 53-7 (IL #7) to win the Shot Put by two feet ahead of Glenbard West’s Adam Dau.

Bloom Friday Night Lights

Crete-Monee’s Lyn’Nikka Vance ran the fastest time in the state (7.17) in winning the 55 Meter Dash. Vance also jumped a season’s best of 18-7.50 (IL #5) to win the Long Jump and ran 26.56 to win the 200 Meter Dash.

Plainfield North Girls Relays

Neuqua Valley’s Riley Ammenhauser had a big meet in the horizontal jumps Friday night. The sophomore improved on her state best in the Triple Jump with her 40-3.75 (US #5) performance. Ammenhauser also jumped 18-8.5 (IL #3) to win the Long Jump.

Bloom Track Madness

The horizontal jumps were the name of the game Saturday afternoon. Kaden Turner of Bloom Township jumped 22-6.50 (IL #3) to win the Long Jump. Turner’s teammate Samuel Raheem jumped 44-6 (IL #7) to win the Triple Jump.

ICOPS Invitational

Loyola Academy won the team competition (79 points) ahead of St. Laurence (59 points) and Brother Rice (57 points).

De La Salle’s Ryan Currington was the meet’s only double winner. Currington jumped 22-1 to win the Long jump and then ran 22.98 to win the 200 Meter Dash.