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Illinois HS Track & Field - Weekend Highlights - February 9, 2020Published by
Illinois HS Track & Field - Weekend Highlights - February 9, 2020
York runs a state leading 8:06.1 in winning the 3200 Meter Relay on their home track (Mike Newman Photo)
By Michael Newman
This was the first weekend of high school track & field meets in Illinois for the 2020 season. It is easy to get excited about great performances. There is a cautionary tale that you would rather be mentioned at the end of May than the beginning of February. Caution was in the wind this weekend showcasing what could be at the end of the year. There were some great early season performances that took place in the handful of meets this weekend. Here are a few of those performances.
York is expected to be one of the top teams this spring in Class 3A. They showcased some of their athletes in relays Saturday morning in a five-team meet on the fast track inside the Joe Newton Fieldhouse. York’s 3200 Meter Relay team of Michael Moriarty (1:59.6), Colin Hill (2:02.6), Max Lupo (2:05.4), and Daniel Klysh (1:58.5) were timed at 8:06.1 to win the event by more than 40 seconds. Their 800 Meter Relay quartet was just as impressive. Christopher Radcliff put the Dukes in the lead for good with a leadoff leg timed at 21.5. York went on to run 1:32.8 to win the event ahead of Naperville Central who also ran an early season fast 1:34.5. Radcliff earlier in the meet ran a hand timed 6.2 to win the 55 Meter Dash. Distance races were the focus in this hotbed of distance running. Tim Neumann of Downers Grove South was just hoping to break 10-minutes in his opening race of the season. The sophomore stayed cautious the first eight laps but caught up to the lead as he passed 1600-meters in 4:47. The race was his after that point as he went on to run 9:40.6 to win by 17 seconds. Arthur Graham of Naperville Central started his season with strong races at 800-meters and 1600-meters. The junior passed Bolingbrook’s Tyler Cushing in the final 50-meters to win the 800 Meter Run timed in 2:02.7. Cushing was a close second (2:02.9). Graham hung back in the 1600 Meter Run as the York duo of Michael Moriarty and Mickey Vreeland paced the race through a smooth 3:30 for the first 1200-meters of the race. Graham made a charge in the final lap but could not pass Moriarty on the final straightaway. Moriarty won in 4:34.1 just ahead of Graham’s 4:34.4.
This weekend marked a couple of Pole Vault Only Meets. Andrew Saloga of Marmion Academy is ranked among the top 10 athletes in the nation when he cleared 16’ 4” at the Reno Pole Vault Summit in Nevada this January. His performance Friday night at Naperville Central’s Pole Vault Meet was just as memorable as he cleared 15’ 6” on his first attempt to win the Boys event. At Bloom’s Vaultapolusa Meet on Saturday, Ben Brandt of Oak Park-River Forest cleared a personal best of 12’ 9” to win the Boys Meet. Defending Class 2A champion Samantha Spencer of Providence Catholic cleared 12’ 3” to win the Girls meet on fewer misses ahead of Oak Park-River Forest’s Yasmin Ruff who also cleared at the same height.
The Jerry Lowe Invitational at Auburn High School in Rockford produced some fast early season times. Brailyn Johnson of St. Laurence showed why he will be one of the top sprinters in Class 2A. Johnson ran a state leading 6.97 to win the 60 Meter Dash. Johnson came back to finish second in the 200 Meter Dash (23.04) just behind the 22.99 winning time from Wauconda’s Javerius McGuinn. Ryan Harvey of South Elgin ran a state leading 2:02.24 in winning the 800 Meter Run. David Zeller of Wheaton-Warrenville South ran 4:29.31 to win the 1600 Meter Run to win by two seconds ahead of Rockford Auburn’s Jonah Garcia. Thomas Leonard of Marist ran 9:42.76 to win the 3200 Meter Run. Thornwood looked strong in running 3:35.09 to win the 1600 Meter Relay four seconds ahead of Metea Valley. Marist ran 1:34.44 to win the 800 Meter Relay ahead of Thornwood (1:35.50).
Defending Class 3A State Champion Homewood-Flossmoor opened their season in a small meet n their home track. Ashanti Denton of Homewood-Flossmoor ran 7.72 to win the 60 Meter Dash ahead of Whitney Young’s Sydney Robinson (7.82). Kaylah McCall ran 9.58 to win the 60 Meter Hurdles. The top event of the night was the 800 Meter Relay. The Homewood-Flossmoor quartet of McCall, Denton, Alexandria Edison, and Ayah Mustafa ran 1:44.58 for the win ahead of Whitney Young and their 1:45.68 time. Whitney Young’s Lovie Annafi jumped 11.36m (37’ 3.25”)to win the Triple Jump.
The High Jump was the top event at a small meet Friday night in Hillside that went over four hours. Isaiah Tyler of Proviso East and Olujimi Taiwo of Whitney Young both cleared a state leading 6’ 6” in the event with Taiwo winning on fewer misses. Tyler also ran 6.57 to win the 55 Meter Dash ahead of St. Rita’s Kaleb Brown and Oak Park-River Forest’s Rapharoah Dallas who were both timed at 6.60 seconds. Oak Park-River Forest ran a swift 1:34.77 to win the 800 Meter Relay just ahead of Lane Tech (1:34.93). |
