Illinois athletes shine at Brooks PR and NSAF Outdoor Nationals

 

 

Ince betters Illinois All-Time Best in Brooks PR 800 win; Wilson All-American with second in Boys 5000; Ammenhauser double All-American in the horizontal jumps; Minooka quartet All-Americans in Boys 4x8

 

By Michael Newman

[email protected]

 

 

It was no surprise to Illinois track fans when they saw Ali Ince of Normal Community crossing the line with such a fast time in Friday afternoon’s Brooks PR Invitational in Renton, Washington. Ince concluded a fantastic freshman season on the track by winning the Girls 800 Meter Run in 2:03.98.

 

Brooks PR Results | Brooks PR Videos | Brooks PR Photos

 

The time betters the Illinois All-Time Best that she ran at Distance Night in Palatine on May 8 of 2:04.10 for 800-meters. Ince now has the fastest three times and four of the top five times ever for an Illinois runner for the distance.

 

“It has been amazing. The opportunities that people give for us, like Brooks does, is so amazing,” Ince said. “It motivates us to go get fast times. I’m so appreciate for all they do. If it weren’t for all these meets, it would not be possible to run these times.”

 

 Ince set the pace from the gun leading the pack through the first 400-meters in 61.8 seconds. Ince would not let go of the lead on the second lap as Allison Johnson, the Ohio D3 State Champion from Mt. Gilead, and Indiana 800 and 1600 champ Addison Wiley of Huntington North were pushing the issue of who get the lead.

 

Ince would have nothing to do with that. She passed 600 meters in 1:32.8, and then unleashed a lethal kick coming out of the curve and into the homestretch.

 

All three runners would achieve personal bests in this race. Wiley ran 2:04.40 to finish second. Johnson was timed at 2:05.20 to finish third.

 

“We talked before this race and all of us wanted to run PR’s. This was the meet to do it at,” Ince added. “I was going to take the lead for the first lap in 60-61 and see how that felt. They were just going to hang on and push me through. We did a great job of sticking together and pushing each other. That led to some of those great personal bests.”

 

Ava Parekh of Latin School was also a part of this meet running in the Girls 2 Mile Run. This would be the first of a weekend twin bill of racing. The junior will run in Eugene on Saturday in the 1 Mile Run.

 

Parekh kept her pace throughout staying in a pack behind race leaders Audrey DaDamio of Birmingham Seaholm MI and Charlotte Bednar of Lawrenceville NJ. Parekh ended up running 10:18.76 (US #8) to finish sixth overall in the race. DaDamio ran a personal best of 10:02.88 in winning the race.

 

NSAF Outdoor Nationals, Presented By Nike: Highlights

 

Micah Wilson of St. Charles East had decisions to make while he was in Oregon for the Outdoor Nationals presented by Nike and organized by NSAF. He was entered in both the 2 Mile Run and the 5000 Meters. The 5k race would take place on Saturday morning. The 2 Mile Run would take place later in the day. He did not even know after his state meet win in the 3200 Meter Run what road he would travel on.

 

NSAF Results | NSAF Videos

 

Wilson had run plenty of 3 Mile and 5k races on the cross-country course. Saturday’s race would be the first time he would compete at this distance on the track. Running at Hayward Field made his race even more interesting. And the other decision that he made during that race earned him All-American Honors placing second overall.

 

“It’s easier to run in a pack. If I could stay on the outside but in front of the pack , I would not get boxed in and be in perfect position,” Wilson said. “When Simon (Saia) went, I tried to stay with him. He just had too much.”

 

Wilson made two good decisions during this race. The first one was that he did not get up with the fast early pace that Grahm Tuohy-Gaydos of Green Mountain CO set early on running the first 400-meters in 63 seconds. Wilson made the decision to stay with the pack.

 

Tuohy-Gaydos by 2400-meters into the race had opened a 10 second lead. There were doubts if he would come back to the pack. He did as the pack slowly picked up their pace reeling him back to them.

 

With a little more than three laps in the race, Simon Saia of Niwot CO stormed in front to the lead opening an immediate 20-meter gap on the pack. Wilson’s second good decision was making the move trying to stay with Saia. The Niwot senior just had too much left where Wilson could not catch up running 14:30.66 for the win.

 

Wilson closed in a 65.4 final lap to finish second running 14:38.06. it is the eight fastest time ever for an Illinois runner for that distance on the track.

 

“I did not really have a time go. Recently I have not been focused on times,” Wilson added. “What racing is all about is winning. That has been my philosophy for the last couple of races. I was happy with the moves that I made in this race.”

 

Minooka was looking to end their season in the 4x800 Meter Relay held on Friday in this meet. The Indians had run 7:49 on consecutive meets winning their sectional race and then finishing second at the IHSA 3A State Meet. Some say that the third time is a charm. It was for Minooka in this race.

 

Their lineup changed from the state meet with Vincent Van Eck moving from anchor to second runner and Adam Shaw moved to anchor. The move paid off.

 

Zachary Balzer led off for Minooka running 1:58.37 to put his team into third. It was then Van Eck’s turn as he ran 1:55.52 to solidify their position in second. The race had started to gap with St. Xavier KY, Ridge NJ, and Minooka moving away from the rest of eight teams in their section. One of these three teams would end up winning.

 

A strong 1:53.62 third leg by Ridge’s Jackson Barna broke open the race for the New Jersey team a seven second lead. Emerson Fayman ran third and kept Minooka in third with a 1:58.43 split.

 

Ridge went on to win running the fastest time in the United States this season (7:39.06). St. Xavier held on to second with a 7:47.84 time. Shaw’s 1:56.98 anchor split brought Minooka home in third (7:49.28) and All-Americans. It was the third meet in a row that they had run 7:49. It was their fastest time of the year. Quite a way to end this group’s season with their best time of 2021.

 

Spencer Werner of Loyola Academy made one heck of a move in the final lap to win at Magis Miles a week ago. Werner showed the same type of tenacity when running the first section of the Boys 2 Mile Run. The soon to be senior made a move to take the lead just before the first mile. He moved back to fifth entering the final lap of his section. Werner closed in a 62.9 final lap to finish second in his section (9:11.30) and ninth overall in the event.

 

The same held true for Wilson Georges of Limestone in the second section of the Boys 1 Mile Run. Georges jumped out to the lead for the first lap and then settled into the pack for the next two laps. He found himself in sixth with one lap to go. He persevered on that final lap picking off three runners with a 61.1 final 440y to finish in third in the second with a 4:14.32 time. Georges finished 13th overall in the event.

 

Ava Parekh of Latin School was coming off her Brooks PR race running in the Girls 1 Mile Run in Eugene. The junior stayed towards the front of the pack passing 880 yards in fourth at 2:23.40. The two races on consecutive days weighed on her legs as she slowly dropped back to finish 11th in her section (4:57.77) and 20th overall. Parekh had a great junior season with a better senior season still to come.

 

Gabe Czako of Lockport and Devonte Ford of East St. Louis-Senior were on the track Saturday competing in both hurdle events. Czako ran the 400 Meter Hurdles for the first time. The junior ran 55.59 to finish 22nd overall. Ford, also a first-time runner in the event, ran in the mid-57’s in his race but was disqualified due to a hurdle violation.

 

Both athletes were familiar with the 110 High Hurdles. Ford was the Class 2A Champion in the state meet. Ford ran 14.29 in his preliminary heat to finish 15th overall. Czako ran 14.58 to finish 28 overall. Neither runner advanced to the finals.

 

Gavin Genisio of Benton did not have the experience in Eugene that he was hoping for. Genisio competed in the Freshman Boys 1 Mile Run on Wednesday. He took the lead in the second lap and ended up running 4:21.51 to finish fourth. He found out afterwards that he was disqualified due to a blocking infraction that happened during the race.

 

His fortunes did not improve on Saturday in the first section of the Boys 5000 Meter Run. Genisio looked good the first 1600 passing that point in fourth place. He had to drop out just before 2800-meters into the race. It was not what he wanted in this meet. He did have a great freshman season. The next three years should be great to see the improvement of this talented runner.

 

The first two days of the meet on Wednesday and Thursday focused on the field events. The throws to place on Wednesday. The jumps’ events happened on Thursday.

 

Riley Ammenhauser of Neuqua Valley ended her high school career with a pair of All-American performances in the horizontal jumps on Thursday. She started in the Girls Triple Jump finishing fifth overall with a 40-4.25 effort. It was a typical performance for the future University of Michigan student athlete jumping past 40 feet four times including her best mark occurring in the fourth round. Kayla Pinkard of Carrollton GA jumped 42-5.75 (US #3) to win the national championship. Ammenhauser ended her season ranked #2 nationally with her 42-11 Lockport Sectional jump.

 

Ammenhauser came back with a great performance in the Long Jump. The Neuqua Valley graduate jumped 19-6.25 to finish third overall and earn her second All-American honor in this meet. Ammenhauser was seventh after her first two jumps. Her best mark came in the third round moving her up to second place. Sophia Beckman of Oregon City OR jumped 19-10.25 on her final jump to give her the national championship.

 

CJ Shoaf of Mahomet-Seymour earned All-American honors finishing fifth overall in the Boys High Jump on Thursday. Shoaf came in the event at 6-6.25 clearing that height on his first attempt. He also cleared his final mark of 6-8.25 on his first attempt to place him fifth.

 

Jayden Ulrich of East Alton-Wood River in her final high school meet before heading to Indiana University earned All-American honors finishing fifth on Wednesday in the Girls Shot Put. Ulrich took the lead in the second round with her 48-10.25 mark. That performance held on for the top five finishing place. Sarah Marvin of Byron MI had a put of 50-7.5 in the third round to win the National Championship. Ulrich also competed in the Discus where she finished 24th (130-6).

 

The Hammer Throw is not an event that is contested during the IHSA regular season. It did not matter to Olivia Campbell of Pittsfield on Wednesday. She finished third overall in the event earning All-American status. Her throw of 167-9 (US #5) improved her personal best by 13 feet and occurred on her final attempt. Campbell also finished 19 in the Discus with a 138-8 throw.

 

Tori Thomas of Rock Island Alleman cleared 13-0.25 on her first attempt in the Girls Championship Pole Vault on Thursday. Thomas finished seventh overall.

 

Malcom Bevans of St. Ignatius Prep jumped 46-6.75 on his third and final attempt to finish 13th overall in the Boys Triple Jump.  Bevans came back to jump 21-6 on his first attempt to finish 26th in the Boys Long Jump.

 

Carterville’s Townsend Barton stepped into the spotlight during the IHSA Class 2A State Meet in June earning all-state hurdles in both hurdle races. The junior competed in the Decathlon in the Outdoor Nationals finishing 10th overall with 6288 points. Some of his best performances came in the 400 Meter Dash where he finished third overall (50.50), running 14.98 to finished seventh in the 110 High Hurdles, and clearing 12-3.75 to finish seventh overall. His national championship performance ranks him 13 overall for High School athletes in the United States.