Three meet records fall at Batavia Distance Madness

Nitz’s final 800 obliterates old meet record in Boys 3200; Sudrzynski on his own in lowering Boys 1600 Run record; Shutler breaks nine-year-old Girls 800 Meter Run Meet Record

By Michael Newman

Batavia, Ill – It felt like records would at Batavia Distance Madness Friday evening. Batavia High School put in a new track in their fieldhouse. Walking into the track it smelled like a new car tempting you to enjoy the ride. The track ran fast. Performances showed that in the 37 races that took place.

Results | Race Videos | Photos

Three records feel in this meet. The most devastating record drop was in the Boys 3200 Meter Run as Tommy Nitz (Huntley) took the lead with four laps left to set a new meet and fieldhouse record un the event.

The pace in the first mile was violent as Glenbard South sophomore Tom Jochum took the first 400 out in 63 seconds and settle into a pace between 67 and 68 seconds. The pack with Nitz, Rory Gaan (Fremd), Josiah Narayanan (Wheaton-Warrenville South), Francisco Benelli (Batavia), and Finn Richards (Benet Academy) stayed within four to five seconds of Jochum as he passed the first 1600 in 4:28. The pack remained five seconds behind going past that point between 4:33 to 4:35

Jochum ran his next 400 in 71 seconds with that pack noticing it. Gaan started pushing the pace moving from four seconds behind to even with Jochum as Nitz was ready to go as the three passed in 6:53.

Nitz took off showing his newly acquired speed he had displayed having one of the top times in the state un both the 800 and 1600. Gaan dropped off the pace as did Jochum, It was all Nitz in the end running the final 400 in 61.8 second and crushing the meet record by 10 seconds running 9:05.30 (IL #2).

“I knew the pace was going to be fast especially with the people in that race, Nitz said after the meet. “I trusted my training. I made moves when I had to. I’ve had a great season so far. My confidence is through the roof. I’m just taking this one race at a time.”

Gaan ran 9:10.45 (IL #3) to finish second just ahead of Benelli (9:13.71). Jochum ran 9:19.17 (IL #6) to finish fourth just ahead of Narayanan and his 9:21.38 time).

The record in the Boys 1600 Meter Run had broken in each of the last two Madness meets. Max Sudrzynski (Jacobs) was part of a fast 1600 with Gaan pushing the pace and Nitz taking the win. With Gaan and Nitz having raced earlier in the 3200 Meter Ru, the pacing duties in the final section would be set on Sudrzynski.

“This was a mental game tonight,” Sudrzynski said afterwards. “I knew coming into this race I would have to do all the work.”

Sudrzynski had a two second gap as he passed 600 meters in a fast 1:34. Jameson Tenopir (Cary-Grove) and Greyson Ellensohn (St. Charles East) leading the pack three seconds. Back. It stayed that way as Sudrzynski passed 800 at 2:07, 1200 meters at 3:12 with the lead growing with now at four seconds.

Ellenson along with Carter Hayes (Palatine) knew they had to make their move before it was too late and closed within two seconds entering the final lap. Sudrzynski sensed the movement and found another gear to take him to the win.

“I was nervous in that final lap,” Sudrzynski added. “People were yelling at me they are right behind you. All I could keep telling myself to sprint, sprint.”

Sudrzynski’s winning time of 4:16.59 broke the year-old meet record by 26 hundredths of a second. Ellensohn pulled close at the end running 4:17,65 (IL #4) to finish second. Hayes was close running 4:17.82 (IL #5) to finish third. Tenopir finished fourth (4:18.19, IL #8) ahead of Christian Harris (Morton) who ran 4:19.01 to place fifth.

The third record broken came in the fourth race of the meet. The Girls 800 Meter Record had stood for nine year’s by Downers Grove South’s legendary state champion Michaela Hackbarth. Two and a half minutes after the gun fired, that record had disappeared. Allison Shutler (St. Ignatius Prep) likes to control the pace from the start of a race. We saw that earlier in the week at the DGS Mustang Relays when opened on the first leg with a strong lead.

It was the same formula in this race where she shot out to the lead passing the first 400-meters in 65 seconds. The race was already hears as she was close to three seconds. She was never tested in this race establishing a new record of 2:13.26 (IL #2) to claim a new personal best and the event champion. Margaret Andrzejewski (Wheaton. St Francis) moved up to second running 2:15.19 (IL #4) followed by Lily Hodneland (Hinsdale Central) who ran 2:16.30 (IL #5). Gwen Hobson (St. Charles North) ran 2:18.02 to place fourth. Natalie Nahs (Minooka) ran a personal best of 2:19.14 to win Section 2 and finish fifth overall.

Other Meet Highlights

The closest finish of the night came in the Girls 1600 Meter Run. Veronica Znajda (Prospect took out the pace with a 70 second opening 400. The pace slowed down dramatically from there with Kyla Babb (Westmont) and Emma Berres (Naperville North) close on Znajda, Beres took the lead briefly for 100 meters before passing the 800 in 2:28. Babb decided at that point to take the lead, Babb went from a 78 second two lap to an 75 second two laps passing 1200-meters in 3:43. The pack had strung out with Znajda pushing her stride to get the lead back the lead from the Westmont junior. Znajda moves to the outside coming off the final curve and was close but could never get past Babb who won the race. Babb’s winning time was a personal best of 4:58.99 (IL #6). Znajda finished second timed at 4:59.15 (IL #7). Lola Morales-Satre (Naperville Central) was third timed at 5:02.82. Sofia Arcuri (Maine South) at 5:05.59 and Berres (5:06.43) placed fourth and fifth.

There was drama also in the Girls 3200 Meter Run. Meg Peterson (Prospect) and Maya Ledesma (Minooka) broke away from the rest of the field just before 1600 meters. The two runners kept trading off the lead the next six laps before Peterson broke away in the final two laps of the race. Peterson had run 10:58 to finish second in the race in 2024. This year, the junior pulled away to run a huge personal best of 10:44.25 (IL #6) four seconds ahead of Ledesma who ran 10:48.65 (IL #7) to finish second, Lily Babiak (Waubonsie Valley) moved up during the race as she ran 11:08,70 to finish third. Nicole Poglitsch (Wheaton-Warrenville South) achieved a new indoor best of 11:11.30 to place fourth just ahead of Batavia’s Avery Hacker (11:11.54).

There was no question on who would win the Boys 800 Meter Run. It was the strength of Jackson Summy (Lakes Community) that earned him the win. Summy, who has run 9:22 and 4:16 early in this season dropped down to this distance for this meet. He was in control passing 200 on 28.2 seconds and stretching his lead going through 400 at 56 seconds. He had a four second lead on the pack passing 600 in 1:25 on pace to break Patrick Hilby’s meet record. Summy slowed down on the final lap but won easily timed at 1:156.19 (IL #6). Aaron Strombom (Crystal Lake South was the closest to Summy running 1:58.30 to finish second ahead of Nathaniel Gabriel (Joliet Central) who ran 1:58.56 and Samuel Wollak (St. Charles East) who ran 1:58.83. Evan White of Rockford Christian ran 1:59.30 to win Section 2 and finish fifth overall in the event.