Glenbard South's Kornblith up to the challenge

Glenbard South senior Dave Kornblith wanted to rise to the occasion at Tuesday's Metro Suburban Conference boys indoor track invitational.

With favored senior teammate Andre Steiger still injured, Kornblith tried to compensate for the absent 2014 Class 2A shot put and discus qualifier.

"He blows everyone away," Kornblith said. "Definitely a lot of extra motivation. Someone has to take the crown over while he's gone."

Kornblith responded with a personal-best 43 feet, 5 inches to win shot and help the Raiders capture the team title for the third straight year at their fieldhouse in Glen Ellyn.

Glenbard South (104 points) won by 39 points over Illiana Christian (65) with two-time outdoor champion Riverside-Brookfield (62) third. Fenton (54) and Wheaton Academy (38) were fourth and fifth, Timothy Christian (30) tied for sixth and IC College Prep (27) and Aurora Central Catholic (18) were 10th and 11th.

Glenbard South senior Jack Curtis won four events at a conference meet - indoor and outdoor combined - for the fourth straight time since joining as a sophomore. He won the 55-meter dash, 200, high jump and led off the winning 4-by-160 relay with juniors Terrance Blankenship, Arjun Singh and Mark Murdoch.

Other Glenbard South champions were senior pole vaulter Sam Lee, junior Michael King in the 3,200 and the all-junior 1,600 relay of Andrew Sundberg, Blankenship, King and Jon Walker.

"I'm very, very pleased. This still wasn't the full team. We'll hopefully get stronger as we go along," Glenbard South coach Ronn Claussen said. "This is probably the healthiest we've been. It was good to put things together."

Curtis has seen limited action to rest injuries, but he shined among three 2014 all-state sprinters in the 55. Curtis edged Wheaton Academy junior and fellow Class 2A finalist Ty Seager. ICCP junior and Class 1A finalist Jordan Rowell was fourth out of an earlier heat.

Curtis later beat Seager by .87 for the 200 title.

"I'm pretty sure in the 100 and 200 (at state), he nipped me in both of those. They were close races, and I look forward to racing him outdoors, too," Curtis said.

"I'm feeling great, probably almost the best shape I've ever been in right now. I just need to work on my form a little bit for high jump."

Curtis began the meet by clearing three heights in high jump on just three attempts.

"I really didn't know until yesterday what we were going to do with him. This was a really good meet for him, probably his best since the opening meet," Claussen said.

In his first distance double this year Hill followed his 3,200 victory by taking second in the 1,600, the event he won running fresh in 2014.

"It was a little different than I'm used to, but I might want to do that double later in the season," Hill said.

An even busier Seager won the 400 by 1.23 seconds. He followed his 200 by anchoring the 1,600 relay.

"It's a good race for me, but I kind of do (400s) to especially build up my stamina for the 200," Seager said. "(Curtis and I) ran side by side in sectionals and then went downstate together, too, so it was good competition between us."

This was Timothy's season opener. Junior Andy Margason showed he's ready to improve on last year's 14th-place Class 1A finish in the 110 high hurdles by sweeping the 55 high hurdles and 55 low hurdles. Freshman Xavier Ross won triple jump by 7 inches.

"I was amazed as a freshman to come into triple jump and beat a lot of seniors," Timothy coach John Vander Kamp said. "We just learned a little bit about him, but I'm happy."

Fenton's 3,200 relay of seniors Axel Nava, sophomore Jose Vasquez-Perez and seniors Dillon Brown and Joseph Rivas won by 8.11 and led for good after Nava's 2:07 opening split.

"It was great (to win) because we were seeded third coming in," said Nava, also second in the 800. "We all (got personal records). We're going to work hard for (state). I know we can do it."

ICCP junior Aaron Taylor was third in the 200. ACC's top finish was fourth places from senior Richard Schwartzbauer and the 3,200 relay of seniors Tyler Garcia, Danny Aquino and John Eastwood and sophomore Josh Jerwers.