Mullen, Miller harbor high hopes in track finales
When the boys track and field state championships kick off Friday morning at O'Brien Field and Eastern Illinois University, it will be the beginning of the end for two of the area's top track and field performers.
Seniors Ryan Mullen of Lakes and Scotty Miller of Barrington will be competing in their second and third state meets, respectively, but with their futures tied to college football. This will be their last weekend on the track and in the field in the foreseeable future.
The meet starts Friday with the Class 2A prelims at 9 a.m., and will roll into the Class 3A session in the afternoon. Finals are Saturday starting at 10 a.m.
Mullen will compete in the shot put and discus in Class 3A this weekend before starting his next athletic chapter at Miami of Ohio in football.
Miller has a full slate this weekend as he will compete in four events, including the 100- and 200-meter dashes and the 400 and 800 relays. Once Miller's track work here is done, he will head to Bowling Green in the fall.
"I've thought about this being my last time running track this weekend and I want to give it my all one last time," Miller said. "I want to end my high school career on top."
Mullen and Miller will have plenty of company downstate as well as the Eagles and Broncos will factor very prominently in the race for trophies in the Class 3A meet. Lakes boasts seven individual qualifiers and one relay while the Broncos will bring down three relays and four individual qualifiers. Neither team has ever won a boys track and field trophy.
"It's been our goal from the first day of practice," said Lakes coach Kurt Rowells. "Everything we have done to this point is about getting to state, competing and winning the big trophy."
The challenge is very similar for the Broncos.
"I don't think we put too much emphasis on it," Barrington coach Todd Kuklinski said. "We know that if we take care of business it will put us in position."
Lakes senior Corey Hertz will face a similar workload to Miller, as he will race in the 100 and 200 as well as the 400 dash. The Northern Iowa-bound Hertz holds the second-fastest time in the state in the 400 so far this spring.
Cooper Jazo will also compete for the Eagles in the pole vault as one of the top junior vaulters in the state. The Eagles' 1,600-relay team of Brandon Thiel, Robert Kuhlmann, Jake Balliu, and Cameron Ruiz will compete at state as one of the fastest from the sectionals. Ruiz is a top contender in the long jump where he will see a familiar competitor in Scott Jonske of Barrington. Jonske jumped 22-9 in the sectional to earn his first trip to state.
The Broncos' 3,200 relay team is looking to recapture the state title it won in 2013. Led by Illinois-bound senior Konrad Eiring, the Broncos are still holders of the fastest time in the state so far this year of 7:43.51. Tyler Anderson, Andrew Gensburg and Nash Pirie will make up the very fast foursome.
As always, this area is well-represented in this event. Perennial competitors Hersey and Prospect are in, along with Warren and Lake Zurich. Vernon Hills, Carmel and St. Viator will race on the 2A level, with the Cougars among the top 15 seeds. Vernon Hills also has the top high jumper from the sectionals competing, senior Noah Agnew.
Unlike past years when the distance event shave been so dominant, the sprinters in the area take center stage this weekend. To go with Hertz and Miller are Illinois State-bound senior Shandall Thomas of Schaumburg in the 100 and 200 and Joe Haight of Warren in the 200.
Kyle Svoboda of Hersey will race in the 400. He's coming off a personal-best performance at sectionals last weekend, 49.76.
Tim Vestuto of Stevenson, who missed the entire fall football season recovering from a torn ACL, will race in his first state meet after qualifying in the 400 last weekend.
Vernon Hills will show well at state in the 100-meter dash, with senior Richard Clark returning in the 100-meter dash and junior Josh Williams racing in the 100 and a 200.
The event that always seems to capture the most starpower is the 1,600-meter run. Illinois-bound Conant senior Zach Dale is the holder of the fastest time in the state of 4:09.72, just ahead of Mundelein senior and Kansas-bound Bryce Richards of Mundelein. Richards is also one of the top runners in the 800, where Brian Griffith of Lake Zurich will also compete.
In the 3,200-meter run, watch out for Buffalo Grove junior Kevin Salvano. He will have plenty of company from the area, including Brian Leonard and Graham Brown of Palatine, Sam Oh and Jared Borowsky of Stevenson, Dustin Macuiba of Warren, Josh Plischke of Hersey, and Jack Aho of Grayslake Central.