Boys track: Barrington seniors set winning Relays example
Barrington seniors Luis Cossio, Ray Niro and Alec Andrea have been the core for the Broncos' sprint relays.
The three veterans again anchored the Broncos' attack in the 86th annual Palatine Relays on Saturday at Chic Anderson stadium.
On a chilly and windy but sunny day, Cossio, Niro and Andrea combined with senior Michael Dreiling to help the Broncos secure second place in the 400 relay (43.45).
The three seniors then combined with sophomore EJ Darlington to win the 800 relay (1:30.22), helping power Barrington to the Palatine Relays team title with 154 points.
Host Palatine took second with 93 points, followed by Mundelein (86 points), Fremd (76 points), and Portage, Ind. (75 points).
"They've been around," said Barrington coach Todd Kuklinski of his senior sprinters. "Hopefully we can keep this going and there will be some special things at the end."
Andrea and Mundelein senior Bobby Nuzzo were co-winners of the McElroy Award, given to the meet's most outstanding male athlete.
Andrea also finished third in the 200 (22.25) and sparked the Broncos to a second-place finish in the long jump relays.
"It's amazing," said Andrea of his big day. "I wouldn't have done this without my teammates and Coach K (Kuklinski).
"We've been in the same relays since sophomore year. We have good chemistry and our handoffs are always on point."
Nuzzo also had a pretty special day for the Mustangs.
He started by taking first in the 100 (10.71), then held off Cossio and Andrea to win in the 200 (21.92). Nuzzo also took second individually in the long jump relay (20-10) and was part of the Mustangs' third-place finish in the 400 relay (44.22).
"That was pretty sweet," said Nuzzo. "I was really happy with my day and it was a big milestone to go under 22-seconds in the 200."
A deep Barrington team seemed to be in control from start to finish.
Cossio, the defending Class 3A state champion in the 400, showed his speed on Saturday by cruising to the victory in the 400 (50.51). He also took second in the 200 (22.20).
"Our sprinting crew has been together for awhile," said Cossio. "It was our last Palatine Relay, so it's special."
Senior Nick Laning set the tone for the Broncos in the distance events.
Laning started his day by winning with a controlled effort in the 3,200 (9:42.40). He later held off Mundelein's Mike Parduhn to take first in the 1,600 (4:26.03).
"I'm feeling really good and the training has been going really well," said Laning, "Looking forward to the end of the season and cranking out some good times."
Senior Brad Warman supplied some pure power for the Broncos by winning the shot put (58-0) and helping his team to first-place points, along with finishing fifth individually in discus (132-03).
Mark Di Iorio took second individually in the discus (145-0).
Jake Parsons (15.15) and Kevin Curet (16.20) went 3-4 to lead Barrington to first place in the 100 high hurdles.
The Broncos also won the 3,200 relay (8:18.36), the triple jump relay and the 1,600 fresh/soph sprint medley relay (3:44.29).
Fremd senior Jaden Jackson also had a memorable day. He took second in Class 3A in the 300 low hurdles last season and again showcased his speed on Saturday by winning the 300 low hurdles (39.06) and leading the Vikings to a first place team finish.
Jackson also helped the Vikings secure first place in the 440 high hurdle shuttle (1:03.80) and anchored the Fremd to first place in the meet-ending 1,600 relay (3:31.90).
"I feel pretty strong heading into the postseason," said Jackson of his big performance on Saturday. "You have to stay positive and hope for the best."
Fremd also looked pretty impressive in the throws as Matt Bilek won the discus (159-3) and took second in the shot put (53-3). Teammate Chris Rydberg took third in both the shot (53-2) and discus (135-8).
James Leahy took first individually in the pole vault (14-0) for the Vikings.
Senior Evan Eckels led the way for the host Pirates. He took second in the 3,200 (9:48.52) and came back with third place in the 1,600 (4:32.83).
Eckels was also part of the Pirates' 1,600 relay (3:36.89) that took fourth place.
"I was very happy with the 2-mile, just trying to do my best to get points for the team," said Eckels. "The team is coming together for the end of the year and I think we were all happy with the results."
Jacobs' Zach Albrecht took first individually in the 800 (1:57.50), while Loren Strickland took third individually in the long jump (20-03.5) to lead the Eagles to first place in the long jump relay.
"I just wanted to finish strong," said Albrecht, who took the lead with 300 meters remaining. "The season is going pretty well and I just want to keep it going."