Boys track and field: Batavia triumphs at Grange invite
The elite pole vaulters at Wheaton Warrenville South's Red Grange Invitational didn't crank it up until about five hours after the track meet had started.
No wonder Batavia's Matt Dauksha missed his first two attempts at his chosen opening height of 13 feet, 2 inches.
"I think it was hard getting back into it from this wait time," the senior said. "It's tough mentally and ... not really physically. We're just napping. We're just sitting around."
Shaking the cobwebs, Dauksha cleared 13-2 on his third attempt, cleared 13-8 immediately and matched his personal-best of 14-2 on his third try to outlast Waubonsie Valley's Aden Stapleton for the victory.
Part of a pole vault sweep, Dauksha, Cameron Green and Robbie Mansfield bolstered Batavia's overall 186 points to win the three-level, 18-team meet Saturday in Wheaton.
Things are "clicking," said Dauksha, who also reached 14-2 on Tuesday.
"I'm starting to figure some stuff out," he said. "I've been getting upside-down, getting the rock-back a little better and then pulling through. And then that top half, the pike over, it's been good."
It was good for many Bulldogs including Adam Kennedy, the A-level winner of the 1,600-meter run. He returned to join Julian Davis, Anthony Bradley and Joseph Knanishu to win the 1,600 relay.
Like everyone, Batavia's Christopher Levario battled wind as well as opponents to win the top heat of the 3,200 in 9 minutes, 28.98 seconds.
"For the first mile, I was told we were going out for like a 9:34 pace, then we started picking it up. I saw Bob (Liking of St. Charles East) start picking it up with like three laps left, so we all went with him. We all started kicking at full speed to the finish line. The wind was just killer," Levario said.
"This makes me more confident, hitting the 9:28 time for the sectional, to qualify for state. It just makes me feel I can move with the pack when they start going in the second mile," he said.
Like Batavia in pole vault, St. Charles East won all three levels of the 800-meter run to help the Saints place seventh. First it was Luke Schildmeyer, then Mitch Gansemer and then Charles Murphy in the top heat. Murphy edged Knanishu at 1:58.05 to 1:58.26.
"It was a grinder for sure. The wind on the homestretch was really a killer, so I kept my head down and dug through it," Murphy said.
"I moved with the wind on the back straight, and then the guy from Batavia came with me and we just fought it out. A fun race."
The Saints' Aidan King won his heat of the 1,600, as did Zach Loomis in the 3,200.
South Elgin as usual has state goals in sprint relays, reflected by the Storm's Jacob Todd, Matthew Jacobson, James Head and Davion Cherwin winning the 800 relay in a crisp 1:30.54. South Elgin placed 12th in the team standings.
Jacobson thought handoff technique was solid, including his baton pass to Head. "I think our third runner, James, he really pushed through for us. I got it to him and he just took off. I'm pretty sure he got us into first, and then Davion took us home."
"It felt pretty good, coming in first," Cherwin said. "And celebrating with my team after, it's a real good feeling."
Streamwood, which finished 16th in the standings, was paced by Elijah Beach, sixth in the top flight of shot put. On a day not built for speed, both Sirrion Dixon and Leonard Marin broke 12 seconds in their 100-meter sprints.