Elgin's Kuforiji shines in 400 at Scott Classic
It's that last tenth of a second that's driving Elgin's Adam Kuforiji.
The Maroons' junior missed qualifying downstate in 2008 by one-tenth of a second in his specialty, the 400-meter run.
"That's a motivator, for sure, right now," he said. At the Gus Scott Classic, the annual coed meet hosted Friday by Naperville North at North Central College, Kuforiji came close enough, for now, with a winning time of 50 seconds flat.
"My goal was to break into the 49s, just to start the season with a nice seed time, to go into the rest of the year," he said.
"I felt pretty good. I ran the race pretty fluid towards the end. That's what I wanted."
It was Kuforiji's first open 400 race of the outdoor season. He maintained that last year's close call at sectionals was "fuel for the fire."
"Any time I have good competition I remember last year not pushing," he said. "I can remember that tenth of a second. I always speed up at the end to get that good time."
Cary-Grove hurdler Kelly McCoy, also a junior, is looking for that next gear.
Coming off last week's meet at Buffalo Grove, in which she ran the 100-meter highs in 15.4 seconds, McCoy was excited to win on Friday, but not bananas about another time of 15.4.
"It's been like 15.4 the whole time," she said despite her coaches urging patience.
"I've been stuck. I just need to get out of that rut."
Jacobs pole vaulter Jake Lawson flew far above ruts, sailing a personal-best 14 feet. Seeded at 13 feet, 6 inches but having gone 13-9 indoors, Lawson reached 14 on the last of his three events before failing at 14-6.
Lawson, who placed second in vault, joined teammate Danny Trevor near the top, as Trevor won the boys 110-meter hurdles at 14.8 seconds. Jacobs' Kat Madridakis won the girls shot put at 35-6 and finished third in discus at 102-9.5.
Cary-Grove's Jessica Warnecke placed second in the 300 hurdles at 48.7 seconds, two-tenths off the pace of leader Jessica Nier of St. Charles East.
Oak Park won the boys side of three-level meet with an aggregate total of 325 points. Benet led the girls with 283, with Cary-Grove posting the best local finish at sixth, with 204 points.