Wheaton North wins West's invite
Wheaton North's Dayton Henricksen walked in slow, wide circles. He and sympathetic teammate Jason Marocchi were the only athletes left on the infield of Glenbard West's track as Henricksen considered losing his lunch.
How apt. Henricksen busted a gut anchoring the Falcons' winning 1,600-meter relay Saturday to cap its title at the 29th annual Jim Arnold Invite.
"It means a lot to win it," Henricksen said. "We didn't think we would. We had no idea. It's great. It feels good, kinda, throwing up."
Henricksen thought the key to Wheaton North's win - 94 points to top 2008 winner Oak Park (79) and Lake Park (72) - was the 400 relay.
That was run for the third time this outdoor season by Ivan Tamba, Mike Trumpy, Henricksen and Jon Frano. Both Trumpy (110 hurdles) and Frano (400) added open titles for the Falcons, who got big points from A (shot putter Joe Allen) to W (James and Jake Waterman).
"We've been running together since sophomore year," Trumpy said of the 42.74-second 400 relay. "The thing is we're consistent with our handoffs and we all work together in practice. We ran well, (but) we want to get in the 41s before sectionals."
Naperville North showed why it won the 2008 Class 3A cross country title. Bob Guthrie placed fourth in the 3,200 run and Huskies Tyler Jermann and Mike Herbert went 1-2 in the 1,600. In the 800, Naperville North's Kyle Gibson scooted the last 110 meters to pass Lake Park's Craig Watson and Ryan Jorgensen.
"My first lap, I think, was still faster than my second so I was aggressive," said Gibson, an Oklahoma State recruit. "But I think I conserved enough at the end to have that final kick."
Along with promising results from Hinsdale Central's Doug Moore in the 3,200 and Glenbard West pole vaulter Dylan Loch and constant track presence by Lake Park junior Demetrios Layne, Glenbard North vaulter Tom Stacey Jr. extended his own school record to 16 feet.
Stacey's 15-foot, 170-pound pole was the fifth he's gone to this year with another on order: "I'm getting stronger and faster and better technique," he said.
Fellow record-book regular Dan Block of Lake Park lengthened his own meet discus record to 194 feet, 9 inches in addition to winning shot put at 59-53/4.
"I finally busted out, got the throw I wanted," said Block, Illinois' all-time leader in shot and discus.
Among a mob of eager quality Lake Park throwers, senior Jordan Davis capitalized on his chance in discus, a personal-best 156-5 for second place.
"It's like do or die out here, pretty much," he said.
Glenbard South's Andrew Payne and hurdler Luke Zanoni represent senior leadership for a young Raiders squad. Zanoni placed third in the 300 hurdles, Payne top-five in the 100 and 200, also a relay mainstay as the Class 2A Raiders tied for eighth in the all-3A field.
"This is probably our best meet that we'll run this whole season," Payne said.