Marmion makes history
The good news was worth the wait for the Marmion Cadets Friday.
A database malfunction at the end of the Class 3A St. Charles North boys track and field sectional meet left Batavia, Geneva and Marmion in suspense as officials calculated and recalculated the meet results to verify the team champion.
When St. Charles North track coach Kevin Harrington announced the final results the Cadets roared in celebration: Marmion 95, Geneva 81, Batavia 76.
It is the first sectional track title in the Aurora school's history.
"To win a sectional against quality programs - Geneva, Batavia, Schaumburg and schools that big - it's a credit to the kids," third-year Marmion coach Dan Thorpe said. "I said it last week: track has become a big deal at Marmion. This is tremendous for the kids, the school and the program."
The Cadets advanced multiple athletes to next week's state meet, led by four-time qualifier Alex Rindone. He won the 100-meter dash in 10.88, just ahead of Batavia's Bai Kabba. Rindone also won the 200-meter dash (22.14) and anchored the 400-meter and 800-meter relay teams to first-place finishes.
Marmion, known in the past for its outstanding distance runners, had never previously qualified a sprint relay team for the state meet.
"It's great winning them all and it's great going to state an everything, but having a sectional championship is a big deal at Marmion," Rindone said. "We're a small school and not many people thought we could do it, but I think we (proved) them wrong."
Other Marmion qualifiers included: senior Oscar Aguinaga, who finished third in the 800 (1:56.16) and fourth in the 1,600 (4:21.64); senior Andrew Larsen, who took second in the 3,200 (9:18.67) and fifth in the 1,600 (4:22.70); Sam Duffield, a second-place finisher in the 300-meter hurdles (39.70) and high jump (6 feet, 2 inches); and Joe Weber, who took third in shot put (53-041/4).
The Vikings 3,200-meter relay team of Jake Tauscher, Chris Higgins, Drew Hickey and Andrew Nelson started the meet on a good note by winning the event in 7:55.02.
"Drew got me the baton in the lead and it went by in a flash," anchorman Nelson said. "It was very tiring. I think all of us felt a little gassed. It was a tough week of training. We didn't exactly do as well as we would have liked but, nonetheless, we're still going to state, which is good. That was our primary goal, but we're leaving sectionals with a little chip on our shoulders you could say."
Geneva's other qualifiers included thrower Frank Boenzi a double sectional champion. The junior won the shot put (56.051/2) and the discus (167-09). Sophomore Tom Frederick finished second in the 110 hurdles (15.47), and Nelson took second in the 1,600 (4:18.32).
Batavia's Kabba qualified for state in four events. The senior won the 400 (48.59), took second in the 100-meter dash (10.92) and was part of the Bulldogs' winning 1,600-meter relay (3:20.95) and second-place 400-meter relay (43.35). Sophomore Rob Mohr won the 110-meter hurdles in 14.84.
St. Charles North qualified its second-place 1,600-meter relay team of Taylor Smith, Jack Skelton, Steven Miller and Max Clink. Clink also qualified individually in the 800 (1:55.46).
The St. Charles East 800-meter relay team of Mike Brown, Dillon Mugge, Luke Ploszek and Wes Allen will run in Charleston, thanks to a second-place showing in 1:30.13.