Bartlett, Streamwood runners sweep hurdles events

The best hurdlers in the Upstate Eight Conference attend Elgin Area School District U-46 schools.

Bartlett senior Ben Jalove won the 110-meter high hurdles and Streamwood junior Steven Sandoval won the 300 hurdles Thursday at the conference meet at Streamwood's Millennium Field.

"Now I get my picture on the wall," Jalove joked.

Jalove, who didn't place at last year's conference meet, trailed heading into the final hurdle, but outran and outstretched Neuqua Valley's Kyle Pembrook and Waubonsie Valley's Miguel Gonzalez in the final meters. Jalove finished in 15.39, .02 in front of Pembrook and .07 ahead of Gonzalez.

"I can't get (the start) down," Jalove said. "But I'm fast enough in the middle of the race to catch up. Then I just held on til the last second and the lean just put me over the edge."

Jalove's crown and several third-place finishes helped the Hawks finish fourth as a team with 60 points. Neuqua Valley claimed the team title with 149 points. Waubonsie (111) was second and Lake Park (98) third. Streamwood was eighth with 20, followed by Elgin (12), Larkin (1) and South Elgin (1).

Sandoval also edged Pembrook in the 300 hurdles. Sandoval finished in 40.75 seconds, .14 ahead of Pembrook.

"It has to be (my best run of the year)," Sandoval said. "The last 100 I really tried to pick it up."

Bartlett got third-place finishes from three relay teams. Nasir Almasri, Kevin Kibler, Josafat Gonzalez and Austin Crawford finished the 3,200 relay in 8:25.73. Zach Karys, Nick Simich, Robert Trotter and Zach Konstanzer finished the 800 relay in 1:34.12, just .19 ahead of Elgin. In the 1,600 relay, Justin Jarosz teamed with Konstanzer, Gonzalez and Karys to finish in 3:30.13. The Hawks' 400 team took fourth.

Individually for Bartlett, Tynan Johnson (long jump), Femi Oyewole (high jump) and Brian Polubinski (shot put) all finished third.

Oyewole set a school record clearing 6-foot-3 in the high jump.

"He's really close to get 6-5, which is the state mark," Hawks coach Eric Kramer said. "It should be interesting to see what happens next week."

Johnson, who didn't compete in the triple jump because of a sore hip, jumped 20-11 3/4 in the long jump. Polubinski threw the shot put 53-10.

"I'm starting to get back on track," Johnson said. "I was hoping to hit high 21s, low 22s, but third place is fine."

Branden Bauers (fourth, shot put), Ryan Nigl (fifth, high jump) and Kevin Bauers (fifth, discus) also contributed for the Hawks.

Streamwood freshman Blake Holder finished third in the 100 dash in 11.42 seconds and fifth in the 200 in 23.72.

For Elgin, Jeff Broger was fourth in the 200 (23.37) and Craig McKenzie was fifth in the shot put (46-2).