Marmion wins 7th straight title
The Aurora Central Catholic boys track and field team had designs on transferring the Suburban Christian Conference championship to a different part of town.
But for the seventh consecutive year, it was Marmion that prevailed for top league honors.
“It's back to the drawing board,” Aurora Central coach Troy Kerber said after the Cadets' surprising field-event performers and middle-distance and distance runners enabled Marmion to prevail 140-114 Wednesday afternoon and night on the Cadets' home track in Aurora.
Walther Lutheran was third behind its dominant sprint relays, followed by Montini, Aurora Christian, St. Francis, St. Edward, Chicago Christian, Immaculate Conception, Wheaton Academy and Guerin Prep.
On a lightening-delayed night of multiple twin champions, it was Eddie Grahovec who made a symbolic leap for the Marmion program.
The senior, who earlier captured the very rare 800-meter run-300 low hurdles double, leapt past his Aurora Central anchor counterpart in the meet-ending 1,600 relay.
“I just hope we beat (the Chargers),” said Grahovec, whose leap at the finish line enabled Marmion to edge ACC for third. “I don't want (the subsequent crash landing) to be for nothing. The four by four has always been fun.”
Grahovec was the lone athlete to better two minutes at 800 meters and 40 seconds in the 300 lows.
The Cadets' other star on the track was Bennett Marsh.
The Batavia resident came back after placing runner-up at 3,200 meters to win the 1,600 in convincing fashion.
The junior took the lead at 400 meters and exponentially expanded his lead over the last three laps to win in 4:32.59.
“It's the best time I've run after doing the 2-mile,” Marsh said. “I felt really good on that last lap.”
The Cadets exceeded all expectations in the six field events.
TJ Lally was not a surprise winner with his 50-foot shot-put effort, but Ben Cole taking the triple jump and Peter Stefanski prevailing in the high jump were.
Marmion received other benefits from the assembled schools as well.
“Walther Lutheran and Montini had big nights,” Marmion coach Dan Thorpe said. “That really helped a lot.”
The Chargers began the running finals on an auspicious note when the 3,200 relay took home the gold.
But several other ACC runners were denied by other athletes, including Mike Reuland in the 110 high hurdles, Joe Fese in the 100 and 200 dashes, Jimmy Spencer in the 800 and Alex Duncan at 400 meters.
“It was almost like two meets,” Kerber said. “We ran better after the (70-minute) rain delay. We really struggled early in the meet.”
Aurora Christian junior Billy Howorth became the first two-event conference champion in program history when he captured two disparate events: the pole vault and 400 dash.
“I came in at 12 (feet in the pole vault) and made my first jump,” Howorth said.
It would be the only height necessary to claim the title.
“I really wanted to give my all in the 400. I wanted to fight (Duncan) off and not die on the last curve.”
Anthony Taylor was the face of the Montini program.
The junior nearly caught Walther Lutheran anchor leg Sean Cotton in the 400 relay; Taylor came back to win sprint titles at 100 and 200 meters for the Broncos.
“My mindset was I was going to run (Cotton) down, but (the race) ended before I could,” Taylor said. “I got off to slow starts (in both sprints). Once I go into full stride, that's when my speed kicks in.”
Taylor nipped Fese by two one-hundredths at 100 meters; his win at 200 was much easier.
St;. Francis' Joe Giamberdino had without question the most grueling night of the competitors.
The junior and St. Charles resident turned a two-meter deficit to Marsh into victory with a sterling final lap at 3,200 meters.
Giamberdino then came back to place at 800 meters, run a commendable 1,600 to finish runner-up and then ended his nearly 6,000-meter night with a sixth place as the anchor leg in the 1,600 relay.
“It's about the kick for me, sitting and waiting for that,” Giamberdino said. “Building up (for the longer races), I have always been an 800 runner. (Marsh) helped me a great deal (at 3,200 meters). He's a great runner in his own right. (My 800) was very disappointing. I wasn't able to latch onto the pack. That sealed the deal for me.”
Kevin Olenek was the mainstay for St. Edward, placing in both hurdles races and anchoring the 1,600 relay to another place.
Olenek was third in the 300 hurdles.
“For the first (100) hurdles race, I was just trying to place,” the Green Wave sophomore said. “I wanted to hit state-qualifying time (in the 300s)—didn't quite get there. The guys gave great competition. It was a fun race.”