Geneva claims UEC River crown
The longest-standing Upstate Eight Conference boys track record fell Thursday.
St. Charles East senior Jake Mazanke broke the 800-meter run record that lasted 47 years by finishing in 1:53.47 to win the event at the UEC River Division meet at Burgess Field in Geneva.
“It was a fantastic day for me,” Mazanke said. “The 800, that’s my race. It was big thing for me to defend the (800 title) I won the last two years.”
The record was set by Glenbard East’s Brian Johnson in 1965 in a time of 1:55.0. It was matched by Naperville Central’s Rick Bell in 1971. Neither school is still in the Upstate Eight.
The conference record is nice, but not the one Mazanke wants. He wants the school record which is set at 1:52.8.
“That’s been my big goal this year,” Mazanke said. “That’s been going through my dreams for the last year.”
Manzanke also won the 400 in 48.90 to help the Saints finish fourth as a team with 79 points. Geneva won its first UEC River title by winning six events to finish with 162 1/3 points. Batavia finished second with 135 and St. Charles North was third with 103 1/3. Elgin (44) was fifth, Streamwood (25 1/3) was sixth and Larkin (2) was seventh.
“Coach said it this week that this is the biggest meet of the year,” said Geneva’s Ben Rogers, who won two events. “This what we were trying to do. We got it done.”
Rogers won the long jump (22-4 1/2) and the triple jump (47-7 3/4). The senior also finished second in the 200 dash (23.08).
Senior Kyle McNeil also won two events for the Vikings. He took first in the discus (141-9 1/2) and the shot put (45-4). Peter Archibald won the 1,600 in 4:25.81 and finished second to Mazanke in the 800 (1:54.84). Michael Bianchina finished first in the 3,200 (9:39.17).
Batavia got individual wins from Maquise Jenkins in the 200 dash (22.92) and from Brandon Clabough in the pole vault (14-3). The Bulldogs also had seven second-place finishes.
St. Charles North’s Oshay Hodges won the high jump (6-5), finished second in the triple jump (45-1 3/4, which was school record and personal best), took third in the long jump (20-3 1/2) and anchored the winning 4x400 relay team.
“I’m still battling an injury. I’m not going to blame anything on that,” Hodges said. “This whole week ahead I’m going to strictly rest. That’s all I want to do and make sure I’m 100 percent for sectionals.”
Hodges teammed with Zach Kirby, Jack Feeney and Connor Larson to win the 4x400 relay in 3:26.17. North’s 4x800 team of Decian Duggan, Nathan Klair, Keane O’Kelley and Spencer Gray won in 8:25.45.
St. Charles East’s Nick Devor won both the hurdles event. The senior won the 110 hurdles in 15.21 and the 300 hurdles in 40.70.
Elgin’s Terrell Campbell won the 100 dash in 11.17 seconds. He also ran the opening leg of the 4x200 relay team — teamming with Derek Moorman, Dennis Moore and DeVante King — that won in 1:29.68.
“It’s been really good lately,” Campbell said of the 4x200 relay. “Mostly we it’s the handoffs and making sure we get that right.”
Streamwood’s Austin Mugani, Art Beese, Sean Patterson and Blake Holder teammed to finish first in the 4x100 relay in 43.04. Holder, who did not participate in any other event to make sure his injured hamstring is 100 percent for sectionals, and Patterson were part of the 4x100 team that went downstate last year and just missed getting into the state finals.
“We feel pretty confident in our chances in the 4x100,” Holder said. “Hopefully, we can get it done this year and not fall short.”