Scouting Cook and Lake County boys track and field
The boys track and field season has moved from indoors to outdoors. Here’s a look at what to expect this spring from Cook County and Lake County schools in the Daily Herald coverage area.
COOK COUNTY
Barrington The Broncos won the MSL outdoor and indoor titles, took first at sectionals, and tied for eighth in Class 3A. Senior Joe Bregenzer won the 3,200 state title and placed 10th in the 1,600. Sprinter David Marian went to state in four events while sprinter Lucas Marin advanced in three events. Other returning state qualifiers are Keegan Degoma (4x200/4x400), Adam Lyon (seventh in 400/4x400), Hayden Dahlin (pole vault), Jett Kohanzo (shot put), Owen Fors (shot put), Vince Choukas (pole vault), George Voris (pole vault/hurdles), Ryan Fahey (jumps), and Zane Matarieh (jumps). Seniors Mark McGinn, Ethan Scott, Haru Nagaoka, and Avery Erickson are distance runners.
Buffalo Grove The Bison placed 14th at sectionals as junior Riley Wold qualified for state in the 3,200. Senior Vince Romano will anchor the long jump and triple jump while sophomore Taras Kilchytski competes in the long jump and the 100. Junior Will Capito just missed qualifying for state in the 800 by .50 seconds, and he hopes to beat the cut-off time at sectionals. Junior sprinters Anton Zweig and Jackson Oldenburg hope to make an impact.
Conant The Cougars placed 14th at sectionals and tied for 10th at the Nagel-Saylor Indoor Invitational. The team lost two 800-meter state qualifiers to graduation in Jayden Patel and Gaven Corpin. Junior Justin Czepiel competed at state in the 4x400 and 4x800. Junior Henry Dombrowski ran on the 4x800 team at state. Juniors Joseph Basile (4x400/4x800) and Charlie Calderone (4x800) are key relay runners as is sophomore Tyler Marchese (4x400).
Elk Grove The Grenadiers hope to move up in the MSL as senior Evan Miles missed breaking the indoor school record by .22 seconds in the 800. New head coach Danny O'Donnell will turn to seniors Spencer Tuiaana (throws), Daryl Hunt (sprinter), Dimitar Pendev (relays), Danny Pasterski (high jump), Max Walaszek (sprinter), Omar Soliman (hurdles), and Ryan Cipra (long jump/sprint relays) for leadership. Juniors Ace Anderson (4x200/400), and Santiago Myles (hurdles) will be counted on. Sophomores Jordan Bruford (sprint relays), Bart Mazur (800), and Jan Kuc (shot put) are key newcomers.
Fremd The Vikings placed sixth at sectionals and fourth at the MSL indoor meet. Returning state qualifiers are junior Marquan Brewster (100/4x100/4x200/long jump), sophomore Jack Jennings (3,200), and junior Jason Hardy (4x100). Seniors Brennan Saxe (4x200/4x400), Davyn Kuhl (4x400), and Oluwadamilare Hassan (triple jump) also went to state. Senior Rory Gaan (1,600) took first place at the indoor meet. Seniors Tom and Joe Johnston were on the 4x800 team that took first at the indoor meet.
Hersey The Huskies tied for 10th at state, took second at sectionals, and third at the MSL indoor meet. Senior Logan Farrell placed third in shot put and sixth in discus. Jonathan Choi and Mateus Salomao placed 10th (4x800). Juniors Oliver Cohen and Spencer Fung ran downstate (4x100). Other keys will be Owen Devine (sprints/400), Ikechi Ibe (hurdles), Jeremy Zaro (triple jump), Luke Casey (long jump/sprints), Peter Franczyk (high jump), Brandon Jenkins (sprints), Chase Parisi (hurdles), Karol Smaga (high jump), Tim Stevens (hurdles), and Jackson Wilder (triple jump).
Hoffman Estates The Hawks placed eighth in the MSL, 11th at sectionals, and eighth at the recent Nagel-Saylor Indoor Invitational. New head coach Tyrone Jones has two state qualifiers back in the 110 hurdles as junior J'Mari Jackson (fourth at sectionals), and senior Giovanni Hernandez (sixth at sectionals) made the cut-off time. Hernandez also competed downstate in the 300 hurdles while Jackson also qualified in the triple jump.
Leyden The Eagles placed seventh in the WSC Gold indoor championships to open their 2025 season after placing 12th at the powerful Proviso East sectional last year. The 4x400 relay team of Jorge Hernandez, Youssef Ait Abdallah Ou Ali, Karol Gilowski, and Amari Johnson took third place at the indoor meet. Junior Lucas Latiker placed fourth in the long jump.
Maine East The Blue Demons placed fourth in the CLS North before taking 14th place at the Loyola sectional. Senior Roman Wolanin is one of the squad's leaders after he took 14th at the state meet in the shot put. Senior Luis Mendoza also made it downstate in the 800. Senior Okiki Olurotimi (hurdles) qualified for the Illinois Top Times Meet and placed seventh in the 60-meter high hurdles. Coach Chris Peters said the team hopes to contend for the CSL championship.
Maine West The Warriors placed 16th at the Loyola sectional as the Warriors' 4x100 relay qualified for the state meet. Senior Maksym Makota was a part of that 4x100 team, and he also reached state in the 100. Senior Dante Hicks (sprints) was also on the 4x100 relay, and he is joined by sprinter Daniel Kaczka. Other key performers are Mozart Ontiveros, Jakub Urban (mid-distance), Logan Amar (horizontal jumps), Trevor Batey (high jump), Brody Kroschel (throws), and Collin Roback (throws).
Maine South The Hawks placed fourth at the Proviso East sectional before senior Owynn Garrelt made the state finals in the 3,200 in his second appearance downstate. Senior Sean Schermerhorn went to state in the 100 and 200 and he finished 12th in the 200. Junior Niko Kokosioulis (100/200) was impressive in setting the school record with a time of 22.63 in the 200. Senior Owen Trembley missed qualifying for state in the 1,600 by less than a second last year.
Palatine The Pirates took third at sectionals and sixth at the Nagel-Saylor MSL indoor meet. Senior Carter Hayes went downstate in the 800 (ninth) and 1,600. Junior Alexander Krieg took fifth in the state in the 3,200. Other returning state qualifiers are seniors Dante Restelli (4x100), Maleek Miles (4x100), and Jaylen Williams (discus). Junior Jaeden Gaspard (4x100) also ran in Charleston. Senior Luke Pepevnik (high jump) placed third at the indoor meet.
Prospect The Knights placed fourth at the Loyola sectional and second at the recent Nagel-Saylor MSL indoor meet. All four relays made state, taking seventh place in the 4x400 (with senior Declan Lawlor), and eighth in the 4x800 (with senior Boris Dimitrov). Junior Nathan Cichy (100 hurdles) went to state, but numerous state qualifiers graduated. The 4x200 and 4x400 took first at the indoor meet. Sophomore Landon Samp (1,600), junior Luke Robinson (3,200), and junior Shea Lewis (shot put) all took third.
Rolling Meadows The Mustangs finished fourth in the MSL and seventh at sectionals. Junior MSL triple jump champion Jack Andersen returns after placing 16th in the state. Arman Lepuzanovic was the MSL long jump champion before he placed 29th in the state. Senior Will Viken is a two-time state qualifier in the pole vault, he made the finals last year, and was also the MSL champ. Junior Auren Whiting (triple jump) placed 40th at state while Gunnar Woetzel (300 hurdles) placed 42nd at state.
Schaumburg The Saxons finished seventh in the MSL and eighth at sectionals as five individuals reached the state meet. Senior Blake Ackland qualified for state in the pole vault while junior Ray Black (100/jumper) went downstate in the 110 hurdles. Seniors Zach Campbell (distance), and Jaden Buchanan (throws) bring experience to the team. Schaumburg will really miss its graduated seniors, but several sophomores have already had strong performances in the early part of the season.
St.Viator The Lions placed 17th at the Class 2A Ridgewood sectional as senior Henry Marshall just missed the state meet with a time of 23.04 in the 200-meter dash. Sprinter Michael Wallace is a former state meet qualifier who will get great support from sprinters Cooper Kmet, Sasha Summers, Matthew Doland, and Logan Del Valle. Sophomore Owen Gottfred (distance) is poised to step up as is Jacob Holda (throws). Key newcomers are Connor Hayes (sprints/jumps), and Frankie Greenberg (sprints/jumps).
Wheeling The Wildcats placed 15th at the Loyola sectional and 12th at the Nagel-Saylor Indoor Invitational to open their 2025 season. The squad lost state qualifiers Jake Ning (800), and Sincere Wilkerson (high jump) to graduation. Juniors Angel Bustos, Luis Plazola, Yair Careno, and Christian Campos will be among the key runners in the relays. Sophomores Orion Voss and Alejandro Juarez are also key relay runners.
LAKE COUNTY
Antioch The Sequoits finished in a three-way tie at sectionals before starting the new season with a runner-up finish at the NLCC indoor meet. Senior Ademide Adegboyega was the 400 champ at the indoor meet. Adegboyega was on the 4x400 winning relay with Brandon Marks, Brooks Welsch, and Carson Lanners. Antioch's 4x200 team of Marks, Deven Floyd-Pickett, Gavin Stone, and Jack Bucar also took first place. Marks (60 hurdles), and Griffin Freeman (3,200) also took first place.
Carmel Catholic The Corsairs placed fourth at the Class 2A Ridgewood sectional. Dev'ion Reynolds (fifth in state long jump) is among the many graduated state qualifiers that will really be missed this season. But the squad has Wyatt Petkus (400), Evan Hursthouse (800), and Bobby Bi (4x200) returning from state. The 4x800 team of Hursthouse, Joey Lodowsky, Cole Bonham, and Kyle Paras recently took second at the 22-team Lake Michigan Invite at Carthage College.
Grant The Bulldogs placed fourth in the NLCC, sixth at sectionals, and third at the 2025 NLCC indoor meet. Junior Norman Tillery (sprinter/long jump) was on the 4x200 team that ran at state last year along with junior sprinter Cole Pemberton. Senior Niko Dayment (distance) qualified for state in the 800 in 2023. Junior Max Haas (distance) was the NLCC cross country champion. Sophomore Wyatt Cornell (throws) was the 13th-ranked freshman discus thrower in Class 3A last year.
Grayslake Central The Rams placed third in Class 3A after winning sectional and NLCC titles. Eight seniors graduated, including Sean Mullen (Michigan State), and Trey Sato (Illinois). Senior Jack Lapidus was on all three sprint relay teams downstate. Chris Jaimes (two-time high jump qualifier), Everette Ciokaljo (4x100/4x200), and Daniel Sachuk (300) also went to state. Top returners are Zane Smith (pole vault/300), Ryan Schoer (400/800), Ken-ye Pendleton (sprints), Rashad Smith (sprints), Adan Cordova (distance), Ried Doish (distance), Nolan Lara (distance), Demarion Williams (long jump), Jadien Privitt (long jump), Nick Isaacson (discus), Andy Monzanga (sprints), Bennett Lorr (high jump), Daniel Varblow (distance), and Rainer Ferrer (sprints).
Grayslake North The Knights placed 13th at the sectional meet before opening the new campaign with a sixth-place finish at the NLCC indoor meet. Junior David Williams took runner-up honors at the indoor meet with a throw of 12.99 meters in the shot put. Junior Oliver Davies took fourth-place in the 400-meter run while junior Javier Villegas placed fourth in the 3,200 at the NLCC indoor championships.
Lakes The Eagles finished second to host Grayslake Central at sectionals before placing fourth at the NLCC indoor meet this season. Lakes lost 3-time Class 3A state pole vault champion Paul Migas (University of Tennessee) to graduation. Lakes got first-place finishes from senior Brady Mock (800), junior Jordan Phelan (shot put), and senior Patrik Dortch (triple jump) at the indoor meet. Junior Mason Crowley placed second in the long jump while the junior duo of William Mercure and Dylan Gates went 2-3 in the pole vault.
Lake Zurich After placing fourth in the NSC and tying for seventh at sectionals, the Bears (143 points) rolled to the NSC indoor crown this season. Senior Connor Strauss took 11th in the state triple jump last year. Junior William Balnius (400 meters), freshman Karanveer Patil (1,600), and sophomore Yahzrel Griffin (60 hurdles) all took first at the indoor meet. Other keys will be Nick Gast (sprinter), Owen Peshek (sprinter), Edwin Galarza (800/1,600), and Luke Marshall (3,200) for the Bears' deep team.
Libertyville The Wildcats finished in a three-way tie for ninth place with Antioch and Lake Forest at sectionals before placing sixth at the NSC indoor meet this season. Libertyville's sophomore duo of Filip Vojvodic and Jack Steffe went 2-3 at 1,600 meters at the indoor meet while teammates James O'Keeffe and Michael Chudy went 3-4 in the 3,200. The Wildcats' 4x800 team of Chudy, Vojvodic, Steffe, and Taylor Rihm took home third place in the 4x800 relay.
Mundelein The Mustangs placed 15th at the Class 3A Grayslake Central sectional before taking fifth at the NSC indoor meet this season. Mundelein senior Ian Murray took first place in both the 60 and 200-meter dashes at the indoor meet. Junior Elijah Mendoza won the 3,200-run in 9:42.00. The Mustangs' 4x800 team of Andrew Weaver, Nathan McCreight, Erick Cordova, and Izic Miller also captured the first-place medal at the indoor meet.
Round Lake The Panthers placed 16th at the powerful Class 3A Grayslake Central sectional to close out last season. They opened the new season with an eighth-place finish at the NLCC indoor championships hosted by Lakes. Round Lake's 4x800 team of Jackson Young, Alexander Castro-Gomez, Edwin Morales, and Daniel Banuelos placed fourth at the indoor meet.
Stevenson The Patriots placed fifth at the Loyola sectional before taking third place at the NSC indoor meet to get their 2025 campaign started. Stevenson got first-place finishes from senior Gurshaan Sohi (2:02.88) in the 800, and freshman Andrei Konstantinidis (6.73 meters) in the long jump at the NSC meet. Stevenson teammates David Akinbosoye (1.72 meters) and Erez Waite (1.57 meters) placed 2-3 in the high jump to help the Patriots hold off Lake Forest for third place at the indoor meet.
Vernon Hills The Cougars tied for seventh at sectionals before Charlie Blackmer (Kenyon College) placed eighth at state in the 800. Sophomore Bryant Lester qualified for state in the 400, and he recently set the school record in the 3,200 with a time of 9:25.95. Juniors Jack Gutowski and Josh Benson went to state in the 4x200. Benson missed state by .01 seconds in the 300 hurdles. Seniors Alejandro De Los Santos and Manny Botello were also on the 4x200 team. Seniors Porter Lorenz (shot put), and Jaewook Lee (discus) hope to earn berths to state.
Warren The Blue Devils placed fifth at sectionals, and they recently placing fifth at the powerful Bob Nihells Indoor Classic at North Central College. Warren will miss the presence of graduated Aidan Porreca (eighth in state discus) in its lineup. But the 4x200 team of Nathaniel Welch, Jayden Johnson, Weston Locke, and Jakobe Jones-Tolbert should be impressive. Juniors Jackson Wiklund (hurdles) and Eli Hagstrom (triple jump) are athletes to watch this season.
Wauconda The Bulldogs placed 12th at sectionals last year and seventh at the NLCC indoor championships. Senior Kade Jaros placed third in the 400 at the indoor meet. The 4x400 team of Jaros, Bram Schmitz, Jarren Cooley, and Shaun Jankowski placed third in the 4x400. Wauconda also got a fourth-place finish from junior Levi Coburn in the 1,600. The team will dearly miss graduated elite high jumper Kosta Zografos (third in 2023, fourth in 2024 in Class 3A).