Waubonsie's Wiggan defies description, Nalley field
How should Waubonsie Valley track athlete Sean Wiggan be classified?
As a long-distance runner? A miler? An 800-meter man?
How about this: He's good.
On Saturday the senior breezed to a 1,600 win with a 10-second personal-best time of 4:27.69 at the 41st annual Carlin Nalley Invitational at Naperville North.
This same runner nearly beat defending state 800 champ Mat Smoody at the 2008 Illinois Prep Top Times Indoor Classic and recently ran 9:42 in the 3,200.
Saturday Wiggan ran 400 meters, too, anchoring a first-place 1,600 relay to clinch Waubonsie's first Nalley Class AA title since 2005, 86 points to Bolingbrook's 81. Benet finished fifth at 44.
"He's a very well-rounded athlete and I think that's becoming more and more evident to people as you watch him more and more," said Warriors coach Brian Beyers, who also enjoyed Brett Einbecker's discus win and big points from Tre Clark, Dwight Harris and the 3,200 relay of Matt Havlik, Craig Huhtala, Mark Schumacher and David Schumacher.
Wiggan has realized a duality of endurance and speed.
"Definitely," he said. "With the whole off-season we're just working on building that endurance. It's factoring in now. Even in that 800, you'll see if it's a fast race I can run it more even."
Pity there was no 800 showdown between Wiggan and Benet's Alex Gasick.
The senior, 10th at state in 2007, took off like a jailbreak and never looked back to win in 1:57.70, pulling teammate Paul Clifford to third.
Stadium announcer, meet host and Lisle coach Ken Jakalski said Gasick held a "23-meter lead" on the backstretch.
"It always helps when there's somebody pushing you on your back," said Gasick, who just committed to Lewis University. "But I was just trying to focus ahead and run as hard as I could without anybody else."
Redwings David Gorenz and Chris Reyes finished 3-4 in the 300 hurdles, and Craig Tessiatore took second in pole vault at 12 feet, 6 inches.
The best local Class A finish of the 40-team meet was by Driscoll, sixth behind powerful repeat winner Oregon.
The Highlanders ran third with the 3,200 relay of Matt Strickland, Andrew Strickland, Marco Guerrero and Jeremy Wilk, who also finished second in the 800.
Driscoll's Pierre Washington-Steel finished second in the 100 dash, fifth in the 200.
Immaculate Conception's reliable quartet of Jonathon Ellis, Brendan Ryan, Andrew Larem and Nick DiBrito flew to second in the 400 relay, third in the 800 relay.
Lisle's D.J. Cook took fourth in pole vault; Lions sprinters David Storme and Joe McCarthy ran 5-6 in the 100.
Timothy Christian's Rob Stein, a 2007 state shot put qualifier as a freshman, won that event with 48-foot toss.
The versatile Stein has also run the 100 in 11.5 seconds.
"Maybe the sprinting helps, because the shot put's a lot about leg power and the drive back with the glide," he said. "I don't know, I guess I got lucky when I was built."