Prospect edges out Hersey for another East victory
A new head coach, plenty of new athletes and even different uniforms - but the results for the Prospect Knights boys track team are still the same.
Although this time, it was a little closer than first-year coach Frank Mirandola would have preferred.
The Mid-Suburban League's East Division meet came down to one final race between Hersey and Prospect - the 1,600 relay.
The Knights jumped out to the early lead on the Wheeling track and finished the race in the best possible fashion - by having senior Greg Suarez anchor. He cruised around the track and even broke into a smile over the final 50 meters as his anchor leg led to a season-best 3:28.01 time and another divisional title.
By amassing 174 points, Prospect captured its eighth straight divisional win and 12th in the last 15 years.
"It was a great feeling and I even had a little smile there at the end of the race," Suarez said. "Last year was a meet for the seniors. This year we had a bunch of guys banged up and everyone came through."
Suarez provided the Knights with one of three individual event wins. Suarez took the top spot in the 400 (51.77), while junior Luke Filipic captured the 800 (2:00.41). Senior Sam Garcia cleared a personal best of 6 feet, 2 inches to win the high jump.
The Knights captured two other relay wins to go with their victory in the 1,600 relay. Matt Cozine, Jack O'Donnell, Suarez and Filipic made up the winning foursome in the 3,200 relay (8:11.11). Garcia led the group that included Brady Schwartz, Vinny Lai, and Dan Marshall to win the 800 relay in 1:32.88.
Runner-up Hersey relied on its talented distance corps to total 167 points. Senior David Rodriguez took home the win in the 1,600 (4:27.83). Hersey also cleaned up in the field events, winning the long and triple jumps and the shot put. Erik Anderson took the long jump (19-10.75); Cole Monckton leaped a season best 43-0.75 in the triple jump and Cody Bayless took the shot put (48-8.5).
Other individual winners included a pair of triumphs for Elk Grove senior Paul Ifianayi. He won the 300 hurdles (39.38) and the 200-meter dash (22.62). Teammate and brother Peter won the 110 high hurdles in 15.67 and senior Danny Dalenberg was best in the discus (148-11).
Tyler Urban of Wheeling won the pole vault (12-6) and his teammate Dylan Draka won the 100 (11.17).
MSL West meet: Senior Scotty Miller earned three event wins, one of them a school record as Barrington rolled to the MSL West title for the second straight year. The Broncos totaled 189 points to outdistance host and runner-up Fremd (156).
Miller ran a personal best 10.63 to edge Shandall Thomas of Schaumburg (10.65) to win the 100. He also earned the win in the 200, running a season-best 21.57. Miller teamed with Terrance McGovern, Brandon Melynchuk and Griffin Claes to win the 400 relay (42.98).
Senior Konrad Eiring busted out his season-best in the 800, winning comfortably in 1:55.69.
The Broncos took home individual titles in the high jump from Matt Haller (6-1) and in the shot put from sophomore Mark Steffan (49-8).
The runner-up Vikings saw the emergence of another hurdling star in freshman Jaden Jackson. Jackson ran the second-fastest outdoor time in the state so far this spring, winning the 300 hurdles in an impressive 38.43. Fremd earned wins in the 1,600 relay (3:25.76), and individually from Kyle Lewis in the 400 (50.45), Danny Peterson in the 3,200 (9:32.86), Raqib Adebayo in the triple jump (41-6).
Other individual winners included Graham Brown of Palatine in the 1,600 (4:25.70), Tim Engebretsen of Conant in the 110 high hurdles (15.80), Jarman McMillon of Schaumburg in the long jump (20-10) and Ethan Sterner of Palatine in the discus (143-11). Hoffman Estates took top honors in the 3,200 relay (8:15.0).