Track and field: McHenry boys, Huntley girls win McHenry County meet titles

Winning wasn’t necessarily the plan.

It just, well, happened, McHenry senior sprinter Oliver Sznyterman said.

“Going into every meet, the team’s expectation is just to perform at our best, squeeze some PRs out of it and just really run our heart out, leave nothing on that track,” Sznyterman said. “We’re not so concerned about winning. It’s a nice added bonus. But, really, getting out here, being the best versions of ourselves and pushing each other to be the best, that’s what we’re really all about here.”

McHenry’s boys track and field team made a perfect weather day even more perfect, as the Warriors won the McHenry County meet on their home track Thursday. McHenry – which got wins from Sznyterman in the 400-meter dash, Myles Wagner in the 3,200 run and Haydn Schmidt in the high jump – totaled 105 points to edge runner-up Prairie Ridge (99) at McCracken Field.

Jacobs (78), Woodstock (69) and Marengo (63) – which was led by Boys Athlete of the Meet Jackson Heimsoth – rounded out the top five in the eight-team field.

“It’s a pretty nice bonus, I won’t lie to you,” a wide-smiling Sznyterman said of McHenry’s championship.

Huntley ran away with the girls title with 168 points, well ahead of second-place Jacobs (108). Prairie Ridge (72) was third, while Johnsburg (67) edged McHenry (66.5) for fourth place. Johnsburg’s Hope Klosowicz was named Girls Athlete of the Meet.

Winning wasn’t necessarily the plan for McHenry distance specialist Wagner either.

It just, well, happened.

Wagner (10:02.69) and his teammate Nate Martin (10:02.76) crossed the finish line almost simultaneously in the 3,200, fist-pumping at the finish.

“We always have a team mindset,” Wagner said of Martin and himself. “We always want to run together. We’ve been training together for three years, and we’re always right by each other. We were trying to cross the finish line at the same time.”

The junior Heimsoth won the 200 (22.20), ran on the winning 4x100 (43.04) and 4x200 (1:29.88) relays, and finished second in the 100 (11.11) behind Marian Central’s Wilson Jakubowicz. Jakubowicz ran a personal-best 11.00 seconds, marking the first boys county championship in Marian program history, longtime Hurricanes coach Steve Thomas said.

Prairie Ridge’s Alex Trejo runs fast and clears hurdles just as fast.

His start to the season, however?

Slow – for him, anyway.

“It was bringing me down mentally over the past couple of meets,” Trejo said. “This is like the first meet with good weather. I really just wanted to get back to what I did last season.”

Done.

Trejo won the 110 hurdles in 15.24, then clocked a personal-best 40.97 in capturing the 300 hurdles. Last season, he qualified for the Class 2A state meet in both hurdles races and the 4x100 relay.

“This is a big step in the right direction for me,” said Trejo, who set the school record in the 110 hurdles last year and is closing in on the school mark in the 300 hurdles. “I was training since football ended. I had high expectations for the first two meets. I guess I got ahead of myself with that. But seeing now that I’m progressing forward, I’m going to get back to what I did before.”

Crystal Lake Central’s Reed Mihelich, Oliver Lavaty, Tyler Wieczorek and Amama Omale won the 4x800 relay in 8:28.72. Omale took the 800 (1:56.57), while Johnsburg’s Grady Smith won the 1,600 (4:30.72).

Marengo’s winning 4x100 relay (43.04) also featured Sam Tucker, Michael Gieseke and Grant Heimsoth (Jackson’s twin). The same foursome won the 4x200 relay. Richmond-Burton got a win from its 4x400 relay team of Travis Roberts, Gavin Saranzak, Luke Uphoff and Forest Wells, who ran 3:26.27.

Cary-Grove’s Logan Abrams uncorked the shot put a winning 19.06 meters, third best in the state this spring, and also won the discus (50.01 meters). McHenry’s Haydn Schmidt won the high jump by clearing 1.85 meters, and Woodstock’s Marc Thomas sailed a winning 6.78 meters in the long jump.

Woodstock’s Ty Steponaitis won the triple jump (13.16 meters), and Woodstock North’s Braelan Creighton cleared 4.31 meters to capture the pole vault.

On the girls side, Jacobs freshman Lennox Szymonik cruised to victory in the 3,200 run (10:47.08), winning by more than a minute. Crystal Lake South won the 4x800 relay easily in 10.11.88 with Lily Brooks, Emme Reall, Maggie Golko and Laynie Ripley.

Huntley got a lift in the 4x100 relay from junior Ari Ford, who was a last-minute substitute for state veteran Addi Busum. Ford delivered, as she helped the Red Raiders win in 50.40. The foursome also included Rachel Hogan, Reagan Ellis and Ava Acevedo.

“She was jumping long jump, and her Achilles has been bothering her,” Jennifer Garza, Huntley’s jumps coach and assistant sprints coach, said of Busam. “She was like, ‘Coach, I need to pass on the last two [jumps], and I need to pass on the 4x100 [relay] and the 200 too. ... We’re just going to keep resting her and get her ready [for the upcoming meets].”

Busam won the long jump (5.4 meters), while fellow 2025 state qualifier Carly Uehlein of Jacobs threw the discus a winning 44.25 meters. The other field event winners were Crystal Lake Central’s Ryleigh Mazzacano in the high jump (1.6 meters), Huntley’s Emma Garofalo in the pole vault (3.26 meters) and Huntley’s Elena Fetzer in the shot put (11.53 meters).

Huntley’s Hogan sprinted a winning and personal-best time of 12.45 in the 100, edging Klosowicz (12.56), while her teammate Cori Kilvinger won the 1,600 (5:14.86).

Jacobs’ Brylan Lemon won the 100 hurdles (16.09), while Harvard’s Ella Martin captured the 300 hurdles (47.38). Klosowicz ran a 58.24 in winning the 400 and won the 200 in 25.85.

Prairie Ridge’s Anneke Dam finished first in the 800 (2:21.00).

McHenry’s winning 4x200 relay (1:46.54) featured Bri Amedio, Afton Ingraffia, Bella Stone and Addison Hoffmann. Jacobs won the 4x400 relay (4:11.69) with Julia Felton, Rylie Warczak, Szymonik and Jasmine Lenth.

Huntley also got a win from Opeyemi Aluko in the triple jump (10.79 meters).