West Aurora edges Batavia for UEC indoor crown
Connor McCue was the last athlete West Aurora threw in the mix Friday night in Batavia at the Upstate Eight Conference indoor boys track and field championship.
The Loyola-bound senior had already captured twin individual racing titles, but McCue needed one last burst for the Blackhawks to win the team title.
McCue ran a sub-53-second split in the 1,600-meter relay to give West Aurora the last of its 6 points.
Batavia won the final event with a season-low time of three minutes, 32.38 seconds, but West Aurora edged the Bulldogs 120.5-117 for the overall crown.
St. Charles East exceeded triple figures as well to place third comfortably, followed by Geneva.
St. Charles North was a distant fifth, with South Elgin, Bartlett, Elgin, Glenbard East, West Chicago, East Aurora, Streamwood and Larkin rounding out the 13-team field.
"It took everyone today," said McCue, who won the 800 run in 1:55.23 and its companion twice as long in 4:28.12. "Everybody had to show up and do their part. I felt good about (the 800). I ran the fastest (Class 3A) time in the state again."
West Aurora returns the state champion and runner-up in the triple jump in Chris Walker and DaVion Cross.
The latter reversed the results at the state finals last spring by breaking the conference record Walker set last year.
Cross and Walker easily swept the event with Cross establishing a new league indoor benchmark at 47 feet, 7.75 inches.
"My focus was to start off big and get the farthest that I can," said Cross, making his season debut. "I was focusing on my training and what I am supposed to do."
Walker and Cross were also second and third to Geneva two-event winner Justin Taormina in the long jump.
Mike Pryor and DaQuan Cross were the Blackhawks' point-leading sprinters with their results in the 55 and 200 dashes; the duo also ran legs on the victorious 800 spring relay.
West Aurora shot-putters Alex DeBolt and Leo Colon garnered 16 more invaluable points in their specialty event.
"Batavia is a really, really good team," West Aurora coach Cortney Lamb said. "To be able to beat them, we had to have a great meet."
"Our kids maxed out today," Batavia coach Dennis Piron said. "I am really proud of our kids. I don't think they could have done anything different or better."
Nick Stuttle won the 55 hurdles for Batavia; the senior was also fourth in the long jump.
"(The coaches) wanted me to be fresh in the 55 hurdles and the long jump," Stuttle said of his limited participation.
Jay Hunt was yet another key contributor for the Bulldogs with his win in the high jump at 6-4 and two medal-winning sprints at 55 and 200 meters.
St. Charles East picked up wins from Devin Kelly and Mike Gerkin at 400 and 3,200 meters, respectively.
Taormina bested the Blackhawks' Walker and Pryor to win the long jump and 55 dash by narrow margins.
"At the beginning of the year, (the weight gained from off-season training) is hard to carry around," Taormina said. "Now I'm used to it. I'm feeling faster than ever."
South Elgin senior Jaurice Thomas earned the lone victory for the northern Fox schools as the Storm sprinter denied Kelly at 200 meters.
"I got off the blocks right," Thomas said. "I started well off my first 100 (meters). I stayed with it."