Boys track and field: New look's a winner for Grant
CHARLESTON - The look Grant senior Timmy Brundidge sports is unassuming, accented by the black horn-rimmed glasses. Sure, he used to have long flowing locks of blond hair, but the high-and-tight look is now his thing.
On Friday in the Class 3A state track and field championships at Eastern Illinois' O'Brien Field, Brundidge and his Grant teammates all sported new looks - the skin-tight white tank tops, with "Grant" emblazoned on the front, and black sprint shorts.
With the way the Bulldogs performed Friday, they may not want to ever off their new duds.
Brundidge qualified in for the finals three events and Loyola-bound senior Octavian Wells earned a finals berth in two as the Bulldogs showed signs of what made them the top team in the North Suburban Conference.
The first into the finals was Brundidge. He staggered through the first three hurdles then smoothly moved over the rest as he earned a heat win and a finals berth in the 110 high hurdles. His time of 14.11 broke his own school record.
"The past few races I have been good out of the blocks," Brundidge said. "I knew coming down here I had to get a good start, but my finish has been a strong part of my race as well."
He added a win in the his heat of the 300 hurdles, running 38.47. Then Brundidge closed his day on the heat-winning 1,600 relay team that included Kemar Miller, Ben Schram and Wells. The time of 3:17.92 sets another school mark.
"Our seniors and this team were so ready to compete today," Brundidge said. "The new looks, all of it - we were ready to perform, and we did."
Wells followed Brundidge by sending a buzz through the O'Brien Field crowd with his 400-meter heat win. Running in lane 8, Wells quickly jumped to the front and blew away a very talented field by finishing in a school record 47.07.
"Being in lane 8, I knew I had to get right out and get ahead," Wells said. "With guys like Chris Thompson from Lemont (third in the event a year ago) in this race, I knew I had to get out."
The Bulldogs broke another school mark and earned a fourth individual finals qualifier when senior Tyler Schaefer hit 45 feet, 9.25 inches in the triple jump.
One of Grant's biggest conference rivals, Lakes also had itself a big afternoon and evening. Anticipated weather delays forced all field events but the discus inside, and long after the track had cleared, the Eagles were still working indoors in the pole vault.
Senior Hayden Falls was in the final flight of the pole vault. Knowing the required clearance had to be 14-3, Falls went out and got it. On his final attempt, he cleared 14-3 for a new personal best and a spot alongside Illinois-bound teammate Cooper Jazo in the finals.
Another of Falls' teammates who worked indoors late in the day was junior Cameron Ruiz. Ruiz did fine work outside early on, earning a finals spot in the 400 (48.58) and as a member of the Eagles' 1,600 relay team that included Robert Kuhlmann, Brandon Thiel and Jordan Mercure (3:18.77).
Once indoors, Ruiz earned the top spot in the long jump, leaping 23-2. He also grabbed the second overall spot in the triple jump with a personal-best 47-10.75.
After his long day was done, an exhausted Ruiz was single-minded in his focus: "I need a nap," he said.
Kuhlmann was the Eagles' other finals qualifier. In a tough 800 field, he battled through a tight pack to earn his finals berth in 1:56.46. Kuhlmann is 10th overall headed into finals.
"That was a tough race with the heat and the wind," Kuhlmann said. "I didn't feel the wind so much at the end as it was tough running in such a tight pack."
Also joining Kuhlmann in the 800 finals is junior Brian Griffith of Lake Zurich. He ran in the fastest heat of the day and still managed a 1:54.64 taking up the final qualifying spot.
"I'm just really excited that I made it to tomorrow," Griffith said. "That was such a tough race and a great group of runners."
Grayslake Central junior Jack Aho is used to competing with the best distance runners in the state. His times have proven to be among the best, so when he battled through a tough 1,600 field on Friday, Aho was ready for the challenge.
Aho got caught early in the race in the back of the pack but strategically worked himself forward. He eventually caught the leaders and won his heat in 4:14.90, the top time heading into the finals. Colorado-bound Stevenson senior Jared Borowsky finished fourth in the heat, running 4:18.88 which also qualified him for the finals.
Borowsky and Aho will also race against one another in the 3,200 final Saturday.
"I felt comfortable coming through at 2:10 at the half," Aho said. "I felt like being there with 400 meters to go, then kick over the final 100 was where I wanted to be."
In the Class 2A meet, Vernon Hills is just about where the Cougars want to be after the prelims. Led by junior Tim Krashevsky and seniors Noah Agnew and Joshua Williams, Vernon Hills qualified one relay and three individual qualifiers for the finals.
Krashevsky was joined by Caleb Ju, Trover Moyers and Shane Williamson to run 8:02.85 and earn a finals spot with a relay win.
"All we wanted to do today was get a solid time - top 12 for sure," Moyers said. "Some of us have other races to run so it meant a lot to get off to a good start."
Krashevsky finished second in his 800 heat (1:58.23) while Agnew had the easiest day, clearing 6-3 to earn another finals spot in the high jump. Teammate Kacper Jaskowski earned his first shot at a state medal by clearing 13-0 in the pole vault competition.
Antioch junior Landon Keefover will run for a medal Saturday after finishing second in his heat of the 110 high hurdles. He ran 14.89, finishing second in his heat.
Other area qualifiers that competed Friday included Elijah Eugene and Mikey Andrews of Grayslake Central, Dylan Panomar and Griffen Gawenda of Grayslake North, Kyle Griffith, Jake Stevens and Matt Szczesny of Lake Zurich, Hugo Flores, Brandon Ellis and Dante Johnson of Warren, David Goncharov of Stevenson, Ryan Thompson and Jeremy Strutzel of Carmel, and Henry Halverson of Grant.