Boys track and field: Benet's Smith enjoys life in fast lane
Benet's Ian Smith attacks the sprints like someone's trying to steal something from him.
He uses all of his lane, thrusting arms, a muscled back honed by winters spent swimming for the Redwings between cross country and track seasons all four years of high school. Plus a little attitude.
"I pretend it's a schoolyard race. I was running down thinking, I'm not losing to this guy. I came all the way out here, I might as well win," Smith said after hammering 200 meters in 22.55 seconds Saturday at the 52nd Carlin Nalley Invitational in Bolingbrook.
He beat that guy, though a runner from one of six other 200 heats at the 26-team meet made Smith second overall. It was part of what Benet coach Brian Quick called a "big experiment" to more fully immerse Smith, who started as a pole vaulter, into sprints.
He finished first in his heat and fourth overall in the 100, second in his heat and eighth overall in the 400 - four spots behind teammate Colin Luwanja - to help Benet place fourth behind winner Lincoln-Way East in the Class 2A/3A standings.
Luwanja also ran a personal-record 1:59.47 in the 800, while Brendon Carter finished top five in both hurdles races and the Redwings' 3,200 relay of Ben Grundman, David Hightower, Michael Nocerino and Jeff Gaydos placed second.
Smith is one of Benet's two male three-sport athletes this school year, Quick said, the coach's first in 10 seasons in the track program.
"I just love the perseverance, the time commitment, learning time management, just becoming a better person. I think it's just helped me a lot as a person to become more dedicated," said Smith, still rooted in pole vault with an eye on Benet's school record.
IC Catholic Prep's Michael Johnson sees the Knights' shot put record on a placard whenever he walks into the school gym. Set in 1960 by Bob Malcolm at 48 feet, 11½ inches, the ancient mark motivates him.
Johnson came oh-so-close on Saturday. The future St. Francis University defensive lineman threw 48-7½ to finish fifth overall and lead all Class 1A shot putters. Lisle's Charlie Waldusky had a good day in discus at 148-10, 4 feet past the Class 2A qualifying standard.
"Hopefully, in the next few meets I feel like I can get it," Johnson said of that school record. "It'd be nice to walk in the gym and see my name on the board."
Timothy Christian's Jake Postma, a 6-foot-4 freshman with prior experience in high jump, used his hops to lead all Class 1A athletes in the 110 hurdles and go 2-3 with teammate Carson Hooker in the 1A 300 hurdles. Postma felt "pretty dead" after his 300 debut, but the bar was set.
"I think I can get pretty good at it," Postma said. "The training's really fun, I really enjoy doing it at practice, and I think I can get good at it and go somewhere."
Aside from some top Lisle athletes such as Waldusky, sixth-place high jumper Connor Webb and 400-meter runner Joey Chan, many Lions didn't compete after Friday's Interstate Eight Conference meet.
Nine hours after that ended, Westmont arrived in full force to defend its Nalley 1A title. Yeoman efforts by such Sentinels as Gavin Carr, Ishmay Kone, Jaden West, Matt Gedraitis and Kwentin Brookins - winner of both 1A long jump and triple jump - led Westmont to second in 1A team standings behind Seneca, 115-100.
"They're troupers, they got up for the 7 o'clock bus and really they're right on their times today," coach Rainy Kaplan said.
A huge key of track and field is what goes on between the ears.
Jacobs distance runner Mark Lemke made big strides toward quieting distracting thoughts Saturday at the 52nd Carlin Nalley Invitational.
"A lot of it, I'd have to say, is the mental game," the Golden Eagles senior said after topping 42 other runners in the 1,600-meter run at the 26-team meet in Bolingbrook.
"I have to realize that I'm at the level I can compete at," Lemke said. "It's been hard for me to get over that barrier because there's just so many talented athletes in general in Illinois. I think slowly I'm starting to realize that after a performance like today I have potential."
Coming into the 1,600 fresh, Lemke perfectly executed his plan to run with the lead pack, bide his time and kick late. He moved to fourth, then third, and with one 400-meter lap left broke to the lead and stayed there to win in a personal-record time of 4:29.89.
Running the last lap faster than his first - 1:04 to 1:05 - it was his first outdoor victory of the season.
"This definitely makes me more confident in my races going into the conference, sectionals, hopefully state these next three weeks. I'm glad for today, it'll give me a lot of confidence going into the postseason," Lemke said.
Jacobs coach Jason Borhart said, "We're rounding into shape" with hurdler Tommy Subaric. Though the senior looked less than ecstatic after a second-place finish in the 300-meter hurdles, his time proved his coach correct.
Subaric, who won the 110 hurdles in 15.03 seconds, ran a season-best 39.84 seconds in the 300s. A Class 3A qualifier in both hurdles events as a junior, last year every 300 hurdler who broke 40 seconds in state preliminaries advanced to the finals. Subaric's personal record, according to Athletic.net, is 39.61.
Subaric also joined Jacob Mobeck, Nick Agenlian and Szymon Czyz on a 1,600 relay that finished second at 3:31.64. Mobeck's third-place long jump of 20-3½ helped Jacobs to fifth place in the Nalley Class 2A/3A team standings behind winner Lincoln-Way East.
"We're looking forward to conference," Borhart said. "Hopefully we're a top-three team. I think that's a realistic goal for us."