Boys track and field notes: Prospect picking up where it left off
After winning the Mid-Suburban League championship last year and the MSL indoor title this spring, the Prospect boys track team has high hopes of hitting the trifecta later this spring at the MSL meet hosted by Elk Grove.
The Knights are coming off a first-place finish last weekend at the Buffalo Grove Invitational where they were able to outdistance runner-up New Trier 183-148 while Glenbrook South (132 points) placed third.
MSL indoor runner-up Schaumburg is among the teams expected to be pushing Prospect for the MSL title along with Barrington and Hersey. The Saxons lost a huge part of their lineup when Tim Gale (fifth in state pole vault) graduated after the 2022 season.
Despite losing six-time all-stater Sean Berman and Sean Beihoffer (UC- Santa Barbara) to graduation, Prospect continues to strive in the early stages of the 2023 campaign. Seniors Dominik Balenda (fourth in state in 400), Jack Berman (10th in state in 100), Colin Diversey (100), Aidan Orlando (100, 200), Andrew Katsogianos (800), Chance Rolfe (shot put), Owen Guagliardo (pole vault), Luke Holtmeier (triple jump), and all four relays have been impressive.
Prospect coach Jay Renaud believes that this season's squad could be even better than last year's team, and he expects to put together the Knights' best lineup when they host a meet in two weeks to gauge where the team is at heading into the MSL meet and postseason.
"We definitely lost some guys and lost some bigger pieces, but I feel like we brought back a lot of our point scorers from last year and I think we brought back a lot of guys who can score some big points at the state meet so I'm pretty hopeful and confident in that," said Renaud. "We host a meet in two weeks, we usually put together our best lineup there, and we will unleash our lineup and kind of see where we're at."
After tying for second place in the state in Class 3A with Edwardsville last year, powerful Warren is back and ready to make another run for a top-three trophy this spring as the Blue Devils just placed third at the rugged Metea Valley Invite last weekend.
Plainfield North (144 points) rolled to the team title while Naperville Central (117 points) edged Warren (113 points) and the host Mustangs (112 points) in fourth.
Senior Caleb Levy continued to shine for Warren with a first-place finish in the 400-meter run at Metea Valley while the Blue Devils' 4x200 relay team of Charley Thompson, Nate Foster, Alex Asare, and Taylen Curry turned in an impressive winning time of 1:31.75 in the same meet.
Warren's 4x400 relay team of Trey LeBeau, Jaden Turner, Asare, and Levy are also rolling again this season with a first-place time of 3:25.87 last weekend. Warren senior Ximir Wilson (1.85 meters) also brought home a title in the high jump while teammates Jaden Turner (6.84 meters), and Thompson (6.41 meters) went 1-2 in the long jump.
Hoffman Estates has an impressive sophomore emerging in Giovanny Hernandez (41.00), who was the 300-hurdles champion at Metea Valley while teammates Ivan Rodriguez (200), and Chase Hampton (triple jump) are top competitors. Warren junior Eddie Lim has also been strong so far in the 300 hurdles with great support from junior teammate Aidan Porreca in the shot put.
Hersey is another MSL team to watch with returning state qualifiers Will Nolan (shot put/discus), Cameron Donner (4x800), and Will Naughton (4x800) hoping to make return trips downstate for the Huskies at the end of May. Schaumburg has an elite pole vaulter to fall back on in MSL indoor champ Esad Sengun.