With the sun shining down and the cold brisk of winter fading into the horizon, the warmth feeling of spring is beginning to peek around the corner. Riding the coat tails of spring is that old familiar friend which we”ve all grown to love: Outdoor Track Season. With break behind them, the Illini have returned after a hard indoor season and is now stronger than ever. Wash U is the first official outdoor meet every year, and every year we look forward to opening our strides up on the less-claustrophobic track under the lights. With trust in their coach and training, the Illini packed up this past weekend and headed down to St. Louis, MO for the long awaited 2-day meet.
Day 1. As the Illini began trickling into the meet, there was a strange feeling in the atmosphere. It was as though something, or someone, was trying to tell them that they were about to shock the world of club running that weekend. The day began with a few notables, namely, in the field events. Steven Kelder exceeded expectations when he leaped an astounding 12.3m in the triple jump, which was more than enough to score for the team. Matt Kmet continued to swing the momentum in the hammer throw, launching it 42.21m, also scoring for the team. The women”s team showed excellent performances with Jess Mulcrone running 20:04 in the 5000m after struggling on and off with injuries. Alas, as the sun began to set, the highly anticipated men”s 5000m was about to begin. It was a fight right from the sound of the gun. This was not going to be a tactical race. It was going to be fast. It was going to be a race of guts. Everyone that toed the line and everyone who was watching knew it well. High expectations were riding atop Michael Spillone and Michael Frigo, and they knew it. It”s a good thing that these two thrive under pressure. They were prepared to fight the field. Back and forth, they went… and in a flash, the race was over. Spillone and Frigo has crossed the line taking 2-3 in a blazing 14:37 and 14:39 official time respectively. Setting the standards high for the club, the rest of the day was left to the enduro-beasts known only as the 10,000 meter runners. Brett Lustgarten led the 10k runners in his first 10k ever with at time of 33:25. Freshman Matt Birkel soon followed in 33:37. With The Great Steve, freshmen Adam Snyder and Ben Zeman running 33:56, 34:04 and 35:02 respectively, the team currently stood 2nd overall. The pace was finally set for the following day to come.
Day 2. After a night of rest, the Illini returned to the field, hungrier than ever. Freshman Amanda Zamora kept expectations high for the Illini as she ran a 5:03 in the 1500m. Michael Spillone and Michael Frigo returned and doubled in the 1500m race and took 1-2 with a time of 3:59 and 4:00 respectively. After the previous night”s performance, the word ‘”surprising'” was no longer part of the club”s vocabulary. Pathik Ghandi ran a great time of 4:06. With all these great times, the sprinters felt a need to have their voices heard as well, and day 2 was their time. Jack Skelton was able to add on more points as he ran 50.39 in the 400m dash. Freshman Matt Halberthal gave an excellent performance in the 100m dash as he scored with a time of 11.06. Pathik Ghadi showed an impressive double as he finished his day off with a 1:59.62 in the 800m. The steeplers were also anxious to show what they were capable of. Freshmen Emily McGowan was able to score some more points for the Illini as she ran 13:30 in the women”s 3000m steeplechase. On the men side, Freshmen Blake Flood led the way for the Illini and there were personal records set across the board. Our very own Alex Harrison, a 10k runner, showed a great performance on day 2 as he set a personal record in the 400m race, counter-productive to 10k running, whilst blazing a 60.8.
Overall, this was a great weekend for the club. Records broken, standards set, and expectations high. This is only the beginning. Club Track Nationals is just around the corner, and we”ve only begun to play…
