What’s up ITFC! Good news, we have another great outdoor meet to cover! Bad news?…it’s still pretty cold. BUT, that didn’t stop anyone from bringing their A-game and giving it all they got. The Big Blue Alumni meet at Millikin University provided some great competition for our squad, rain or shine (although there wasn’t any shine). So what are we waiting for? Let’s get moving!
The first event of the day was (supposed to be) the 3000m Steeplechase. How did our runners fare with jumps over barriers in cold winds? Trick question: they didn’t. Due to weather, the event was canceled, so Isaac, Norb, and Allison were spared for another day.
The REAL first event we will cover is the men’s 100m. Starting off fast, some blistering wind got our men off to some blistering starts as well, as Tyler Klein and Chris Raymond-Bertrand went 1-2 with 10.65 and 10.90 runs respectively! Holy cow, those times are quick! Forget the cold, because they and our other sprinters were setting the track on fire! Adam Adil tore up the track in his own heat, running 11.56 for a nice first 100m outdoors this season! Marcus Scott is getting real close to that sub 12 barrier, running 12.02 in his heat! The boy’s getting quick! David Welte-Hart and Brandon Perruquet ran well together in their heat, with David running 12.4 and Brandon finishing strong in 13.2! Srinjoy Das also took a quick break from the jumps to test his speed on the flat track, running 12.94 for a nice change of pace!
The women set the track ablaze just the same as the men, as Melissa set a fast 12.59 mark to place second throughout the meet! Ninawa also placed in the top heat with a top 7 finish in 13.22! Finally, Isabella Brunke had herself a quick run out of the blocks to finish her race in 13.68! These sprinters running so fast in the cold is a testament of pure strength and talent to them! Props to all of you!
Putting some hurdles on the track (thankfully going with the wind), Ben Cooper, Matas Carmichael, and Derrick Stokes held it down for the men’s hurdle squad. Ben took charge to finish quick in 17.01, with Matas right on his tail in 17.82! The duo finished in the top 5 in the meet! Derrick also finished in the top 8 with a nice consistent result in 19.91!
The 100m runners like that 100/200 double, but nobody seems to dominate the 200 like Tyler, again, as he wins the event like nearly always. Tyler pushed through to a fast 21.71, surely leaving burn marks where his spikes touched the track! Matas Carmichael brought the heat to his outdoor debut as well, running 24.62 in cold conditions! Marcus also brought it back to the 2 with an impressive 24.85. Isaac Schifferer, having been spared from the steeplechase, set a pretty speedy 24.74 mark! Isaac can do it all from the 200 to the 3000m Steeple! David, Srinjoy and Brandon also like their double sprints, as the crew came in hot with times of 25.14, 26.36, and 27.25 respectively! Henry Hornbrook also switched gears to run the 200m, as he and David were neck-and-neck, finishing just behind in 25.16! On the women’s side, Ninawa also dominated her usual sprints triad, as she took 5th place in a fierce 27.08 run! Arianna Kopecky ran well in her half-lap sprint to come across the line in 30.14! Lots of great racing and cross-event group competition that we love to see!
In that cold, that 400m group needs some extra love, especially to the long sprints master Gerardo Porras, who finished 4th place overall in a masterful run of 54.52 to win his heat! Henry Hornbrook also put up a good fight after a 1500m that he dominated earlier in the day, running a 58.10 on tired legs! Nothing like a hard workout! In the next heat, Derrick got some flat speed work done, completing the one-lap in 58.96! Next, Jon Wallk, Sandin Cuturic and Salvador Madera toed the line against each other in a great effort of 58.36 for Jon, 65.53 for Sandin, and 70.38 for Sal! This was also Sal’s first track meet, and while it was a tough one, some great efforts from him in the 4! As per usual, Ninawa flexed her crazy strength and speed combination by completing the 100, 200, and 400m, and this time, her 400m placed her in the top 5 with an amazing time of 64.67! Never ceases to impress us! Arianna also doubled back in the 400m to run a very respectable 71.65! Nice work for our two long sprint women!
The 800m runners showed some grit running in that tough cold wind, which is the theme of the day, yet their guts, like all of our athletes, still deserve a special acknowledgement. Thomas Harmon ran a fast race in 2:01.18, which is amazing with a headwind that strong blowing at you. Patrick Sarad stepped back into the 800m and went out with a nice 2:08.50. Again, with the conditions, easily dropping some time in the next run! Trevor Glancy ran with guts to take an early lead and finish in 2:15.01. Nathaniel Lenning also tried his hand at the 800m, running a nice 2:28.85! Props to him for stepping out of his comfort zone. Ryan McClowry rounded out our men, finishing the two laps in 2:39.68. Gotta give it up to Ryan – he runs everything he says he will and gives it his all regardless of the conditions! Our middle distance master, Bridget Brokaw, landed a very strong top 6 finish in the 800m as well, running 2:32.63 in these conditions! What a strong run! Evelyn Rowan ran 2:46.63 with Bridget, so congrats is in order for braving the tough winds of Millikin!
We also had Matas be our standout in the 400mH in this meet, with a blazing time of 66.56! Nice work for a lot of sprinting in this cold!
That 1500m was quite the battle, so again a special shoutout is in order for our mile group. Our women’s duo of Lauren Bartels and Allison Kokal ran a great race together in a much less-than-ideal mile race. Lauren ran very well in 6:24.40, with Allison not far behind with a time of 6:41.99! For the men, Spencer Nelson, doing the heavy lifting up front as always, had a very respectable run in 4:25.68. John Burns had a strong kick to catch a few in his heat, finishing in 4:28.40. Simon Hildy, racing well, came through in 4:31.19! Nice racing for the freshman, challenging the upperclassmen early in the race! The next heat provided a four way race of Illini, with Henry Hornbrook not letting a little wind and cold get in his way. Henry powered home to a huge PR of 4:33.63, leading from wire to wire. Arthur Mazzeo made a late charge to come through in 4:39.57, surging ahead of Cade Baker, who finished close in 4:41.52! Norb Nieves rounded that group in 4:44.97. The next group featured the trio who have been racing together all year – Isaac, Adam Lupatkin, and Antony Rizk. As usual, all three raced together and raced hard, with Isaac in 4:45.45, Adam in 4:48.24, and Antony in 4:50.43! John Bledsoe stepped onto the 1500m circuit, getting his debut outdoor race in 5:15.58, and Aidan Markiewicz finishing up in 5:23.70. The group of milers that braved the second longest event of the day are surely to drop some crazy time in future races!
The outdoor 5000m is already a grueling race, but for Will Gravelle, Anders Mortensen, Claire Casiello, and Anna Zlatic to actually race that well in the frigid weather deserves a round of applause. Claire remained controlled and calm throughout the race, running a strong 20:27.46 for 4th place! Right behind her was Anna, coming home in 21:00.75 for a fifth place finish! Will ran very smart and controlled, winning the heat in a new PR of 15:16.82! Dang! Anders also made his lifetime track debut, stepping away from the roads and getting it done on the track in 17:52.72! Many kudos to all of you for your toughness and sticking it out there in such a brutal 5k!
Before we check out until next time, we actually had lots of field event representation! You always love to see it! Srinjoy took to the runway in the long jump to pair with his sprints for the day! Joy leaped a distance of 4.93m for a great start to his outdoor season! Along with Joy were Melissa and Isabella, with Melissa taking second with a leap of 5.13m, and Isabella taking 6th with a nice jump of 4.88m! In the triple jump, Tyler has been working on his triple, landing a second place finish overall in 12.42m! Derrick also finished his busy day in a jump of 10.57 for the absolute tank of sprints and jumps that he is! Melissa also showed her toughness throughout the day, as her triple jump, after other jumps and sprints, landed her in first place with a leap of 11.60m! And finally, our standout high jumper, Isabella, got up there with a top 8 finish in 1.35m! Awesome day for the jumps squad!
The throws squad was deep this meet especially, with Dionne Edwards, Alicia Guerrero, Austin Simon, Frank Chaves, and Beau Barber himself stepping into the ring! Austin led the throws squad with a heave of 8.95m, with Frank giving chase in a throw of 8.79m close behind him! Beau is finding form again in his new event, getting his shot out in 7.87m! Dionne and Alicia had themselves some big throws of their own, with a giant 9.79m throw for Dionne, and another big thow of 8.49m for Alicia!
In the discus, the same squad brought it back, plus the addition of Joseph Harmon! This time, Frank led the throwers in a nice toss of 22.54m! Austin still let his discus fly far with a throw of 20.60m, and Beau had a great throw again in 20.47m! Joseph, older brother of Thomas, threw for 16.44m in his first track meet of the season! Those Harmon men are full of strength! Alicia got her discus flying out of the ring, with a monster 25.05m throw, and Dionne to follow with a 19.73m heave out of the ring! A great showing of strength and technique for sure!
Well, that meet surely was ice-cold, but our athletes thrive in all conditions! Hopefully, at the next meet, the weather is surely going to pick up. Nonetheless, as this was a great opener for a few of our athletes to get the rust busted and get their outdoor wheels turning! Onwards to Nationals! See you next time!
-Norb