It finally happened!
After months of anticipation and excitement, this past Saturday was the Illinois Club Relays, hosted right here in beautiful Champaign, Illinois. The true highlight of the Indoor Track Season, Club Relays brings in 800+ club athletes to come and compete, making it the largest indoor NIRCA meet! We had over 100 athletes competing in this meet, so make sure to grab your popcorn, and find a comfy place to sit down, this is going to be a long one.
This club relay was truly one for the record books. This marked the 15th year in a row of holding the event, and in conjunction, marked the 15th year in a row where the University of Illinois was the champion of the meet! In addition, there were many astounding performances, records were broken, PRs smashed, and so much more, let’s get right into it!
Let’s get started with the energizing women’s 60m dash! Today, it was all about Melissa Aninagyei-Bonsu. Melissa showed up a bit late to the heat, and even with a little warmup, she went out and ran a 7.91, coming in 1st place and setting a NEW CLUB RECORD! Ari Afolabi also didn’t have the greatest start to the day, slipping before the event started, but that didn’t stop her from having an amazing race, running with Melissa for the whole race, and just barely being edged out in the end to run a PR of 7.93 for a 2nd place finish. Yelim Na may have been a bit rusty when it came to the block start, but the fierce competition led her to a strong PR of 8.87. Sumin Cho didn’t have the greatest start, but she still had a great race, and came in with a 8.92 to PR by 0.01 seconds. Christina Li had a great race as well, tying Sumin with her own time of 8.92, also a PR. Leah Wilson ran a great time of 9.05 to PR, and can’t wait for the rest of the season ahead. Chloe Trotter wraps us up with an awesome time of 9.48, a solid PR.
On the men’s side, it was just as exciting! The man, the myth, the legend Tyler Klein went out and ran a 6.82, casually setting a PR, NEW CLUB RECORD, and NEW MEET RECORD! John Green was up next, and he surprised himself with an awesome time of 7.27 for a great PR. Kevin Saju may have had a bad start but made up for it quickly, setting a season-best with his time of 7.30. Nic Soto was close behind, setting his season best with a time of 7.33. Sean Vibhatasilpin had a good race, with a speedy time of 7.49. Ben Cooper had a lot of fun out on the track, setting a new PR of 7.57. Alexzander Chu didn’t have the best day, sustaining a mild hand injury before the race, yet still running an impressive 7.80. Tanav Palisetti had a great race, running a 7.88 to set a new PR. Sanyu Kumaran may prefer the longer sprints, but he still had a great showing of 7.92. Brandon Perruquet, even without his spikes, was able to run a great time of 8.64, almost tying his previous PR.
Hurdle time, or should I say Ari Afolabi time? Ari had an awesome hurdles run of 8.94, not only setting a PR, but setting a NEW CLUB RECORD, and a NEW MEET RECORD, breaking her previous meet record by 0.07 seconds! Christina Jordan had a similarly awesome day, running a 9.78 to set a new PR for a 7th-place finish. Brooke Bouwens closed it out with a speedy time of 10.00 for an 8th-place overall finish!
Ben Cooper led the men’s side, with an impressive time of 8.91 to claim 2nd place overall, but he’s still looking to go even faster next time. Matas Carmichael also had a great day, running a 9.32 for an 8th-place finish and a new PR
In true club relay fashion, we skip every other running event and jump straight to the mile! It was a jampacked mile, with 9 heats on the women’s side and 17 heats on the men’s side! Bridget Brokaw led the mile on the women’s side, running a great time of 5:27.20 for 5th place overall and a new PR. Anna Jablonski was close behind, running a 5:36.14 for a new season PR. Claire Casiello came in right behind Anna with a time of 5:36.60 to set her PR. Evelyn Rowan had an awesome day as well, running a speedy 5:40.26. Shuani Peramanu may not have felt the best, but she still had a great race, running a speedy 5:49.87 to set a new PR and come 2nd in her heat. Our last three athletes ran together in the heat, coming in within 4 seconds of each other, and each of them ran a PR! They were Courtney Hall with a 6:13.57, Lia Tondeva with a 6:16.27, and Annika Luthe with a 6:17.04.
For the men, it was Distance Coach John Wiser showing off his expertise with a beautiful time of 4:22.95 to claim a 3rd place overall finish, all while running a new PR! Duo Easton Rosen and James William Stanley were side by side and came in just seconds apart from each other, with Easton running a 4:25.85 for 5th place and James running a 4:26.08 for 6th place. Percy William (The Bull) Moser had an awesome race, winning the second heat with a time of 4:26.43, fast enough to boost him to 7th place overall, just behind James! Thomas Harmon, not to be outdone, ran a speedy PR of 4:28.21 to come third in his heat. Former Distance Coach Spencer Nelson showed off that he still has the distance power coursing through his veins, running a speedy 4:49.29. Henry Hornbrook had an awesome day today, winning his heat with a new season-best time of 4:52.00. Kyle Kenmotsu was close behind his teammate, running a great time of 4:57.45. Brendan Graven, racing on the armory for the first time since high school, had a great race, coming in at 5:00.21, definitely prepared to shatter the 5-minute mark next time he runs! Spencer Kinsey had an awesome day for his first club relays, running a 5:19.94. Gabriel Inojosa didn’t have the best day, but still ran a good time of 5:26.90. Saif Kazmi had a great race today, running a 5:28.58. Nathaniel Lenning, the mastermind behind today’s meet, took a break from running Club Relays to have a run of his own, running an awesome 5:28.61. Gabe Benson had a great sendoff to his final club relays, running a season-best time of 5:44.26. Issa Fouani wraps us up with an awesome time of 5:51.27.
Jumping up in the distance, it’s time for the 3000m! Starting it off is Diane Makovic, whose warmup of listening to Stirfry by Migos 7 times paid off, she ran a 10:42.65 to claim 2nd place overall in her season debut 3k race. Claire Casiello had an awesome day as well, running a 10:51.73 to come in 6th place overall, an 8-second PR! Suhani Peramanu had a good day as well, she was 5 seconds off her goal, yet still ran an impressive time of 11:20.77. Emma Bergmann made her 3k debut today, deciding to run this race after being “inspired by the women before me”, running a speedy time of 11:25.62. Alyson Ficca had a great race as well, running an 11:30.64 to set a new PR. Anna Zlatic had a fun race today, keeping it in control to run a 12:18.28. Sophia Stierwalt also made her 3k debut today, running an impressive time of 12:52.38.
On the men’s side, it was Ethan Forsell’s time to shine, fighting through an aggressive heat to run an awesome PR of 8:43.64 for a 2nd place finish. Lawyer Extraordinaire Will Gravelle ran a fierce race today as well, coming in at 8:51.32 to claim 7th place overall and a PR. Nolan Enright led his heat from the start, coming in at a speedy time of 9:06.85. Everyone’s favorite teammate Adam Gorcyca didn’t have the best race, but still ran an impressive time of 9:16.25. Trevor Giampa had a great race, running a 9:22.30 for a new PR. Aidan Markiewicz took a break from being an amazing photographer to run an awesome time of 9:58.38, a new PR. Gabe Inojosa wrapped it up for us, with an impressive time of 10:08.37.
Now, it wouldn’t be club relays without the relays, so let’s dive right in! Let’s start with the SMR, where the women’s team of Ari Afolabi, Lucca Bibbey, Ninawa Odicho, and Annalyssa Crain showed up and dominated the event with an impressive time of 4:33.33 to claim 3rd place. The other SMR team, made up of Zainab Ibrahim, Sumin Cho, Rachel Sakwa, and Carlin Hass was close behind, with a great time of 4:40.57 for a 4th-place finish
On the men’s side, it was an exciting day, as the relay team made up of Kevin Saju, John Green, John Burns, and Easton Rosen crushed the competition, running an incredible 3:39.32 to claim 1st place overall! The next team had a similarly impressive time of 3:48.32, this team was made up of Tyler Vizgirda, Matas Carmichael, Ryan Fredericks, and Michael Rizk, coming in for a 7th-place finish. Next up was the team of Koen Brown, Sanyu Kumaran, Tanav Palisetti, and John Bledose, running a speedy 3:59.13 for a 9th-place finish. The next team was David Welte-Hart, Ethan Hung, Braden Cardamone, and Jose Ocegueda Zuniga, who ran a great time of 4:04.41. Closing it out was the final team, comprised of Satyansh Yeluri, Abar Shawkat, Saif Kazmi, and Rayhan Khaja, coming in with a great time of 4:37.08.
In the 4x200m relay, the Illini dominated, as always. On the women’s side, the relay team made up of Melissa Aninagyei-Bonsu, Bella Brunke, Ninawa Odicho and Ari Afolabi recovered from a rough baton handoff to come back from 3rd place in an exciting finish to claim 1st place overall, with an incredible time of 1:49.87! The second team, comprised of Sumin Cho, Chloe Trotter, Leah Wilson, and Yelim Na had a great race as well, running a 2:05.57.
The domination continued on the men’s side, where the relay team of Tyler Klein, Nic Soto, Kevin Saju, and John Green, ran an incredibly fast 1:31.51 to come in 1st place overall! The second team, made up of Michael VanHootegem, Matas Carmichael, Tyler Vizgirda, and Sean Vibhatasilpin also ran an impressive race, coming in at 1:35.80 to claim 5th place overall. Next up was the speedy team made up of Jacky Lin, Alexzander Chu, Ethan Hung, and Luke Grotthuss, who ran a great 1:39.74. Only milliseconds off their teammates was the team made up of Koen Brown, Ryan Fredericks, Sanyu Kumaran, and Henry Martinez, coming in at 1:39.90. Wrapping it up was the team of David Welte-Hart, Derrick Stokes, Brandon Perruquet, and Tanav Palisetti, running an awesome 1:47.54
A quick reminder about the 4x400m relay at Club Relays. The first heat, or the competitive heat, functions like any other relay. For the remaining heats, it becomes a costume contest, as the teams not only compete to win but also dress up in the wackiest way. To get that started, our championship women’s team, composed of Lucca Bibbey, Brooke Silbernagel, Rachel Schaaf, and Carlin Hass, put on their rainbow tutus for this relay and ran an incredibly speedy time of 4:23.09 to come in 3rd place overall. Close behind them was the second team, unfortunately, no costume, but they made up for it in speed, as the team made up of Ninawa Odicho, Bridget Brokaw, Anna Jablonski, and Rachel Sakwa ran an impressive 4:25.81 for a 4th place finish. Next up was the team of fruits and veggies, made up of Reiss Christensen, Emma Bergmann, Lia Tondeva and Claire Casiello, who ran a speedy 5.11:30. Rounding it out the pitbull team, made up of Suhani Peramanu, Anna Zlatic, Alyson Ficca and Molly Braskich, who sped along the track in bald caps and button up shirts as “Hotel Room” blasted from the speakers, coming in at 5:17.65.
On to the men’s side! For the men, it was the stellar team of Tyler Klein, Nic Soto, Thomas Harmon, and John Burns who sped past the competition with an amazing 3:25.01 to claim 1st place overall! Close behind was the second team, made up of Ryan Fredericks, Henry Hornbrook, Trevor Glancy, and Antony Rizk, who ran an impressive 3:33.67 to take 4th place overall. Next up, was the team of Tyler Vizgirda, Matas Carmichael, John Bledsoe, and Ethan Forsell, who dressed up as characters from the Hangover to spring to an epic 3:50.14. Next up was Koen Brown, Michael Rizk, Braden Cardamone, and Luke Nelson, who got together to run a super speedy 4:03.64. After them came the team of Henry Martinez, Alexzander Chu, Matthew Uthayopas, and Tanav Palisetti, coming in at a beautiful 4:13.45. Finally, rounding it out, was the team with a hurdle for a baton, made up of Saif Kazmi, Satyansh Yeluri, Gabe Inojosa, and Rayhan Khaja, who ran a great 4:21.19.
Ending our section on the relays is every distance kids’ favorite, the 4x800m. The women’s team crushed the competition, the team of Anna Jablonski, Bridget Brokaw, Carlin Hass, and Brooke Silbernagel, running an incredible 9:55.74 to claim 1st place overall! The second team had an awesome race as well, running an 11:20.32 in the team made up of Courtney Hall, Reiss Christensen, Christina Li, and Emma Bergmann.
On the men’s side, it was a fierce competition, yet our team made up of Thomas Harmon, James Stanley, Grant Miller, and Michael Rizk fought strong, coming in a close 2nd place finish with a time of 7:56.63. The next team up, made up of Braden Cardamone, Henry Hornbrook, Dakota Amar, and John Burns had a great day, running an 8:25.21 to get 8th place overall. The final team to close us out, made up of Ryan Fredericks, John Bledsoe, Jose Ocegueda Zuniga, and Luke Nelson ran a great time of 9:02.57.
Field event time! Christina Jordan had an awesome performance today, coming in 1st place with a 1.60m (5’ 3”)! Bella Brunke had a similarly great day, jumping 1.45m (4’ 9”) for a 4th-place finish. Gwen Bottom closed it out also with a jump of 1.45m (4’ 9”), setting a new PR.
For the men, Jack Tolentino had a great jump of 1.70m (5’ 7”), coming in 6th place overall and setting a new indoor PR. Derrick Stokes didn’t have a great day today, but still had an impressive jump of 1.50m (4’ 11”).
It’s story time! Grab some popcorn, and hear about Melissa Aninagyei-Bonsu’s epic quest in the Long Jump. She finished 4th in the prelims, but felt off her game, even saying “I’m not even going to win this event.” She stuck through and went into the finals, but her first 2 jumps weren’t that great. “I need to lock in”, is what she said, and she did exactly that, jumping an incredible 5.41m (17’ 9”) to set a PR, NEW CLUB RECORD, and NEW MEET RECORD. Rachel Schaaf also had an awesome day, jumping 5.04m (16” 6”), just 10 cm off her PR to come in 4th place. Bella Brunke had an ok day, jumping a great 4.69m (15’ 4”), claiming 5thplace overall. Yelim Na, originally left after prelims, not thinking she would make finals. She did make finals, so she had to run back after a relay to jump, and still had awesome jumps, jumping a 4.59m (15’ 1”) to set a new PR and claim 9th place.
On the men’s side, it was Tyler Klein back on top of the action, jumping an impressive PR of 6.68m (21’ 11”) to snag 2nd place overall. John Green was close behind, jumping 6.41m (21’ 1”) to get a 3rd place finish and come close to his PR. Ben Cooper had a great time, jumping a new PR of 5.94m (19’ 6”). Henry Martinez cut himself before his jump, but that didn’t stop him from having an impressive jump of 5.25m (17’ 2”). Jacky Lin closes us out with an awesome jump of 5.10m (16’ 9”)
Onto Triple Jump, Melissa Aninagyei-Bonsu (once again) took the lead for the team with an impressive jump of 11.35m (37’ 3”) to claim a 2nd place finish. Rachel Schaaf, even with little training, had an awesome day, jumping an impressive 10.98m (36’) to claim 3rd place. Ciara Shreeves wrapped up this day of impressive jumps with a jump of 9.53m (31’ 3”), a new PR and earning her a 7th place finish.
Tyler Klein just can’t stop winning. In his triple jump, he leaped an incredible 13.14m (43’ 1”), coming 1st place overall, and setting a new PR. Henry Martinez was close behind, with an impressive jump of 11.25m (36’ 11”) for an 8th-place finish.
Let’s head on over to the throws ring for the shot put. Mia Howard led on the women’s side with an impressive throw of 10.03m (32’ 11”), setting a new PR and coming in 2nd place overall. Tiana Foreman was close behind with an awesome throw of 9.15m (30’), a new PR, and also a 5th-place finish. Ivy Del Real closed out this impressive group with a throw of 8.58m (28’ 2”), also a PR, and claimed 6th place!
On the men’s side, Daniel Coxworth may have started shaky due to a bit too much caffeine, but that didn’t stop him from having an awesome day, throwing a new PR of 11.77m (38’ 7”) to claim 3rd palace overall. Jeffery Lefkowitz stayed strong throughout the day, almost matching his PR with an impressive throw of 10.82m (35’ 6”) to claim 4th place overall. Quinn Rivara had some great throws today, setting a new PR with a throw of 9.89m (32’ 5”) to finish in 6th place. Austin Simon joined the PR train with a great PR of 9.70m (31’ 10”) to claim 8th place overall. Frank Chavez had a great day as well, coming out and throwing an impressive 8.22m (26’ 11”). Mid-distance superstar Antony Rizk switched it up to join the throwers today, throwing a great 7.76m (25’ 5”).
Well, that about wraps it all up from this write-up! This was a long one, so thanks for sticking around!
This was a day full of super exciting and awesome performances, and was all possible thanks to the hard work of Nathaniel Lenning, our Home Meet Coordinator! He worked tirelessly, working with both the entire executive board and the event coaching staff to ensure that this meet went smoothly and every athlete had a chance to compete and have fun! Thanks, Nathaniel!
We’re off this weekend, and then it’s spring break! We’ll be back for a few meets in the spring, including most importantly NIRCA NATIONALS, occurring on April 6th – 7th in Richmond, Virginia! The full outdoor schedule will be posted soon, so keep an eye out!
Until next time,
I-L-L
Meet Results: https://results.shazamracing.com/meets/30575
Meet Pictures