Today is a great day!
Do you want to know why? Our women’s team is officially NATIONAL CHAMPIONS for the THIRD year in a row! The men’s team also did awesome, fighting fierce competition to finish 3rd place overall for the SECOND top three finish in a row! That’s right, in case you missed it, this past weekend, April 6th-7th, we went to the NIRCA Track and Field National Championships in Richmond, Virginia, where we fought hard, and came out incredibly victorious! Without further ado, let’s dive right into these monumental nationals!
As usual, let’s start things off with the women’s 100m dash. Ari Afolabi, in an incredible display of speed, ran a 12.61 in the prelims, and then smashed that time to run a 12.49 in the finals, claiming a 2nd place finish! Melissa Aninagyei-Bonsu was close behind, actually beating Ari in the prelims with her time of 12.46, but Ari edged her out during the finals, with Melissa’s incredible time of 12.61 earning her a 4th place finish. Ninawa Odicho may have barely missed the qualifications for finals, but she still ran an awesome time of 12.89 to earn a 10th-place finish. Next up was Bella Brunke, who went out and ran a speedy 13.53, just barely holding off her fellow teammate Christina Jordan, who came in just a few milliseconds behind with a 13.69. Sumin Cho started her Saturday with a great performance, running a 14.45. Leah Wilson came out and had a similarly great day, running a speedy time of 15.29. Closing us out was Christina Li, who ran a great time of 15.29.
You’ll never guess who won on the men’s side. It was, of course, Mr All-American himself Tyler Klein, who sailed through the prelims with a winning time of 10.89, and then left the competition in the dust with his time of 10.53 in the finals, setting a NEW NIRCA RECORD in the process! Nic Soto wasn’t about to let Tyler steal all of the glory, his time of 11.20 earned him a direct trip into the finals, where he improved to run an 11.12 to claim 5th place and a new PR! Our next thee Illini ran in a super pack, all within .1 seconds of each other. John Green led the pack with his superb 11.44, Michael VanHootegem was close behind with his time of 11.48, and Adam Adil closed out this speed trio with his time of 11.53. Ethan Hung took a break from his awesome Insta Takeover to go out and run an even awesome 11.76. Ryan Fredericks improved on his time from last week by 0.2 seconds to run a 12.02. Sean Vibhatasilpin had a similarly great day, running a time of 12.15. The next two athletes came in just milliseconds apart, with Sanyu Kumaran running a 12.44 to just barely come ahead of Tanav Palisetti with his time of 12.52. Brandon Perruquet closes us out with a speedy time of 13.46, a great way to end an event full of great times!
For the 100m hurdles, we had 3 women compete, and they dominated the competition, all finishing in the top 4! Ari Afolabi once again led the group, running an incredible time of 15.43 to claim 1st place, finishing over 0.5 seconds in front of the second-place runner. That second-place competitor was closely followed by Christina Jordan, who came in with an amazing time of 16.24 for a 3rd-place finish. Brooke Bouwens rounded out this speed trio with her own awesome time of 17.12 to claim 4th place!
The men’s 110m hurdles shared a similar story of domination. Ben Cooper led for the Illini, with his incredible time of 15.64, only missing 1st place by 0.1 seconds while running in a slow heat and placing him in 2nd place overall with a new PR. Michael VanHootegem was just milliseconds behind, with his amazing time of 15.74 earning himself 3rd place overall and a new PR. Matas Carmichael wasn’t far behind, running an awesome time of 17.48 to close out this awesome event group!
Moving on to the 200m, Ninawa Odicho had a great day in this event, running 26.70 in the prelims, and beating that time with a time of 26.64 in the finals to claim 6th place! Ari Afolabi continued her winning streak in this event as well, with her time of 26.88 to earn a 10th place finish, finishing just milliseconds ahead of her teammate Melissa Aninagyei-Bonsu, who finished in a time of 27.14. Lucca Bibbey also had an awesome day, running a 28.09. Closing us out was Sumin Cho with a great time of 31.04, coming in just barely ahead of her teammate Christina Li, who finished in a speedy 31.56.
For the men, it was once again the Tyler Klein show, who ran an incredible 21.73 in the prelims to speed right into the finals, running 21.73 to claim another 1st place finish! Tyler Vizgirda was close behind, twinning his heat with a speedy time of 22.89 to claim 10th place. Nic Soto followed close behind, winning his heat as well with an awesome time of 23.04. Matas Carmichael kept up the trend of winning heats with his time of 23.92, just narrowly beating out his teammate Adam Adil with his time of 24.06. Our next two athletes finished just 0.009 seconds apart from each other, with Ben Cooper ultimately coming out on top over Ryan Fredericks, both running a 24.13. Keeping up with the trend, our next two athletes also finished just 0.01 seconds apart, with Sean Vibhatasilpin ending up victorious over Ethan Hung with times of 24.18 and 24.19, respectively. Koen Brown came in close behind, with a great time of 24.43. Yet again, the next two athletes finished within 0.01 seconds of each other, with Sanyu Kumaran running a 25.44 leading over Jacky Lin who ran a time of 25.45. Tanav Palisetti was up next, coming in with a speedy time of 26.09. Brandon Perruquet wraps us up with a speedy time of 27.47.
The women continued their victory streak in the 400m, where Brooke Bouwens led the women with her amazing time of 1:01.35 to claim a 2nd place finish. Lucca Bibbey was close behind, running an awesome time of 1:02.32 to claim 6th place overall and a new PR. Ninawa Odicho finished out the group of top 10 performances with a time of 1:02.92 to earn a 9th-place finish. Brooke Silbernagel fought hard and came out successful with a great time of 1:04.07. Anna Jablonski stuck with her teammate and came out right behind Brooke, running a speedy 1:04.71. Rachel Sakwa wasn’t far behind, running an awesome time of 1:07.45. Reiss Christensen closes out this group of stellar performances with her own speedy time of 1:14.26.
Tyler Klein displayed his speed once again in the 400m, running a stellar 48.90 to claim yet another 1st-place finish! Continuing the domination of the Tylers, Tyler Vizgirda ran an awesome time of 52.54, and on the scoreboard, was able to just edge out the next competitor by 0.001 seconds to claim 10th place. Ryan Fredericks was up next, running a speedy time of 53.62. Koen Brown followed closely behind Tyler V throughout their heat, finishing just seconds behind with a time of 54.69. Luke Nelson had a great day, running an awesome time of 55.71. Brandon Perruquet also came out and had a great run, running a speedy 1:08.12.
Even with the added challenge of hurdles in the 400m hurdles, our women continued to thrive, with our 2 athletes both finishing in the top 3. Brooke Bouwens led for this event, coming in with an incredible time of 1:07.89, almost 3 seconds ahead of the second-place finisher, to claim 1st place! Rachel Schaff continued the domination with her time of 1:10.98, running all alone in a slow heat to still claim a 3rd place overall finish!
Our men fared just as great, with Matas Carmichael running an amazing time of 1:02.14 to claim a 7th-place finish. Michael VanHootegem was just seconds behind, finishing with an awesome 1:08.33.
Speed was definitely on the track for the women’s 800m, where Bridget Brokaw had an incredible time of 2:26.00 to claim 3rd place overall! Anna Jablonski was close behind, winning her heat and coming in 5th place overall with her time of 2:27.27. Brooke Silbernagel was close behind her teammates, running an awesome time of 2:29.95. Our last two athletes finished just a second apart, with Reiss Christensen coming out ahead with her time of 2:58.57 over Christina Li’s speedy time of 2:59.50.
The men faced stiff competition, yet still put out great times. James Stanley led the team, sliding under the 2-minute mark with an impressive time of 1:59.43 for a new PR. Henry Hornbrook fought throughout the race, “the beard didn’t quit”, pushing through to run an awesome time of 2:00.24. Easton Rosen went out and crushed the competition, running a 2:01.38, and finishing just 0.5 seconds ahead of Percy Moser, who came in at 2:01.67. Dakota Amar wasn’t far behind, running his own awesome time of 2:04.20 for a PR. Trevor Glancy had a similarly great race, running a speedy time of 2:08.98. Luke Nelson went out and also had a great day, running a superb time of 2:15.18. Jose Ocegueda Zuniga stuck close behind his teammates and finished with a great time of 2:21.05. Gabe Benson closed it out for us, with a speedy 2:42.68.
Only 1 woman was brave enough to tackle the 1500m, Bridget Brokaw was all alone on the track, yet still put out an awesome time of 5:17.74.
For the men, it was an exciting installment of the east coast battles. Last week James came out on top, but this week it was Percy Moser who came out in front with his time of 4:03.63 to earn 6th place overall. James Stanley was close behind with his time of 4:04.93 to earn 7th place. Not to be left out of the fun, Easton Rosen was close behind the duo with a time of 4:06.46 to claim a 9th-place finish. Aidan Markiewicz went out and had an epic day, running a great time of 4:31.12. Gabe Benson wraps it up with an awesome time of 5:21.74.
In the 3000m Steeplechase, Suhani Permanu may have been all alone, but she still had a blast, running an awesome time of 12:54.49.
Moving up the distance, in the 5000m, Claire Casiello led for the Illini, sliding right under the 19-minute mark with an amazing time of 18:59.55. Suhani Peramanu was close behind, finishing with an awesome time of 19:35.44. Alyson Ficca closed it out with a great time of 21:19.02.
For the men, it was all up to Aidan Markiewicz, and he didn’t disappoint, running an awesome time of 17:08.10.
It’s relay time! In the women’s 4x100m, our team composed of Melissa Aninagyei-Bonsu, Brooke Bouwens, Ninawa Odicho and Ari Afolabi put up an awesome fight, and in the end, came in 2nd place with a time of 50.38. The second team, composed of Chloe Trotter, Sumin Cho, Christina Jordan, and Leah Wilson had a similarly great showing, coming in with a time of 56.81.
On the men’s side, the team composed of Nic Soto, Kevin Saju, John Green, and Tyler Klein rose up from the slow heat they raced in to have an incredible time, running a time of 43.59 and coming in 1st place overall! The next team, made up of Sean Vibhatasilpin, Matas Carmichael, Jacky Lin, and Koen Brown smashed the competition with a time of 46.50 and finished 10th overall. The third team was less than a second behind, made up of Sanyu Kumaran, Tanav Palisetti, Adam Adil, and Ryan Fredericks, who won their heat with a speedy 47.17 for an 11th-place finish.
For the 4x400m relay, the women’s team composed of Brooke Bouwens, Bridget Brokaw, Rachel Schaaf, and Ninawa Odicho yet again put up a strong fight, and came in for an awesome 2nd place overall finish with a time of 4:06.87. The second team, made up of Rachel Sakwa, Brooke Silbernagel, Lucca Bibbey, and Anna Jablonski also dominated in that heat and came out with a great time of 4:18.68 and a 5th place overall finish.
For the men, the first team again absolutely crushed the competition, made up of Tyler Vizgirda, Ryan Fredericks, Nic Soto, and Tyler Klein they came out on top with a time of 3:23.21, 2 seconds ahead of the next competitor to claim a beautiful 1st place finish. The second team, made up of Koen Brown, Luke Nelson, James Stanley, and Henry Hornbrook crushed the competition as well, winning their heat with a time of 3:33.82. The third team, composed of Matas Carmichael, Sean Vibhatasilpin, Dakota Amar, and Trevor Glancey had an awesome race, running a time of 3:40.46. Closing us out, the fourth team of Jose Ocegueda Zuniga, David Pak, Sanyu Kumaran, and Tanav Palisetti had a great race, coming out and running a speedy time of 4:02.04.
In the last running event of the meet, the 4x800m relay, the women’s team of Anna Jablonski, Brooke Silbernagel, Rachel Sakwa and Bridget Brokaw had an awesome day, running a time of 10:08.85 to claim a 4th place finish.
With the men, the team made up of James Stanley, Henry Hornbrook, Dakota Amar, and Easton Rosen fought through a tough heat and came out with a stellar 4th-place overall finish with a time of 8:05.31.
Enough with the track events, let’s get into the field events! Let’s start with the High Jump, it was a huge day for the women’s high jumpers! Christina Jordan led off with an incredible performance, jumping 1.57m (5’ 1.75”) to not only come 1st place in the event but to also set a NEW CLUB RECORD! Close behind her was Bella Brunke, whose jump of 1.47m (4’ 9.75”) earned her an awesome 5th-place finish. Gwen Bottom rounds us off with a great jump of 1.37m (4’ 6”)
On the men’s side, both of our jumpers had top-10 performances! Jack Tolentino led with his awesome jump of 1.75m (5’ 9”), giving in a 7th-place finish. John Green also jumped 1.75m (5’ 9”), but due to the scoring method used, he was awarded a still awesome 9th place overall!
In the long jump, it was another record-breaking performance. Melissa Aninagyei-Bonsu came off her strong running performances to jump 17’ 11.5”, a leap big enough to score a 3rd place finish, in addition to setting a NEW CLUB RECORD! Rachel Schaff was close behind, with an awesome jump of 1’ 7.5” to earn herself 4th place overall and a PR! Bella Brunke closed out these impressive performances with an awesome jump of 14’ 8”.
For the men, it was all John Green, whose incredible jump of 21’ 11” not only earned him 2nd place overall but also set a NEW CLUB RECORD! Tyler Klein was close behind with an awesome jump of his own, jumping 21’ 2.25” to earn a 6th place finish. Ben Cooper had a great day of his own, jumping 19’ 7”. Matas Carmichael wraps up these stellar performances with his super jump of 17’ 6.5”.
In the triple jump, it was again Melissa Aninagyei-Bonsu, whose jump of 39’ 4” set yet another NEW CLUB RECORD, on top of earning another 2nd place finish! Rachel Schaaf was yet again right by her side, and her jump of 38’ 0” breezed past the competition to earn herself a 3rd place finish and new PR. Meredith Benzar had a similarly awesome day, jumping 27’ 4.5”.
It was only Tyler Klein in the men’s triple, but he didn’t disappoint, jumping 43’ 3.5” for an amazing 3rd place finish!
Moving onto the throws, we had another selection of awesome performances! Mia Howard led for the Illini, with her incredible throw of 32’ 5” earning her a 6th place overall finish! Tiana Foreman was close behind, throwing an awesome 29’ 4” to snag a 10th place finish. Ivy Del Real wraps up this awesome day with a great throw of her own, throwing 25’ 4”.
On the men’s side, Dan Coxworth threw the shot put an amazing 37’ 6” to claim himself an 8th place finish. His teammate Jeffrey Lefkowitz was close behind, with an awesome throw of 31’ 6”.
Now we get to end with a special treat, discus! An even more special treat was the awesome performances of our athletes in the discus! Mia Howard had a superb throw of 111’ 5”, earning her a 2nd place overall finish! Tiana Foreman had a similarly stellar throw, she threw 101’ 4” to earn herself a 5th place finish! Ivy Del Real wasn’t about to be left behind, and had an awesome throw of her own, throwing 74’ 2”.
For the men, it was yet another record-breaking event. Dan Coxworth threw the discus 144’, claiming a 2nd place overall finish in addition to a NEW CLUB RECORD! Jeffrey Lefkowitz closes us out with an awesome throw of 102’ 4”.
Whew!
As you can see, there were a ton of incredible performances this past weekend! Once again, all these times and victories added up, with the women’s team winning the national championship, and the men finishing in a competitive third place! As we conclude, I also want to give a huge shoutout to Travel Coordinator Bella Brunke! None of this would be possible without all the work she put into getting the team a 12+ hour drive to Virginia and back with no issues, so huge kudos to all the work she put in!
This may have been our national championship, but we are nowhere close to being done with the track season. Next Saturday, April 13th, we’re heading to Greenville University for the Greenville Select, we’ll see you there!
Until next time,
I-L-L
Meet Results: http://live.crossroadstiming.com/meets/582865/events
best team !!
Next year both teams are getting first!