Illinois Prep Top Times Indoor Classic
Saturday, April 1 , 2006 - University of Illinois Armory, Champaign IL
Results from illinoispreptoptimes.com - Class AA - Class A
Illinoispreptoptimes.com's Tony Jones' Class AA Report
Phil Hanson Joins 17-foot Club - Evan Jager's Great Triple - Evanston Girls' Speed
Class AA Boys: Pontiac sr Phil Hanson US#3 17-1.25 PV (Plainfield South sr Jake Winder 16-2), Jacobs jr. Evan Jager 4:14.83 1600/1:54 4x800 leg/50.1 4x400 leg,
Class AA Girls: Evanston 1:40.83 4x200 (US#2 on flat track), 3:54.12 4x400 (US#3 on flat track).
Class A Boys: Herrin jr Eric Thompson 6-10.25 HJ, Monticello 8:00.15 4x800
Class A Girls: Aurora Christian jr Ashura Jenkins 7.27 55m/26.00 200 double.
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Illinoispreptoptimes.com's Tony Jones' Class AA IPTT Report
4/1/2006
Champaign-
Not even F.A.T. timing glitches or several omissions from track powerhouses E. St. Louis Sr, Chicago Morgan Park, Cahokia, or York could prevent the 17th Annual IPTT Classic from being one of the most entertaining indoor meets in a very long time. A total of seven meet records were shattered in the process. Evanston girls made good on their vow to run very fast and make them the team to beat. Shalina Clarke has successfully filled the void left by the great Alexandria Anderson (Morgan Park). Still, the end of indoor season brings together the kids and coaches who efforts throughout the winter are brought to the forefront. IPTT is merely a means to showcase the efforts and to officially close indoor season and bring on outdoor season.
-Girl’s storyline-
3200m: The small field produced big results as York’s Maggie Sack won her first major championship in 11:05.23 over Nicole Benson (Limestone). Sack, a sophomore, has often played the background to teammate and star Molly Sullivan. However, on this day the diminutive Sack accelerated from a tight of four runners with 1200m left for the win.
4x800m relay: St. Charles East withstood a great challenge by a stacked Wheaton North squad and #1 Hoffman Estates Conant before winning in 9:35.01. 12 teams broke 10:00 in one of the most competitive races in IPTT history. An amazing 24 of 25 teams that competed hit IPTT leaderboard marks.
55m: Meaka Brents (Rockford Guilford) grabbed the victory over an evenly matched field. Brents held off local favorites Leslie Washington (Centennial) and Ermanda Roberts (Central) 7.25 to 7.28/7.30.
55HH: The anticipated showdown between Shalina Clarke and Egle Staisiunaite (Downers Grove South) didn’t materialize. That’s because “The Ace” aced the field in a meet record 7.96. In fact, the other solid competitors didn’t even have a chance once Clarke raced out of the blocks and over the first hurdle- it was over. Staisiunaite ran the third fastest time in meet history (8.19) but was nowhere near Clarke. Clarke indicated that her record run was good, “I was pleased with my time.”
400m: Sophia Ponce (Rockton Hononegah) has been tagged the next long sprint queen. She made observers look good with a solid victory over freshman Libby O’Brien (Glenbard South) 56.43 to 57.91. Ponce, a multi-talented athlete, proved her worth in her favorite event. The University of Iowa recruit briefly discussed her victory, “I thought I was going to have a little more competition, I was a little surprised with the [size] of the win.”
800m: “I didn’t see her coming” was the rationale Sequoia McKinney (Thornwood) used in explaining the charge from freshman sensation Shakeia Pinnick (Waubonsie Valley). Pinnick literally stole the victory from McKinney. It was all set up by an early pace- that went out in a pedestrian 1:06 for the first 400m. This formula is often fatal for distance oriented mid-distance runners, but quite enticing for sprinter oriented middle-distance runners. The pack seemed uncertain as a fleet of girls hung near McKinney (knowing her past exploits) just before 600m. Just before the bell, McKinney increased the pace as if a jailbreak occurred. As the hot pursuit ensued, it wasn’t until 150m left when the sensational Pinnick launched an all-out kick, going from 6th or 7th to even with McKinney coming down the homestretch. Both leaned at the line but it was too close to call. Moments later the scoreboard read: 2:18.14- Pinnick/ 2:18.17- McKinney. A new era has been born.
4x200 meter relay: Evanston Wildkits came to IPTT for one reason: to run very fast and end indoor season on a positive note. The Wildkits own the meet record of 1:41.69. Not only did the quartet establish a new record, they completely destroyed it in fine fashion [1:40.83]. They Wildkits were completely stacked with Clarke and their igniter Demeca Hill. However, it was Clarke, who ran second leg and blazed the track with a scorching 23.7 split. The appreciative crowd knew it was in for a treat as the anchor leg streaked up toward the finish line and a full five seconds ahead of Thornwood. The Wildkits produced as follow: #1 in Illinois indoors all-time, #1 on Illinois soil by a prep team, #2 in USA on flat non-banked and non- oversized track, and #7 in USA overall in any condition.
1600m: The word was that Hailee Elmore (Springfield) did have a strong finishing kick. Not many times in her prep career did she have to worry about one. That notion was put to the test, as Elmore and Sarah Klaczynski (Sandburg) were mired in a duel. The last 400m is when the race really began, and the training shoe wearing Klaczynski appeared to be on her way to victory. However, Elmore is three-time defending champion and would not be denied. The champ inched ahead coming around the final 80 meters of the race and held on for the victory in 5:06.91. Elmore is the first athlete to win four straight titles of any event at IPTT.
200m: Sophia Ponce completed the oval sprint sweep over the Shakeia Pinnick 25.59 to 25.83. Ponce shot out of the blocks and through the first turn with more authority than in her 400m triumph.
DMR: The event was unveiled for the first time and Wheaton North ran a fine 12:52.03 in holding off Edwardsville 13:07.41.
4x400m relay: Evanston “A” and “B” packed double trouble for its foes, going first and third respectively. The “A” squad was once again led by Shalina Clarke’s 54.8 leg. The Wildkits were down by a second at the first exchange when Clarke took the second on the second leg. Clarke immediately caught the Thornwood runner and gaped her by over 3+ second by the next exchange. The only thing standing in the way was Morgan Park’s meet record of 3:53.68. The Wildkits settled for #2 all-time (3:54.12) as their anchor leg ran comfortable and up by a straightaway throughout the last leg. Thornwood ran a fine 3:59.70 without ailing ace McKinney. Evanston “B” was third in 4:03.17.
High jump: all 11 jumpers cleared opening height and 5-0 (a meet first). Raisa Taylor (Decatur Eisenhower) made a statement that the high jump is going to be strong again. Taylor cleared 5-7, the same as Laura Morris (Mahomet-Seymour) but won the jump off. Both girls set personal records in the process.
Pole vault: Brittney Bernardoni (Batavia) set a meet record 12-6 and defeated a very strong field. The field included Melissa Gergel (Marian Catholic) a 13 foot vaulter, who finished 5th. Bernardoni electrified the crowd with the record attempt.
Long jump: Jackie Coleman (Neuqua Valley) was the only athlete over 18-0 but the effort was good enough to hold back Evanston’s Jonkea Stewart-Butler who leaped 17-8.50. The field included 17 jumpers who cleared 17-0 or better during the indoor season but only three accomplished the feat during competition.
Triple jump: Coleman completed the jump sweep with a personal best 38-11.50. The TJ is Coleman’s best event and she didn’t disappoint. The eye-popping effort was more than a foot better than Katherine Gevitz’s (Oak Park-River Forest) effort of 37-9.50.
Shot put: Jenna Silver (York) held on for a strong win against a strong field. The 39-11.75 effort was good enough as Ann Bucalo (Cary-Grove) 39-10 was close by.
-Boy’s storyline-
3200m: Christian Escareno (Rolling Meadows) won in a fine 9:13.92 over Ryan Jacobs (Hononegah) 9:18.81. The Brown University bound Escareno initially had ideas to challenge the record of 8:58.96 set by Tim Keller back in 2000 but the lack of several key contenders change that: “there were several guys faster than me who didn’t show, so I just went for the win.” Going for the win meant following a pace that went through the first half (1600m) in 4:39. Escareno followed along with Glen Morris (Palatine) and Mark Battista (Lincoln-Way Central) until the 2800m mark. Jacobs and Escareno pulled away from Morris for just a two-man battle. Escareno opened up this kick on the back- stretch of the final 200m for the easy victory and a personal best.
55m: Herman Rome (Proviso East) opened a slight lead mid-way through the short dash to hold to his first major victory in 6.50.
55HH: Kris Jameson (Evanston) was a surprise winner over Calvin Williams (Hillcrest) 7.57-7.59. Jameson glided over the hurdles rather cleanly for the victory. The obviously happy hurdler let the crowd share in his joy with a victory grin.
4x800m relay: When Argo won the first of two final sections in 8:13.31, an alert was put out to the “fast section” that a real solid effort was needed. However, winner only four teams barely surpassed Argo’s effort. Glenbard South and Jacob dueled to 8:06 efforts. GBS held off Jacob 8:06.0h to 8:04.0h in perhaps one of the best finishes in meet history. It came down to the anchor lap and Jacob’s Evan Jacob used a 1:53 leg to almost bring his team a victory. Neuqua Valley held off Chicago Lane Tech for the silver 8:10.3h to 8:13.0h.
400m: The pre-season talk was who would step up and take the long sprint crown that Prince Riley (formerly of Neuqua Valley and now at U of Iowa). Teammate Zach Splan (NV) was ready for the challenge. Splan grabbed the all important pole position in the lap affair in the final heat and it was just a matter of time before paydirt. Splan ran a nifty 49.86 for his indoor personal best. The effort should be a springboard for what is to come during the outdoor campaign.
800m: the “half-mile” has a storied history in the state of Illinois with a multitude of past greats donning the event. Stephen Williams (Marion) is positioning himself as one of the all-time greats because he is a hard-nosed front-runner, clocking 1:51.xx last season. It was generally thought that Williams would challenge the meet record of 1:53.30 by Jason Van Swol (Lincoln-Way). Williams went out in rather fast the first 200m then stalled going through the 400m in just over 56 seconds. Williams picked the pace back up going through in a solid 1:23 at 600m and within record pace, but decided to let the chase pack close in before settling in for the victory in 1:55.17. Williams glanced out the crowd and threw the whirl finger as to indicate he is #1. Afterwards, Williams indicated that he may be just that: “I was just going for the win here.” When asked about future goals and opponents chasing him he indicated this: “my goals are to run low 47’s [in the 400m] and 1:49 [in the 800m]… I think the guy from Quincy will be there and some guys from York will be there with me, but once I get in shape I should win by a second.” As for the chase pack, Tom Robbins (Loyola Academy) led a solid group of runners under 1:57.
4x200m relay: Bloom Township continued to dismay the non-believers here. Although their 1:31.72 victory was solid, it was performed amid sloppy and NASCAR like conditions. In between bumps and cutoffs through turns and exchanges, there was a disqualification as well (De La Salle) for good measure. Still, Bloom worked hard to erase the 1:32.05 effort put up by Springfield Lanphier in the previous heat.
1600m: This is probably the most balanced field in terms of quality. The marquee’ match-up between All-American Evan Jager (Jacobs) and xc champion Steve Finley (Palatine) would be epic. Finley quickly got the jump on the field by steaming past the initial 400m in 61.8 and half-way point in 2:07xx. Shortly after the 800m mark was when Jager started to stalk Finley, who began to show signs of fatigue. By the 1200 mark, Finley and Jager were virtually twins but it was clear that Jager had more in the tank and soon took off in an effort to establish more than a victory. The meet record of 4:15.01 by Edwardsville’s Stephen Pifer appeared to be in real jeopardy. Jager basically sprinted the final 200m and presto- 4:14.83! The appreciative crowd showed their approval with a full house clap. Jager has clearly established himself as a person to be reckoned with during the outdoor season.
200m: Brandon Love (Proviso West) became the marked man in his favorite event. Love won in a decent 22.34 over Patrick George (Gordon Tech). George ran very well despite playing basketball most of the winter. Aaron Lowe (Bloom) and Warnether Banks (Springfield Lanphier) rounded out the sub 22.50 field.
DMR: The small field did not deter a good race. Only six teams lined up in the first DMR in meet history. Evanston overcame Lane Tech on the third leg (1200m) and never looked back in 10:55.64. Schaumburg closed late on the final leg (1600m) to finish second over Lane Tech 11:08.24-11:08.64.
4x400m relay: all week the hype was between Proviso East and Proviso West and several others. No one mentioned Evanston in the discussion. The Wildkits usually remain low-key during the indoor season. However, on a special day when their coach the legendary Willie May in attendance as well their girl’s team dominating things the boys went out and held their own. The Wildkits used a 49.4 leg from Charles Smith on the third leg to put things out of reach. On the anchor leg and just 50 meters from the finish and the crowd in a frenzy Evanston’s anchorman digging for the meet record of 3:21.95 came up just short in 3:22.20. The superb effort was the second fastest time ever run in meet history. Afterwards, the boys were mobbed by the Evanston girls and that’s team companionship.
High Jump: Major Clay (Springfield Lanphier) leaped 6-10 for the win. His attempts at 7-0 went for not. Jared Nuxoll (Effingham) held off Martel Wilson (Niles North) at 6-8.
Long Jump: Tony Dallavalle (Lincoln) distanced himself from the field with his 22-10.25 effort- almost a foot better than the nearest competitor.
Triple Jump: Troy Doris (Bolingbrook) recovered from off-season knee surgery to win his first IPTT title in 46-5.75 over Deron Boyett (Bloom).
Shot Put: Adam Gettis (Lincoln-Way East) 58-6.50 beats a solid field where nearly all competitors threw 50 feet.
Pole Vault: The match-up of the year took place here: Jake Winder (Plainfield South) vs. Phil Hanson (Pontiac). Hanson drew first blood by leaping 16-0 feet but could only muster 16-2. However, Hanson broke Winder’s old meet record and then kept soaring up to the mighty 17 foot mark- cleared it. The attempt was to clear 17-5, which would have been the nation’s best mark. Hanson missed on both attempts but received one of the biggest ovations ever for a track meet. The entire crowd was on its collective feet for the history makes and misses. Hanson indicated that he would like to compete in the Nike Outdoor Championships in June and leap over 18 feet during the outdoor season.