Friday, May 13, 2005
BLOOMINGTON -- Andy Kubiak had to run Thursday night.
There was no time to bask in the glow of winning two events in the 80th annual Big 12 Conference Track and Field Meet at Fred Carlton Field because Kubiak had to race to an orchestra performance.
His 20-point contribution helped Bloomington High School place fourth in the 10-team meet with 66 points. Normal Community was fifth (60) and Normal West ninth (17).
As expected, Champaign Central won its first title since 1977, scoring 112 points to top runner-up Decatur Eisenhower by 13.
Among the night's award winners was former Normal West coach Jim Baker, who received a plaque from the Big 12 recognizing his 30-year involvement with track.
A stiff breeze kept Kubiak from lowering his season bests, but he still won the 3,200-meter run in a fully automatic time of 9 minutes, 56.12 seconds prior to claiming the 1,600 in 4:29.44.
He was joined in victory lane by teammates Matt Christensen (1:58.87 in the 800) and Darien Davis (22.94 in the 200).
"With the wind, Andy was just going to stay behind and then take off," said BHS coach John Szabo. "He ran pretty decent times considering the windy conditions."
Christensen followed the pace-setting of Urbana's Stephen Burgess through a 59-second first lap in the 800.
"I like getting out with people who I can chase and try to play catch-up at the end," said the 6-foot-4, 165-pound Christensen, who blew by Burgess with 70 meters left. "It works out for me every time."
Burgess took second (1:59.94) and Jared Starnes of NCHS third (2:00.8). Christensen liked his chances with 50 meters left.
"I'm going all gears," he said. "I felt like if I'm not going to win this, they are really going to have to be hurting. I started gritting my teeth a little bit. It's great to come out senior year and run well."
Davis' freshman year turned sour when he false started in the 100. He made up for it by winning the 200 by .04 over Emanual Lewis of Eisenhower.
"I thought I was going to lose in the beginning, but for some reason I got enough energy to kick it in and I got him," Davis said. "I was too eager (in the 100). That was my first false start ever."
Lewis won the 100 in 11.24.
"We've got to get him to run the whole race and today he ran the curve well," said Szabo of Davis.
The only double winner besides Kubiak was University of Illinois football recruit Brit Miller of Eisenhower, who won the discus with a lifetime best of 175-4 and claimed the shot put at 54-4. His previous best in the discus was 158-8.
"It was a great day for the discus," Miller said. "We had a cross wind from right to left. For right-handed throwers it was definitely an advantage."
Scott Charlton of NCHS was second in the shot at 50-4 1/2.
"We were looking for a pop (beyond 52)," said NCHS coach Tom Patten. "We think it's going to come. Both our discus throwers had good evenings."
Matt Lynch of NCHS was fourth in the discus with a season best of 147-0 and Christian Beck was sixth at 142-0.
NCHS had a pair of runners-up in Maxim Bakana in the triple jump (44-7 1/2) and Jason Heermance in the 300 intermediate hurdles (42.50). Bakana's career best came with his foot perfectly on the board on the fifth of his six jumps.
"It felt like it was easy for me to jump," Bakana said. "On my last phase I just had to push really hard and go far. My first jump was 43-11 and that felt really easy. That got me going."
Normal West's best finisher was sophomore Cory Nanni in the 1,600 (third, 4:33.73). He and Jonny Kaufmann chipped in career best splits of 2:00.0 and 2:02.9, respectively, to the third-place 3,200 relay (8:21.19).
Champaign Central coach Argie Johnson was pleased with his team, which won six of the 18 events. The best may be yet to come for the Maroons.
"I told the kids when we started the season I thought this was a history making year for us," he said. "Last year, state was won with 48 points. We've got 48 points if we can put it all together on that weekend. We've got more than 48."
Champaign looks to end drought in Big 12 track
BLOOMINGTON -- Based on the seeding marks, Champaign Central High School's boys track and field team would win its first title since 1977 in tonight's 80th annual Big 12 Conference Meet at Fred Carlton Field.
Action begins with field events at 4:30 p.m., running preliminaries at 5 and finals at 6.
For the first time in many years, if not in meet history, the meet is being contested on a Thursday instead of a Friday. The change was made because BHS is playing host to a girls sectional Friday.
Champaign Central is seeded to score 137.5 points, followed by defending champion Champaign Centennial with 92.
Rounding out the field are Decatur Eisenhower (83.6), Urbana (73.3), Bloomington (54.5), Normal Community (38.5), Mattoon (38), Decatur MacArthur (14), Normal West (7) and Danville (5.5).
"They won the Big 12 indoor and nobody was even close to them," said BHS coach John Szabo of the Maroons' 37-point victory over runner-up NCHS indoors. "I imagine they are the favorite again."
Szabo wants his Purple Raiders shooting for the top three.
"We're always in the top half, but typically in the top three," said Szabo, whose team placed second last year, two points out of first.
Andy Kubiak of BHS is the top seed in the 1,600- and 3,200-meter events with times of 4 minutes, 25.0 seconds and 9:40.3.
The favorite in the 800 is Matt Christenson of BHS at 1:58.2.
NCHS is expected to do most of its scoring in the field events. Discus throwers Christian Beck (150-2) and Matt Lynch (140-11) are seeded third and sixth, respectively. Teammate Scott Charlton is seeded third in the shot put (50-8).
"Champaign Central is strong everywhere but the throws, Eisenhower everywhere but the distances," said NCHS coach Tom Patten, who is hoping for a top-three showing. "Both Bloomington and Urbana have some very strong entries in a variety of places.
"Our strength this year has been depth and in a deep field such as conference, that isn't going to pay the way it has elsewhere. We'll need some significant drops in times and improvements in performances to threaten the top of the heap."
Normal West will use Cory Nanni and Jonny Kaufmann, a pair of stellar underclassmen, in the 3,200 relay and the 1,600. Kaufmann is seeded fourth in the 1,600 (4:45.3).
"I think we could be very competitive with our four-by-800," said Normal West coach Loren Baele. "We are attempting to run our best four-by-100 and four-by-200 times of the year."
University of Illinois football recruit Brit Miller of Eisenhower is the top seed in the shot put (56-2 1/2) and discus (158-8). The returning champion in the shot put is former Normal West student Adam Helton of Centennial (52-6).