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Track News     BHS make it a 3-Peat. The team takes the Big 12 Championship for the third time in three years. Click on "Statistic" for details.


Notes


Friday, May 09, 2008


Meets this week:

 

Monday 5/12

Unit 5 JV Meet

 

Friday 5/16

Sectionals

 


2008 Results:

 

Big 12

Raider Relays

Intercity

Normal Invite

Downers Grove South

Capitol City Classic

Normal Community/Pontiac

Big 12 Indoor

Mahomet Invitational

Thornwood Invitational

Normal West Indoor

IVC Team Results


 

Get your 2007 Season Highlight DVD now!!!  Contact John Szabo at: szaboj@district87.org

 


 

 

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BHS leads 1-2-3 Intercity sweep at boys Big 12 meet

 

By Randy Sharer
rsharer@pantagraph.com

MATTOON -- Tyler Sipes’ electrifying performance in the Big 12 Conference Track Meet Thursday was observed by a kindred spirit -- 1976 Olympic 400-meter hurdle bronze medalist Mike Shine.

"He said ‘it’s a fun race isn’t it?’" said the Bloomington High School star after defending his 300 intermediate hurdle title in a season best of 38.85 seconds.

 

"No one really knows the 300 hurdles unless you run the 300 hurdles. It’s tough."

 

Shine was impressed.

"Technically, he is really sound," said Champaign Centennial’s assistant coach after watching Sipes blitz the 110 high hurdles in 13.90, the fastest fully automatic time in Pantagraph area history.

"He’s got good speed so I would think he would go a long way. He will be a good college hurdler. He’s definitely the real deal."

Sipes dealt BHS 20 of its 142 points as it won for the third consecutive year. The 83rd annual meet saw a 1-2-3 Intercity sweep with Normal West second (106) and Normal Community third (79).

"All the guys stepped up on a night that did not have ideal conditions," said BHS coach John Szabo, referring to the misty, windy, 50-degree weather. "We placed in 16 of the 18 events which demonstrates the team effort."

It was unclear if Sipes’ high hurdle time was a meet record. Pantagraph files show Decatur MacArthur’s Vick Reed ran a manually timed 13.8 in 1981. The meet program listed Danville’s Derrick Gentry (1980) and Rocco Reed (1997) as having run 13.90. Reed, a Normal West assistant, said his time was also fully automatic.

Sipes’ previous area record was a manual 13.9 and his old automatic best was 14.02 to win last year’s Class AA state title.

"I kind of came out of the blocks slow," said Sipes, who was shown a hand time of 13.78 by officials backing up the automatic timing system. "I’m just being picky now. I’m really happy with my time."

Matching Sipes’ win total was Normal West’s Jonny Kaufmann, who swept the 800 (2:01.98) and 1,600 (4:37.34). Neither time was his best.

"It was bad weather for good times," he said. "In both races I had to lead the pack and I was taking all that (wind) by myself."

The weather didn’t help BHS junior Jeshiah Campbell, who won the long jump at 20-9.25, well under his best of 23-1, which ranks sixth in the state.

"You’ve got to adjust to it because you can’t change the weather," said Campbell, who ran on the winning 400 relay (43.35) with Sipes, Jake McCain and Greg Patton.

Patton tried to duplicate his Intercity win over Normal West’s Reid Basting in the 400, but Basting had a new plan he used to win, 50.45 to 50.69.

"I knew I had to take it out faster than I did at Intercity just because I didn’t want the same results," Basting said.

Patton bounced back with a 52.8 split for his winning 1,600 relay (3:34.05), which included McCain (53.8), Andy Szabo (54.5) and Marcus McGee (52.9).

After two runner-up finishes in the 3,200, BHS senior Doug Rever won in 10:06.60 thanks to a dominating final two laps.

"We just needed the points and that’s what I was going for," he said.

BHS got 18 points from the pole vault where Joe Roberts and Sam Sleeper tied for first at 12-0, but didn’t try to go higher.

"With that wind blowing our poles all around, trying to plant was kind of difficult," Roberts said.

While three others were blowing early attempts at 6-4 in the high jump, Normal West’s Troy Walls cleared on his first try, thus sewing up the win.

"You just have to not think about (the weather)," said Walls, who also sped a career best 14.74 for second in the highs.

Normal West defended its 3,200 relay title in dramatic fashion as Jesse Holliger (1:58.8) passed NCHS’ Logan Campbell (2:02.0) in the final 100 to win, 8:22.41 to 8:22.86.

Holliger’s setup men were Bryce Basting (2:08.5), Jeff Bush (2:08.3) and Steve Ross (2:06.4).

"We were hoping Jesse wouldn’t have to work so hard," said Wildcat coach Steve Destri, who wound up scratching the No. 2-seeded Holliger from the open 800.

NCHS defended its 800 relay title (1:31.93) thanks to Brent Ross, Stephen Pierce, Jared Cross and Melvin Hicks.

Rounding out BHS’ eight winners was Quay Hall in the shot put (47-9.75).


BHS boys track vaults to third Raider Relays title

By Randy Sharer
rsharer@pantagraph.com

 

BLOOMINGTON — In 26 years as Bloomington High School track coach, John Szabo had never had three pole vaulters clear 13 feet, 6 inches in the same season.

That changed in Thursday’s 25th annual Raider Relays when Joe Roberts and Sam Sleeper soared over 14-0 and Eric O’Shea made 13-6.

Their combined distance of 41-6 accounted for the lone meet record and helped BHS score 116 points to win for the third consecutive year.

Normal Community placed second (90) in the eight-team meet while Normal West was sixth (46) and Lincoln eighth (10).

“We needed to make some drops in some events and we did that today,” said Szabo, who got Pantagraph-area season best times from his 800- and 1,600-meter relays.

The longer relay sped 3:24.1 thanks to Greg Patton (51.1), Marcus McGee (52.5), Jeshiah Campbell (51.3) and Tyler Sipes (49.4). The same foursome won the 800 relay in 1:30.3.

BHS won the long jump (61-10) thanks to Campbell (21-11), Sodiq Alliu (20-8) and Torre Harrell (19-3). Alliu bounded a career best 45-1½ to help BHS win the triple jump at 126-8. Another mark of note was the season best of 44-4½by Lincoln’s Caleb Sutton.

Alliu was also part of the winning 400 relay (43.6) with Campbell, Jake McCain and Horrell. McCain joined Sipes, Patton and Antonio Lockwood to win the 240 high hurdle shuttle (32.9) and 440 intermediate hurdle shuttle (58.8).

Normal West got notable splits from Jonny Kaufmann (4:32.3) in its winning four-by-1,600 relay and Reid Basting (50.4) in its third-place 1,600 relay (3:31.4).

Anuraq Palekar tossed the shot put a career best 48-9½ to help the NCHS win (135-½). The Ironmen also won the discus (362-5).


Sipes, Campbell lead BHS boys track to 3rd straight Intercity win

BLOOMINGTON -- Tyler Sipes and Jeshiah Campbell warmed up for meet-record performances by joining forces in a meet record-setting 400-meter relay in the Intercity Boys Track Meet Tuesday. | Photo gallery
 

Bloomington's Tyler Sipes, center, leads the 110 meter hurdle race while Normal West's Troy Walls, left, follows close behind and Normal Community's Mark Gordon, back right, trails the both of them Tuesday afternoon (April 22, 2008) during the Intercity Boys Track Meet at Central Catholic in Bloomington. (Pantagraph/B Mosher) Buy reprint

Their exploits helped Bloomington High School score 117 points to win for the third consecutive year as Central Catholic served as host for the first time.

 

Joining them in a 42.9-second relay effort were Jake McCain and Greg Patton. Their time ranks in a tie for eighth in Pantagraph area history and removed the meet mark of 43.0 set by U High in 2006.“We knew we could do it,” said Sipes, the reigning Class AA state champion in the 110 high hurdles. “We went down a whole second from last week and we still don’t have our handoffs exactly where we want them to be at.”

Sipes had hoped to be under 14-flat in his specialty, but had to settle for a lowering of his 2007 meet record from 14.6 to 14.1 to win for the third straight year.

“It felt really good, my start especially,” said Sipes, whose season best is 13.9. “At the third hurdle, I came off balance a little bit.”

Sipes tried to save some energy while defending his title in the 300 intermediate hurdles in 39.0, missing his 2007 meet record of 38.5.

“If someone had been there to push me, I’m sure I would have run faster,” said Sipes, who used his stockpiled energy to anchor the winning 1,600 relay (3:28.8) with a 49.2 split. “I’m still not in as good of shape as I want to be.”

Getting Sipes the baton were McCain (52.5), Joe Roberts (53.4) and Andy Szabo (53.9).

Campbell long jumped a meet record 23 feet, 0 inches to break the mark of 22-6 set by Oheni Morris of BHS in 2004. Campbell couldn’t complain about his technique.

“Coach told me to focus on knee lift,” he said. “I focused on it and hit the jump perfect.”

The Purple Raiders’ overall performance wasn’t bad either as they finished 36 points ahead of runner-up Normal Community (81). Normal West took third (79) followed by University High (73) and Central Catholic (24).

“We’re making a lot of progress right now,” said BHS coach John Szabo, whose team won eight of the 18 events.

U High’s Kevin Forde completed the distance double, winning the 3,200 in 9:58.8 and the 1,600 in a career best 4:26.2. He broke open the 3,200 with a 72.8 sixth lap and he grabbed control of the 1,600 with a 2:09.9 final 800.

“I’m still trying to tweak and find where my sweet spot of running is,” Forde said. “I’m going to try something different every race. It worked this time. We’ll see how it works in another race.”

Normal West’s Jonny Kaufmann worked his way to second in the 1,600 in 4:30.9 ahead of John Curran’s Central Catholic record 4:31.3 in third.

Kaufmann had earlier won the 800 in an area-leading 1:59.9 as he came from behind in the final 100.

“I’ve been in a funk the past couple meets so I just wanted to go out and see what the pace felt like,” Kaufmann said. “I trusted my kick. It was there today.”

Unprecedented depth was in the high jump where only one Intercity boy had cleared 6-4 in the previous 20 years, but three made that height Tuesday.

U High’s Ikechi Nnamani won on a first attempt clearance at 6-4, which was also made by runner-up Troy Walls of Normal West and Marcus Harris of NCHS, who both needed more attempts.

“It was nailbiting,” said Nnamani, who went out at 6-6.

The career triple jump best of BHS junior Sodiq Alliu bit the dust when he bounded 44-9½ on his final attempt. His area-leading mark surpassed his 2007 best of 44-3.

“I don’t know where that came from,” he said. “I really didn’t think it was going to be that big of a jump because my knee has been bothering me the past couple weeks.”

Greg Patton of BHS was bothered by the fact he grabbed the lead so early in the 400.

“I thought I was doing something wrong,” said Patton, who expected Normal West star Reid Basting to take it out harder.

Patton, a junior, held on to edge Basting as both notched career bests of 49.7. Next year Patton hopes to get the meet record of 49.2 set by Bruce Jones of NCHS in 1972.

Melvin Hicks of NCHS won the 100 in 11.0 despite a groin injury.

“It felt all right to be running on an injury, but I felt it,” said Hicks, who later anchored the winning 800 relay to victory in 1:31.2.

That relay was led off by 200 winner Brent Ross (22.3) and included Stephen Pierce and Jared Cross. The curve was critical to Ross’ 200 win.

“Instead of just striding it out, I was at a full sprint,” he said. “I’ve been working on it for two years now. I’ve finally got it down.”

Roberts of BHS had to get down to business in the pole vault (which he won at 13-6) because of relay duty.

“I had to run the four-by-200 so I was rushed through my last jumps,” Roberts said. “I didn’t really care about the height today, just the points.”

U High discus thrower Scott Blair saw points going down the drain until uncorking a season best 151-10 on his final attempt.

“I was freaking out,” said Blair, whose winning throw preceded the career best 150-9 by top-seeded Joey Anderson of NCHS. “I didn’t think I was going to be able to pull one out today.”

Max Wiese of Normal West pulled out an outdoor season best of 49-7 to win the shot put. His indoor best was 50-4.

“He was really pumped from the get go,” said Wildcat coach Steve Destri, whose strongman hadn’t been over 47-10½ yet outdoors. “He made the throw on his first toss and it held up.”

U High’s late lead in the 3,200 relay held up thanks to the 2:02.9 split by freshman James Clay. The Pioneers’ 8:25.9 effort included Josiah Husk (2:03.8), Rob Hanson (2:09.4) and Jace Motimer (2:09.8).

New meet photos posted

Check out our new photos. Just click on the "Images" link to above to see new photos posted every week. Many of our photos can be downloaded and printed at your local photo processing center.

 

See more photos from the:

Capitol City Classic-

(Lanphier Invitational)

 

Downers Grove South Photos

Saints hosting boys Intercity Meet again after 58 years

By Pantagraph staff

The Intercity boys track event will take place at 4:30 p.m. today at Central Catholic High School in Bloomington. For the first time since 1982, Bloomington will not serve as host.

Pantagraph files dating back to 1950 show Central Catholic has not hosted the meet until now.

The Purple Raiders are seeking their third consecutive title. The only returning champion is Bloomington’s Tyler Sipes, who holds meet records of 14.6 in the 110 high hurdles and 38.5 in the 300 intermediate hurdles. He has the area’s top times this season of 13.9 and 39.1.

Normal Community’s Joey Anderson is the top seed in the discus, the event his father, Don, won in 1978. Another meet record most in danger is the long jump mark of 22-6 as Jeshiah Campbell of BHS went 23-1 Friday, the ninth best jump in area history. … The lone athlete seeded first in two events is Normal West’s Reid Basting in the 200 (23.1) and 400 (50.4).


Bad break can't keep West from winning Big 12 indoor meet

By Randy Sharer
rsharer@pantagraph.com

 

BLOOMINGTON -- No one exemplified how badly the Normal West track team wanted to win the Big 12 Conference Indoor Meet more than Jerry Lewis on Tuesday night at Shirk Center.

Bloomington's Jeshiah Campbell leaps in the air during the Boys Big 12 Conference Indoor Track and Field Championship at Illinois Wesleyan Shirk Center in Bloomington on Tuesday (March 18, 2008). (Pantagraph/B Mosher)

The Wildcat junior sacrificed his body for the team, throwing himself across the finish line to win the 200-meter dash before falling and breaking his collarbone.

“It’s pretty bittersweet,” said Wildcat coach Steve Destri after his team won its first league indoor title with 134 points, 47 more than runner-up Bloomington, the defending champion.

The Wildcats’ only outdoor Big 12 title came in 1995. Normal Community tied for fifth Tuesday with Mattoon at 28.

Lewis, who won in an indoor school record 23.11 seconds, will be evaluated today, but could be out two to eight weeks.

“He’s pretty indispensable because he’s our one quality sprinter,” said Destri, who later visited Lewis in the hospital. “We left the team trophy with him to sleep with.”

Prior to that bad break, almost everything went the Wildcats’ way as they won eight of the 15 events.

Jonny Kaufmann set the pace, sweeping the 800 (1:59.62) and 1,600 (4:42.40) before anchoring the third-place 1,600 relay (3:38.07) with a 52.2 split.

Kaufmann said the team title meant “a ton” given the fact BHS has won the past two outdoor league titles.

“It’s nice to take one away to let them know we’re there,” he said.

Reid Basting, Troy Walls and Max Wiese put their names right there in the Normal West record book with winning efforts in the 400 (50.91), 55 high hurdles (7.75) and shot put (50 feet, 4 inches), respectively.

Basting was by Lewis’ side in the 200 in second with a personal best of 23.14. Earlier, Basting won the 400 by grabbing the pole position after a lap on the 200-meter track before holding off Greg Patton of BHS (52.05).

“With my type of race strategy, I needed to get out in front and pretty much hang on to the lead,” said Basting, who did not get to face the reigning outdoor 400 champion Marcus McGee of BHS because of injury.

Walls was disappointed he didn’t get to face reigning Class AA state 110 high hurdle champion Tyler Sipes of BHS, who will miss the next few meets for disciplinary reasons.

“I look forward to facing him outdoors,” Walls said.

Wiese’s previous school shot put record was 46-6.

“Now he’s starting to show that emotion you need to have (to throw far),” Destri said.

Rounding out the Wildcat winners were their 3,200 relay (8:30.21) and sophomore Austin Baer in the 3,200 (10:10.66).

The relay included Jeff Bush (2:08.7), Tyler DeGroot (2:10.3), Wade Rupard (2:08.0) and Steve Ross (2:03.1). Ross’ career best split helped his team erase a 5.1-second deficit.

The 6-foot-4 Baer chopped 15 seconds from his old best to hold off teammate Drew Kerschieter (10:14.63) in second.

Baer’s off-season training included three workouts per week at the Sports Enhancement Center.

“It was intense,” he said. “That was probably the most off-season training I’ve ever done.”

BHS junior Jeshiah Campbell won the long jump at 22-3 despite a sore left ankle on his take-off leg. He blamed stutter stepping at the board for keeping him from reaching his season best of 22-8½.

“I’ve just got to get my mark down,” he said. “I’m going for 23. That’s my goal.”

BHS went 1-2 in the pole vault as both Joe Roberts and Sam Sleeper cleared 13-3. Roberts, who won based on misses, went out at 13-9, but he knows what to fix.

“It’s basically just getting the standards right,” he said.


 


Coach: John Szabo, 26th year
2007: Won sectional, Big 12 Conference and Intercity titles

Returning stars (2007 bests in parentheses): Tyler Sipes (110H — 14.01, 300IH — 37.73); Marcus McGee (400 - 50.11); Greg Patton (400 – 50.6, 110HH – 15.6, 300 IH - 39.77); Joe Roberts (PV – 14-0); Sam Sleeper (PV – 13-7 this year); Doug Rever (3,200 – 9:59.8); Sodiq Alliu (TJ – 44-3, LJ - 20-10 3/4).

Other key contributors: Jeshiah Campbell (LJ – 22-8 1/2 this year); Josh Roig (800 – 2:01.33 this year), Quay Hall (SP – 47-1 1/2 this year), Jake McCain (sprints).

FYI: Tyler Sipes, the Class AA state 110 high hurdle champion, holds Intercity meet records in the highs (14.6) and 300 intermediate hurdles (38.5). … Marcus McGee, a senior, won last year’s Big 12 400 and split 49.7 in a relay. … Greg Patton won last year’s Pantagraph Honor Roll Meet (HRM) 400. … Doug Rever is the reigning Big 12 indoor 3,200 champion. … Jeshiah Campbell, who lettered as a freshman but did not compete last year, is a threat to the school long jump record of 23-1/2. … Darian Davis, a three-time Intercity champion in the 200 and the reigning Intercity and sectional 100 champion, is no longer in school.

Quoting: “He won the race last year out of the blocks if you look at the replay,” said Coach John Szabo recalling Sipes’ state title effort. “At the second hurdle, he was way ahead. Coach (Keith) Enyart has done a great job with his technique.”


 

2008 Intercity boys track teams' schedules, and rosters.
BLOOMINGTON


REMAINING SCHEDULE

March 18 – Big 12 Conference Indoor Meet at IWU, 4 p.m.

March 29 – Illinois Prep Top Times Indoor Classic at IWU, 10 a.m.

April 2 – Pontiac, Olympia and LaSalle-Peru at Normal Community, 4:30 p.m.

April 10 – At Lincoln, 4:15 p.m.

April 12 – At Springfield Lanphier Invitational, 11 a.m.

April 18 – At Downers Grove South Invitational, 5:30 p.m.

April 18 – At Normal Community Invitational, 4:30 p.m.

April 22 – Intercity Meet at Central Catholic, 5 p.m.

April 25 – At Darien Hinsdale South Invitational, 5 p.m.

May 1 – BHS Raider Relays, 5:15 p.m.

May 8 – Big 12 Conference Meet at Mattoon, 4:30 p.m.

May 16 – Sectional at NCHS, 4 p.m.

May 20 – The Pantagraph Honor Roll Meet at BHS, 5 p.m.

May 23-24 – State meet at Charleston, TBA

ROSTER

Seniors- Terry Bausley, Sergey Chubich, Cass Cleinmark^, Jon Cook^, Jon Helgeson, Silvan Lenzlinger, Chris Love^, Jake McCain^, Shane McGann^, Marcus McGee^, Moritz Milberg, Deonte Person, Doug Rever^, Joe Roberts^, Tyler Sipes^, Sam Sleeper^, Kevin Williams.

Juniors- Sodiq Alliu^, Reggie Brewer, Jeshiah Campbell, Jacob Collins, Lance Gaines, Quay Hall, Antonio Lockwood, Rakholiya Manthankumar, Eric O’Shea^, Greg Patton^, Neil Pickering^, Kyle Reilly, Josh Roig^, Brandon Ross, Andy Szabo^.

Sophomores- Reid Golowski, Michael Guy, Verl Jamison, Anthony Kruse, Brian Meyer, Jake Mullenix^, Alex Niemann, Kyle Nolan, Derrick Simmons, Chris Swanson, Brooks Tryon.

Freshmen- Joseph Banks, Justin Brooks, Luc Dinkins, Torre Harrell, Cody Hubbs, Jamahl Johnson, Dean Jordan, Connor Keegan, Luke McAvoy, Ryan Nguyen, Kyle O’Daniel, Darrell Payne-Winston, David Pelo, Joe Roig, Aaron Schneider, Luther Thompson, Brandon Watson.

^ - returning lettermen.


 

BHS senior Sipes looks to rewrite hurdle speed limits

 

 

It’s a fact Tyler Sipes is a good hurdler. The fun part is no one knows exactly how good he’ll be this high school track season. | Boys track team by team previews

“The sky’s the limit,” said Bloomington coach John Szabo of the reigning Class AA state champion in the 110-meter high hurdles, who is being recruited by Iowa and Northern Iowa.

Sipes enters his final prep campaign owning The Pantagraph area all-time bests of 14.01 seconds in the high hurdles and 37.73 in the 300 intermediate hurdles.

Sipes placed second in the 300s to help BHS finish a school-record sixth in the state meet. His training will again be overseen by assistant coach Keith Enyart.

“Indoors, watching him at practice, he might be a little ahead of where he was this time last year,” said Szabo, who hopes Sipes can help the Purple Raiders successfully defend their Intercity, Big 12 Conference and sectional titles.

“We’re fortunate that we have numbers (60 athletes). We also have some quality individuals in a lot of events. We’ve got the makings for another pretty decent team.”

Second behind BHS in last year’s sectional was Normal Community, which returns 14 lettermen to an 87-man squad.

“The two places we’re the strongest are the throws and the short sprints,” said Coach Tom Patten, who has six sprinters battling to join state qualifiers Melvin Hicks and Brett Ross on sprint relays.

Fast-improving Normal West, third in the 2007 sectional, figures to continue its upward trend under third-year Coach Steve Destri.

“We’ve got some high goals for ourselves,” said Destri, who rates BHS the Big 12 favorite. “The guys on our team are ready to give it everything they have to see if we might compete with them.”

Central Catholic, which won its first sectional in school history last year, hopes to land another with help from a 38-man roster, the largest in Saint history.

“We have a lot of expectations,” said Coach DeWayne Griffin, who will look to sprinters Ryan Waldron and Aaron Bivins to help offset the loss of hurdler Adam Harrison to a knee injury.

The return of school record holders Kevin Forde (9:32.03 in the 3,200) and Scott Blair (159-7 in the discus) has University High coach Lester Hampton feeling optimistic.

“What we’re trying to do is put people in places where hopefully we can challenge for a conference championship,” Hampton said.

 

 

Bloomington High School, Bloomington Illinois

Created by Joel Misukonis, 2004