Meyer sets two records while Bradford clears 17-6 in the Pole Vault

Photo: Neuqua Valley was dominant in winning the invitational team title (Mike Newman photo)

By Michael Newman

[email protected]

Downers Grove – It just had to happen. The past two weekends in the Chicago area had more cancelled meets than completed ones. On this Friday in Downers Grove, athletes got the chance to compete with temperatures in the low 50’s with minimal winds. The response came in four meet records broken along with some of the fastest times so far this spring on the track.

Lockport Township’s John Meyer led the way by breaking his own records in both the Shot Put and the Discus. It did not look that way early in his first three throws in the Discus. The efforts were out there near 185-feet but out of the sector for his first two throws.

“I was overcompensating for the wind (right to left) and I was holding on the disc for longer than I should of,” Meyer said. “We made adjustments after the first three throws and everything worked out.”

It worked out in the order of a new personal best for Meyer as well as a meet record of 189-11. He won the event by 23-feet.

The focus of his remained heading into the Shot-Put ring as he threw a new outdoor personal best of 69-8 to win the event. He won by 14 feet ahead of Neuqua Valley sophomore Matthew Appel who also achieved a personal best of 55-1.

The meet record of 69-8 that Meyer set was also significant. His throw set a new Illinois High School outdoor best for the event. In his final attempt of the meet, Meyer barely fouled. His throw was out there. They measured just for curiosity sake and saw that it went 70-7. Massive things are still ahead for Meyer.

Zach Bradford of Bloomington had another great night breaking his own record in the Pole Vault clearing 17-6. His first attempt at 18-0 appeared to be a successful clearance but he barely brushed the bar knocking it off. He missed at two other attempts at the height but showed that his consistency and comfort level at the higher heights are improving.

Myles Molette-Hughes of Oak Park-River Forest set the other meet record of the night. The senior jumped 46-0 to establish a new personal best and win the Triple Jump ahead of Neuqua Valley’s McKenzie Mitchell (44-4).

What about the distance races?

The distance races again at this meet failed to disappoint. When you get the conditions that these athletes got on Friday night, how could you?

In any other meet, Miles Christensen of Downers Grove North would have set a meet record. But when you have Chris Derrick running 8:49.14 for 3200-meters at this meet 10-years ago, then it makes that task a little more difficult. Christensen’s race on Friday demonstrated he is moving closer to a legendary status.

Christensen took the lead just after 500-meters into the race and along with teammate Jack Roberts started pushing 68 second laps going through 800-meters in 2:16.1, 1200-meters in 3:24.0, and 1600-meters in 4:33.3. Stevenson’s Nikita Smyrnov efforted to stay close to the two Downers Grove North runners but started to fade back on the fifth lap.

It was not anything different that Christensen was doing in the third quarter of the race. Another 68 second 400-meter lap brought him by in 5:41. At 2400-meters, Christensen continued his pace passing with two laps to go in 6:50 and started to gap Roberts opening a three second lead. When he passed the finish, line entering the final lap in 7:59, realization set in for Christensen.

“I knew I was going to be close to the school record (Zack Smith – 9:06),” Christensen said. “I can usually close pretty well in the 3200 so I was excited with that. With 100-meters to go, I knew I had it.”

Christensen got his school record running a 64 second final lap crossing the line with the win (9:03.79). Roberts was next running over a 20 second personal best (9:12.49). Teammate Jacob Ridderhoff had run between third and fifth for most of the race. He moved in the final lap to finish third (9:19.65) ahead of Smyrnov (9:19.69) and Neuqua Valley’s Ryan Kennedy (9:21.12) who both ran personal bests. Eight runners were under 9:30 in that event.

Success started for Downers Grove North in the first event on the track in the 3200 Meter Relay. Batavia controlled most of the race. A sweet move by Ryan Birkmeier taking the lead with 250-meters left in the race gave the Trojans the win (7:56.85) ahead of Batavia (7:59.37). Brendan Lockerby, who opened the relay with a 1:58 split, came back an hour later in the open 800 Meter Run and ran faster in his second race. Lockerby took the lead within the first 200-meters of the race and never looked back. He was in control the rest of the way as he won in 1:57.03 ahead of Stevenson’s Aaron Portman (1:59.07) and Downers Grove North’s Sam McCool (1:59.88).

One of the anticipated match-ups of the meet was in the 1600 Meter Run as two of the state’s top distance runners Dylan Jacobs of Sandburg and Zach Kinne of Neuqua Valley were scheduled to meet. Both ran in the 3200 Meter Relay with Jacobs running a 1:56 anchor leg to bring Sandburg to fourth just behind Neuqua Valley.

Jacobs played it smart in this race hanging back in the first lap going through 400 meters in 65-seconds as Ryan Birkmeier brought the pack through a fast 63 second opening lap. Kinne and Oak Park-River Forest’s Matt Vietzen traded off the lead the next lap going through 800-meters in 2:08.5. Jacobs was staying in reach of the leaders staying within two seconds of the pack. He went through 800-meters in 2:11.

It was Hinsdale Central’s Sean O’Connell’s turn to take the lead for the next 100-meters but Kinne would have nothing to do with that as he re-took the lead. Jacobs was gradually moving up towards the front as he took the lead from Kinne with 450-meters left in the race. Both runners passed into the final lap in 3:13.

Game on.

Jacobs looked smooth throughout the race. Even when he dropped the hammer for that final lap, that ease of stride/pace stayed the same. Vietzen tried to make a push with 200-meters left but could not get close to the Sandburg senior.

Jacobs closed in a 62-second final lap for the win (4:15.50). Vietzen was next running his best race ever at that distance (4:16.38) followed by Kinne (4:17.13). Birkmeier was fourth (4:22.30) as the next seven runners were within less than two seconds of each other.

Meet Notes

Brandon Adams of Minooka continued his strong senior season with a pair of wins. Adams pulled away in the final 100-meters to run 49.30 to win the 400 Meter Dash ahead of teammate Aaron Arroyo (50.29). It was more of the same in the 200 Meter Dash as Adams had the lead coming off the curve. He accelerated in the last 50-meters to take the win (22.36). He also ran the second leg on Minooka’s winning 400 Meter Relay (42.67) finishing ahead of Neuqua Valley (42.74) and Oak Park-River Forest (42.80).

It was a total team effort for Neuqua Valley as they won the meet team title. The Wildcats placed in 17 of the 18 events to score 120.5 points for the title ahead of Minooka (96.5) and Oak Park-River Forest (69 points).

The Wildcats picked up a win in the Long Jump as Ife Oketona jumped 22-4.5 for the win. Donovan Turner workmanship night for his team running on their 400 and 1600 Meter Relays. He also excelled in his specialty event in the hurdles. It was close in the 110 Meter Hurdles as Batavia’s Sam Conger took the lead at the seventh hurdle and held off Turner for the win by eight hundredths of a second (14.32-14.40). Turner had the final say in the 300 Meter Hurdles as he had the lead coming off the final curve. Turner took the win (38.74) ahead of Conger (39.46) and New Trier’s Albert Yen (39.58). Turner’s teammate Myles Gascon was also busy anchoring Neuqua’s 400 and 800 Meter Relays that both placed. He finished second behind Adams in the 200 Meter Dash, but was in charge of the 100 Meter Dash running 11.10 for the win ahead of Hinsdale Central’s Luke Skokna (11.34).

The 800 Meter Relay came down to the final strides to determine a winner. Lockport Township claimed that event (1:30.15) finishing just two hundredths of a second of Proviso West (1:30.17) with Oak Park-River Forest placing third (1:31.09). Proviso West came from behind to close the meet by winning the 1600 Meter Relay (3:25.12) ahead of Lockport Township (3:25.42) and Bloomington (3:26.93).

James Ellis of Bloomington and Minooka’s Antonio Hayden both cleared 6-3 in the High Jump. Ellis won the event on fewer misses.