(Above: Clayton Mendez pulls away from teammate Evan Radomski, Minooka’s Soren Knudsen, and Neuqua Valley’s Isaiah Robinson to win the 800 Meter Run)

By Michael Newman, ILXCTF.com Editor

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Downers Grove – There were doubts that entered the mind of Clayton Mendez of Whitney Young after he won the 3200 Meter Run last Saturday at the #SmithStrong Invitational. He went out at the pace that he wanted to (4:35 at 1600-meters), but 25-mph winds slowed that pace down finishing at 9:36.88.

“He was asking questions afterwards on if he did certain things right in that race,” Whitney Young distance coach Billy Poole-Harris said. “I told him ‘you won the race by 17-seconds!' We had just come back from spring break and did not have too many workouts under our belts. Coming into this meet, I did not know what to expect.”

What did happen with Mendez on Friday in the Bob Cohoon Invitational at Downers Grove South High School is that he won two races in a span of an hour against some of the best runners in the state. Whatever doubts that this junior had after last week’s race had disappeared.

The 800 Meter Run set up nicely for Mendez as Minooka’s Soren Knudsen and Neuqua Valley’s Isaiah Robinson pushed the pace through the first 400-meters in 56.7 seconds. Mendez was content to stay behind the two but knew he had better move on the back stretch. He did moving past Robinson and on the shoulder of Knudsen as they entered the turn with 200-meters to go. Mendez broke off the curve with the lead as Robinson challenged him down the final 100-meters. The Whitney Young junior found one more gear in the closing stages to cross the line in a personal best of 1:55.57 and almost a second ahead of Robinson (1:56.57). Knudsen was next in running 1:58.28.

“I need to work on my first 400-meters getting out. When I started, I did not know where I would be,” Mendez said. “The first 200-meters felt really good. When (Soren) Knudsen took the pace out, it strung the field out so we had more one-on-one racing. I had never been in the lead with 100 left in an 800. To see that, it got me really excited.”

Mendez had little time to celebrate as he had to get ready for the 1600 Meter Run. He jogged around the infield trying to get the lactic acid out of his legs. By the time he got to the starting line, he was ready to go. The early pace of the race played into Mendez’s plans as Downers Grove North’s Alec Danner led the pack through the first 400-meters in 64 seconds. Mendez laid about one second back but realized as he passed 500-meters that the pace was slowing down. He slipped by Sandburg’s Dylan Jacobs and Oak Park-River Forest’s Irwin Loud into the lead. He wanted to control this race. That he did.

He pushed past the 800-meters in 2:10.7 not showing that he had run a race an hour before. Jacobs and Loud stayed close with the pack falling back. Jacobs started to drop back with 500-meters to go setting up a final lap with Loud and Mendez as the two runners passed in 3:15.4. Two runners with fatal kicks for their opponents but it was who would have the better finish in this race. Loud closed on Mendez with 200-meters to go but Mendez refused to let him by. Loud tried on the final stretch but Mendez dipped down pushing just a little harder. Both finished within a second of each other with Mendez (4:17.29) followed by Loud (4:17.60). Loud’s teammate Matt Vietzen finished third (4:22.52) just ahead of Jacobs (4:23.47).

“What I really wanted to do was stick behind the first 400-meters. I knew the first 400 would be fast. I felt the pace was a little too slow and I decided to take the lead,” he added. “I could hear Irwin (Loud) behind me in that last lap. I heard everyone screaming. Once I got out of the wind, I wanted to be the first to 100-meters to go because that final stretch was perfect for today.”

Mendez jogged down after the race more than he usually does. He does have another race in under 24 hours when he runs the 3200 Meter Run at Distance Night in Palatine. A smile developed on his face when that race was mentioned.

“I think I have a sub-nine left in my legs,” Mendez said with a smile. “I think I have a little more left in the tank.”

Meet Notes

This meet every year produces some great performances. Even though winds at points during the meet reached up to 15-mph from the northwest, there were still meet records that were set. John Meyer of Lockport Township set the Shot-Put record in this meet a year ago with a 62-4 put. He improved on that Friday with a 63-9 effort that set a record and won the event. Meyer also won the Discus in difficult conditions as crosswinds knocked down most of the competitors throws. Meyer did get one out there on his final preliminary round attempt (177-7) that won the event by almost 30-feet.

The cold, which dipped down to 45 degrees before the end of the meet, did not affect Bloomington’s Zachery Bradford in the Pole Vault. The defending IHSA 3A State champion equaled his outdoor seasonal best of 16-6 to win the event and set a new meet record.

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Bradford’s teammate Cary Lockhart had a great meet anchoring two Bloomington sprint relays to wins as well as winning an individual even. Lockhart got the baton in fourth in the 400 Meer Relay. He erased that deficit within 60-meters, then pulled away for the win (43.08) ahead of Minooka (43.37) and Proviso West (43.42). Lockhart was just a step behind Downers Grove North and equal with Proviso West as he received the baton for the final 200-meters of the 800 Meter Relay. Again, Lockhart pulled away and held off Downers Grove North for the win (1:29.50 – 1:29.70).

The winds had died down by the time Lockhart entered the blocks for the 200 Meter Dash. He came off the curve even with Minooka’s Colin Marchino but again pulled away to run under 22-seconds (21.96) to win ahead of Stevenson’s Noah Lukz (22.24) and Marchino (22.34).

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Jace James of Glenbard North made a statement in his two hurdle race wins in this meet. James took the lead over the fifth hurdle on his way to a 14.56 personal best and a win ahead of New Trier’s Albert Yen (14.76), James’ teammate Paris Miller (14.87), and Downers Grove North’s Joe Keys (14.88). We could see all these runners in the state finals a month from now. James was also in control of the 300 Intermediate Hurdles holding off Keys for the win (38.60 – 39.12).

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Tariun Triplett of Downers Grove North ran 10.94 to win the third section of the 100 Meter Dash. It started fans wondering how fast the concluding section would be. Just before the start of that section, the meet was delayed for 15 minutes as there was a timing problem involving the sensor with the starter’s gun. I left those runners back into their sweats trying to stay warm before the race started. It may have benefitted Triplett as Ian Wisniewski of Downers Grove South ran 11.04 to win that section. Triplett ended up winning the event.

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Oak Park-River Forest won their second big meet in a row scoring 78.5 points. Minooka was next (73 points) followed by Downers Grove North (62.5 points) and Bloomington (56 points). The Huskies picked up two event wins in this meet. Irwin Loud got the baton with the lead in the 3200 Meter Relay for the final 800-meers of the race. Loud’s 1:57.9 split secured the win for the Huskies as he team ran a season’s best of 8:00.99. Soren Knudsen’s 1:56.1 anchor split brought Minooka from fifth up to second place overall (8:04.82). Brandon Gage gave the Huskies their other win in the 400 Meter Dash. Gage took the lead 250-meters into the race and pulled away to run 50.41 for the win ahead of Neuqua Valley’s Kai Larson (51.07).

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The 3200 Meter Run in this meet usually is deep with talent and usually produces some fast times. This year’s race was no exception. Dylan Jacobs of Sandburg did the pace work for the first six laps of the race with Neuqua Valley’s Jake McEneaney and Downers Grove North’s Alec Danner pulling away from the rest of the pack in the first mile. The trip passed by 1600-meters in 4:33.8 seconds. The pace started to slow and Danner decided to take the lead with 650-meters to go. First McEneaney dropped off the pace then Jacobs. Danner ran a personal best of 9:12.16 for the win ahead of Jacobs (9:16.70) then McEneaney (9:26.10).

Results