CHICAGOLANDPREPS.com
NCP Track 2012
By Rob Valentin
ChicagolandPreps.com Editor
May 17, 2012
Northside College Prep’s 3,200-meter relay team had a plan at the Marshall Sectional held at Hanson Stadium on Thursday.
Finish in the top two and qualify for the State Finals held next weekend at Eastern Illinois University’s O’Brien Stadium in Charleston.
Mission Accomplished. The quartet of Dan Graham, Patrick Brennan, Pat Duffy and Ezra Edgerton are headed to State after taking second with a time of 8:31.8, behind Jones (8:31.29).
“I was just trying to not do what I usually do, which is go out hard and die,” said Graham, who led the race off. “I took the first lap kind of slow and the second was about the same. It was like 62 (seconds), 64. It was alright.”
“I was just trying to stick with the guy from Jones and then catch him at the end,” added, Brennan, who was second. “I’m happy with my race.”
Duffy was up next with Northside at the front. He had a good idea where Northside was in relation to qualifying, holding a good-sized lead over third place.
“I was trying to stay ahead of the guy from Jones but my second 400, he literally sprints ahead,” Duffy said. “But I covered the distance and that was all I wanted. State is where we make our PR’s (personal records).”
Edgerton ran the anchor leg and made sure he was not going to get caught from behind.
“My leg was just kind of making sure we qualified, not really trying too hard,” Edgerton said.
Josh Williams will also be joining his teammates on their trek to State. Williams qualified in the long jump by leaping a school record of 21-feet 7-inches to take second place behind De la Salle’s Justin Tate (21-10).
“It was crazy, I was actually seeded fourth going into it so I knew I had a chance but I didn’t really expect to make it,” Williams said. “I think I got a PR by a foot and a half so it was crazy.”
Williams isn’t sure why he was able to have the best jump of his life, but the boards at Hanson have always been kind to him.
“I’ve always down well at Hanson Stadium so I figured I would do well today as always,” Williams added. “But even I was surprised at how well I did. My knee has been hurting lately. I took about two weeks off and felt a lot better today and was able to jump farther.”
Williams knew he had a great jump from the get-go.
“I’d say the first step is right when you hit right on the board. It just has this great sound, this great feeling on your toe. Then in the air you’re just trying to get as high as you can. I think when I landed, that’s when I knew it was a great jump.”
Williams has a very unorthodox jumping style. It’s something that other school’s coaches have commented on in the past. But Williams showed there’s more than one way to long jump to State.
“It’s pretty funny because every meet four or five coaches tell me ‘Why do you land on your butt.’ But my coach knows that’s how I’ve been jumping for four years and it’s too late to change it now so he want me to continue.”
Williams has been a spectator at the State Finals in the past, never competing. But now he’ll get a chance to shine on the state’s biggest stage.
“I’ve gone down to watch a couple times but I’ve never actually been in the meet so it’s a dream come true. I’ve been looking forward to this for all four years of track. It worked out tonight so I’m really happy.”
Ari Perlmutter didn’t advance to State, but he did make his mark. The freshman showed no fear competing in discus, triple jump, high jump and the 1,600 relay.
“I think I did well for a freshman,” he said. “I was seeded as one of the best freshman in each event. In high jump I did the best, I cleared 5-6. It was a good experience coming here.”
Perlmutter is you younger brother of Hirsch Perlmutter, who was a hurdler and graduated last spring. It seemed only natural that Ari would try to follow in his brother’s footsteps. But it didn’t work out that way. Instead he’s shown that he has a lot of potential in the high jump.
“I tried doing hurdles and didn’t like it so much,” Ari said. I found the field events and I’ve been doing well in those.”
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Northside takes sectional title
By Rob Valentin
ChicagolandPreps.com Editor
May 10, 2012
Northside College Prep made a little bit of school history on Thursday.
Since the school opened in 1999, no team from any sport had ever won a sectional title — until Thursday.
Northside’s girls track and field team put together a memorable performance at the Class 3A Jones College Prep Sectional held at Hanson Stadium. The Mustangs won five of the 17 events and finished with 127 points to beat out Westinghouse (119), Regina (92), Crane (53) and 10 other schools.
“I’m really excited,” said distance runner Mary Coomes, who won the 3,200-meter run. “We’re going to State for a lot of events. Just the experience and the trip is what we’re excited for.”
There were many thrilling moments in the meet, but one of the biggest came in the 800 relay where the Mustangs went into the final leg in third place and trailing by quite a bit. Only the top two teams would get an automatic bid to State.
But Kristin Wojcik turned on the burners in the final 200 meters and made up about a 20-meter deficit to get her team into second place and qualify for the State Finals held next weekend at Eastern Illinois University’s O’Brien Stadium in Charleston.
“That was incredible,” said an ecstatic Wojcik, who could barely stand still after the epic comeback. “We thought we had a chance at it. I just saw two girls in front of me and I came in second. We’re going to State, this is incredible.
“I thought we had a solid third. I never once thought we could go up and get second like that. I thought she would pick it up when she heard me coming. I was ready for the pressure and ready to go.”
Wojcik was joined on the relay by Aliyah Jervier, Deja Lindsey and Michelle Chojnacki.
One of the other marquee events was the 1,600. Madison Weatherly and Mary Coomes were battling the field with only two automatic berths to state. They’ve run well together all season long and Thursday was no exception as Coomes won the race in a time of 5:43.2 with Weatherly right behind her in a time of 5:44.4.
“There was no plan, just run fast,” Coomes said. “First and second is what we were going for and that’s what we got, so we’re really happy with that.”
Coomes and Weatherly faced a stiff challenge from a Jones runner who tried to surge into the lead on the last lap. But the duo was up to the challenge.
“I think we knew we could get them,” Coomes said. “That was important. As long as you know it, you can do it.”
Weatherly had another challenge in the final 400 meters besides the Jones runner. She was battling fatigue. She had won the 3,200 relay earlier in the day with a time of 12:12.37 and was coming down with a cold.
“I felt pretty tired and I’m actually coming down with a pretty nasty cold,” she said. “But usually I try to get Mary if I can. I try to run with her but today my thing was hang on and try to push us so we could get first and second.”
In the 3,200 Weatherly was at the front for most of the race, finishing with a 12:12.37, ahead of Jones’ Julia Heller (12:14.02) and another Jones runner, who finished third.
“That was a really hard race,” Weatherly said. “Mary and I always talk about the power when we run together and it’s so scary being on the other end when there’s two runners on your tail. After a while I didn’t think the second Jones girls could catch me, but (Heller) was really making passes and she had a very specific strategy for trying to pass me. I had to push a lot harder than I was hoping to get there. But I won it and I was really happy.”
Another one of the Mustangs’ big wins came in the 1,600 relay where Coomes, Elizabeth O’Conor, Rory Johnson and Lisa Wendt finished in a time of 10:54.93. Northside had its two strongest runners (Coomes and O’Conor) run the first two legs to build up a lead while Johnson and Wendt did an excellent job holding off a late Jones charge (10:57.5)
“We were a little worried about how that would go and if we would die at the end,” Johnson said. “But I think we kicked it really well. I ran the best time I ever have and I think Lisa, the anchor, did as well. I was trying really hard to get us into State and I’m really happy how it turned out.”
Johnson could definitely feel the pressure. She wanted to perform at her best and not let the team down. And that’s exactly what she did, even though she had no competitor next to her to push her.
“It was hard because whenever I’m doing open races, I’m usually not the first one,” Johnson said. “But since they had gotten us that amazing lead it really motivated me. I didn’t want to lose that. I knew the whole team was depending on us. It was hard but it was good.”
Also heading to State for the Mustangs are Veronica Schwartz, who dominated the field events, winning shot put (31-3) and discus (84-4.5), the 1,600 relay team of O’Conor, Katie O’Rourke, Taylor Provax and Coomes (2nd, 4:35.9) and Michele Chojnacki in the 100-hurdles (2nd, 20.05).
Mustangs run wild at Lake Forest Academy
By Rob Valentin
ChicagolandPreps.com Editor
April 24, 2012
On one of the most beautiful high school campuses in Illinois and with the sun shining, Northside’s Madison Weatherly was at her best.
The phenomenal freshman broke the school record in the 3,200 meter run running a time of 12:07.14 in a dual meet at Lake Forest Academy. Ani Zotti was the previous record holder running a 12:17.2 in 2008.
“I was a little out of practice actually; I haven’t been running the two mile for awhile but I think the mile really helped me prepare and the conditions were really great here,” Weatherly said. “I went into it and tried to push as much as I could and I felt really good today.”
The 3,200 was combined so Weatherly was also running with the boys.
“Usually I kind of disregard the boys and actually at the end it helped because I was pretty close to some of them so I could kind of sprint out,” she said.
The plan was to get out and run a fast first mile. But plans don’t always work out and Weatherly had to adjust on the fly.
“I went into it and was going to try and run a six-minute first mile and take it from there,” she said. “I actually got a little bit worried and because I ran a 6:08. I was like ‘Oh man, I’m off pace.’ But coach just kept telling me ‘You’re still almost there.’ So then I really tried to push it. I did better than I expected.”
Having broke the record with still another month left in the season bodes well for Weatherly, even if she switches back to the mile or the 800.
“I’m not sure if I’m going to be running any more two miles but I’m definitely glad it’s an option for me to run in the future,” Weatherly said. “I’m pretty content with my mile right now. I’m right off the school record and I’d like to clinch that.”
While the girls lost their dual with Lake Forest Academy 78-57, the Mustangs had plenty of bright spots.
Aliyah Jervier had a fantastic day winning the 100 (13.61), 200 (28.23) and triple jump.
“It’s been a really long day,” Jervier said. “I’m still kind of injured right now but I just had to push through it and try to make it and it paid off.”
Being a sprinter, Jervier has had to battle through a brutal couple of weeks to start the season with howling winds and cold temperatures. But Tuesday was almost perfect.
“It’s so much better because when it’s cold it just takes so much away from you,” Jervier said. “The weather was nice so it really helped.”
The sophomore seems to be getting better every week and that will be needed to score some points at the city meet and sectionals.
“Right now I’m doing a lot better, a lot of PR’s,” she said. “I’m just trying to make sure I do really well at forsh/soph and then hopefully sectionals too.”
Jervier has time’s she’d like to hit before the season ends and she’s right on pace. She’s eying under 13 in the 100, under 28 in the 200 and 33 or 34 feet in the triple jump.
Kristin Wojcik was second in the 200 (28.82).
BOYS
The Mustangs 3,200 relay team have had their sights set on getting to state all season long. It looked like they might be in a bit of trouble early on when Pat Duffy went down with an injury and missed most of the indoor season and a couple weeks of the outdoor season.
But Duffy is back and running well while Robert Szmurlo is coming on strong, giving the Mustangs the always-necessary fifth runner.
Northside looked sharp in the 3,200 relay winning the race with an 8:32.55. That puts Northside with the second-fastest time in the Class 2A Marshall Sectional and the top two teams automatically advance to state.
Leading the way in the relay on Tuesday for Northside was Ezra Edgerton (2:04.44), Dan Graham (2:06.74), Patrick Brennan (2:09.42) and Duffy (2:11.94). Meanwhile, Szmurlo ran a 2:12.85 to take second in the open 800.
“Today I just went strong,” Szmurlo said. “The first lap I got a 61 and took it really hard. Then I gave it all I had on the second lap.”
Szmurlo’s previous best time was somewhere around 2:17-2:18, so Tuesday was a pretty big drop.
“I feel great; I’m just going to practice working hard and doing the right things,” Szmurlo said. “We have our four main varsity runners and I’m just happy to help out if one of them gets hurt. It’s a good experience if we do go to state for when I become a junior and senior.”
It was a banner day overall for the Mustangs boys team. The beat Lake Forest Academy 76-61, something they didn’t do last year when they had one of the best track seasons in school history.
Lucien Fitzpatrick was steady as always winning both the 110 high hurdles and the 200 intermediate hurdles. Nathaniel Agharese made his return to the lineup, blowing the competition away in the 200.
“My start felt really good, a lot better than in the 100 and I just cruised along from the 50 mark,” Agharese said. “I’ve had knee problems this whole season but it’s getting better so it’s looking good for city and sectionals. I actually felt pretty good. It feels nice to be back and on the track.”’
Agharese has high hopes for this season and is looking for a top three finish at city and a trip to state.
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Northside hangs tough with Deerfield
By Rob Valentin
ChicagolandPreps.com Editor
April 11, 2012
Northside College Prep battled extremely cold weather and one of the best track and field teams in the state on Tuesday.
The Mustangs visited Deerfield, a fifth-place finisher at last year’s Class 3A meet, with temperatures that started in the low 40’s and dipped into the 20’s. Northside held its own, taking second place in the three-team meet that also featured Glenbrook North.
Mac Melto used his blazing speed to pick up wins in the 100 with a school-record time of 10.6 and 200 with a time of 22.35. Melto was also a member of two relay teams that grabbed second-place finishes. In addition to Melto, the 400 relay team (47.34) consisted of Lucien Fitzpatrick, Josh Williams and Fabian Lara while Porter Abbey, Williams and Lara were on the 800 relay (1:41.45).
Fitzpatrick also earned a pair of seconds and a third, taking second in the high jump (5-6) and 300 hurdles (46.53) and third in the 110 hurdles (17.3). Fitzpatrick had to battle through a lot of adversity in Tuesday’s meet.
“My times were a lot worse than earlier meets,” he said. “I was out on an exchange trip over spring break so I missed practice and it’s colder and windier so it’s kind of something to expect. I need to get back in the groove. I did well for the meet.
“It’s really tough on a stretch when you’re going against the wind, especially in the hurdles. You’re trying to get up in the air but the more open you are, the harder it hits you.”
Fitzpatrick may have been able to finish higher in high jump. He finished with no misses but wasn’t able to try a jump at 5-8 due to running in the two hurdles events and 400 relay.
The Mustangs distance runners also shined. Cesar Rufino was second in the 3,200 (10:47.62) while Patrick Brennan was second in the 1,600 (4:48.27) thanks to a gallant charge over the final 125 meters that saw him move from fourth to second.
“I knew the (back) straightaway was going to be bad so I tried to always stick behind somebody so they would cut the wind for me, so they do the work for me,” Brennan said. “I’m glad I did that because I had enough for a kick at the end and I think I outkicked two guys and got second.”
His closing speed is something he’s discussed with his coaches.
“I’ve been working on it and talking with my coach, usually when I thought about sprinting, I thought about tightening up,” Brennan said. “But he said ‘No, just loosen up, get your stride going, get those strides nice and long and just go. Don’t tense up and just be as loose as possible.’ ”
Brennan has made big steps forward this season and he has even bigger goals.
“I’d like to go to state but that’s 16 seconds from my PR so it’s going to be tough,” he said. “Hopefully the warm weather gets here soon. Just keep plugging away.”
For Rufino, Tuesday’s elements brought a little good news and a little bad news.
“I always love running in the cold, the only thing I don’t like is running with the wind because it’s just a morale crusher every time you go around on that turn,” he said. “I really didn’t think I could PR but I went out nice and strong and kept it for the second mile.”
Rufino lowered his personal record time by three seconds at Deerfield. Rufino has already chopped a lot of time off since his freshman year and he has a master plan.
“I felt pretty good especially when I ran that 10:50 it was really nice, the wind was dead,” he said. “I felt like if there was no wind I could have got a 10:39 here.
“Freshman year I thought I’m going to break 11, which I did. This year I want to reach 10:30 and next year I want to reach 10. Then maybe senior year I can break the school record, which is a 9:37.”
Pat Duffy was competing in just his second meet of the season after injuring his hamstring very early on during indoor season.
Duffy (2:09.2) teamed up with Dan Graham (2:08.4), Brennan (2:07.8) and Ezra Edgerton (2:11.6) to take second place in the 3,200 relay (8:37.8)
“Last meet in the 400 I could feel the hamstring still,” said Duffy who was also on the 1,600 relay. “This meet I didn’t feel anything so back in business. The 4X8 I was fine with, I ran a season PR. Just getting back in shape.”
Getting injured and missing so much training time is definitely going to be an obstacle this season. But Duffy’s up for the challenge.
“I’m running like early junior year times. Being a captain and not being able to be with the team at all times, it’s bad.”
Duffy hopes to get his 800 time down to as close to 2:00 as possible.
Other standouts at Tuesday’s meet were Josh Williams in the long jump (18-7.75) and triple jump (37-6), Ari Perlmutter in the triple jump (4th, 35-3.25) and Henry Lothschutz, who threw a personal best in discus (90-1).
Mustangs get outdoor season underway
By Rob Valentin
ChicagolandPreps.com Editor
March 21, 2012
Northside College Prep got the 2012 outdoor track and field season started with a pair of big wins as they hosted the Eric Nelson Track and Field Classic.
The boys team won the meet with 171 points, ahead of second-place finisher Roosevelt (111). The girls prevailed with 201 points, easily outdistancing Kelvyn Park (74).
There were several girls that dominated the competition for the Mustangs. Veronica Schwartz won high jump (4-4), discus (79-10) and shot put (28-10) while Deja Lindsey earned victories in the triple jump (29-11) and long jump (14-3). Aliyah Jervier notched victories in the 100 (13.3) and 200 (28.49)
Freshman Katie O’Rourke also had a stellar day, taking first in the 400 (1:08.36) and second in the high jump (4-4). She was also a member of the winning 1,600 relay team that finished with a time of 4:43.21.
“When I ran the 400 I was in lane one which is my favorite lane,” O’Rourke said. “I was behind at first because of the curve but then when I was rounding the 300 I really pulled ahead and I think I won by five seconds. It was good win for me and I tied my PR. I’ve always been able to pull ahead, it’s always been the stamina that’s been hard for me.”
“I think our team could do really well at city and get first,” O’Rourke said. “There’s a lot of good teams but I feel if we work hard we can definitely beat them. As a freshman I really want to make it to state and do well at state. I think we have a really good chance.”
Also grabbing wins for the Mustangs were Mary Coomes in the 1,600 (5:39.9), Michelle Chojnaki in the 100 hurdles (19.74) and Eleanor Glockner in the 300 hurdles (1:03.53). Northside won the 3,200 relay (11:41.94) as well.
BOYS
Northside was led by multiple winners Lucien Fitzpatrick in the 110-meter high hurdles (16.9) and 300 hurdles (44.44) and Josh Williams in the triple jump (38-feet 11-inches) and long jump (19-4).
“I got some pretty good marks in long and triple jump, some PR’s for the season,” said Williams, who was also part of the 1,600 relay that took second with a time of 3:47.01. “High jump was decent and our 4X4 did well.”
With it being the first outdoor meet of the season, Williams had to make some adjustments.
“The main thing I have to deal with is the wind,” he said. “It can get pretty windy outside and usually they have you jumping against the win so it’s hard to get on the board and once you jump, it’ hard to get a good mark.”
Mac Melto registered an easy win in the 400, with a time of 50.72. His nearest competitor clocked a 55.22. Melto also took second in the 100 (11.11), in a very close race with Kelvyn Park’s Brian Carter (11.0).
“It’s great that my first 100 was against one of the fastest kids in the city, Brian Carter” Melto said. “It really helped push myself because when he started to catch me, I knew this isn’t a 55, I have to keep going. That was perfect.
“Mostly right now I’m just trying to run as fast as I can, staying as relaxed as I can. I pretty much want to be dropping time every single meet. Pretty much my goal is — and I haven’t been doing this previous years — I want to see if I can go full-out every single meet. I really want to make it a habit to run my best race, every race.”
Dan Graham had a good day as well, taking second in the 800 (2:08.13) and helping the 1,600 relay to a second-place finish. Graham was pushed to the max in the 800 by Roosevelt’s Jeff Rector, one of the top middle and long distance runners in the city. Rector won the race in a time of 2:04.96.
“I was really excited. I asked not to run the 4X8 so I could run the 800 fresh,” Graham said. “It felt really good up until the last 100 or so. My legs started getting really tired. I couldn’t move them as fast as I wanted to. It’s also then when he started picking it up on me. I was happy about that race.”
Graham has his sights set on running a really low number in the 800 this season.
“I really would like to go sub-two and I’m pretty sure I can do that,” Graham said. “ I just need to train a little harder, make sure I’m at every practice going hard in the workouts.
“My best time ever was 2:04 and that was at sectionals last year. I was looking at other times and I was at 2:18 and I went down to 2:04 so I’m hoping I can do a similar drop this year for sectionals.”
Other wins for Northside were the 3,200 relay team (9:29.7) and the 800 relay team (1:56.12).
Ezra Edgerton was second in the 1,600 (4:45.4) and Fitzpatrick was second in the high jump (5-6).
3,200 relay captures city crown
By Rob Valentin
ChicagolandPreps.com Editor
March 18, 2012
Northside College Prep started off the Chicago Public League Indoor Championships with a big bang, notching a come-from-behind win in the boys 3,200-meter relay.
It was one of three wins for the Mustangs, which had a terrific meet, taking second place overall with 56 points. Whitney Young won the team title with 90 points.
Dan Graham (2:08.86) and Joseph Smith (2:14.36) ran a solid first two legs for the 3,200 relay to keep them in contention. Patrick Brennan took the baton in third place and was able to close the gap running a 2:10.86. Ezra Edgerton ran the anchor leg and wasn’t going to be denied. He passed Lincoln Park and pulled away on the final lap for the win in a time of 8:38.89. His split time was an impressive 2:04.18.
“It felt really good,” Edgerton said. “I got (the baton) and knew we had to win. The guy up front was running way too fast and I figured I’d pass him eventually and I did.”
Edgerton had to be careful to not throttle up too soon as he pursued the Lincoln Park runner on the final leg.
“That’s what running the mile has helped me with,” he said. “I learned that when you run the first 400 way too fast, you’re going to be completely dead by the end of the race. You have to pace yourself and keep increasing your speed.”
The only negative for Edgerton is that going 110 percent in his leg of the 4X8 tired him out for his 1,600. Edgerton still fought through the pain for a third place finish with a time of 4:52.89.
“The mile is probably the most tiring event because you’re pushing so hard for such a long distance,” Edgerton said. “It really takes it out of you. And if you run before that you just don’t have the energy to keep going for that long.”
Mac Melto, as has come to be expected, had another impressive meet. The senior standout easily won his feature event, the 400, with a time of 50.3, more than a full second quicker than second-place finisher Dakarai Howard (51.58) of Young.
But Melto also notched an impressive win in the 55 dash with a time of 6.6, besting North Lawndale’s Terry Magee (6.62). Melto got off to a good start and led wire to wire.
“To win that not only surprised me, but it surprised a lot of other people here,” Melto said. “Especially since I usually come into this race and I use the 55 to take off some of my nerves for the 400. (Winning) made me real happy.”
The 400 was even easier. Melto shot out of the blocks and broke to the inside with a few step advantage. No one pushed him the rest of the way.
“With these 200 meter tracks, really getting around it and hitting the break line first is key,” he said. “I knew as soon as I was in first, no one was going to pass me because if they were going to try and pass me, there was no way I was going to let them. It went pretty much like planned.”
Melto heads to the outdoor season with a bit of a problem. He’s so far ahead of his competitors in the 400 that there aren’t going to be many situations where he has someone by his side, pushing him stride for stride.
“I think he most important thing is to set goals for myself,” Melto said. “I can’t go into races where second place is going to run a 55 and say ‘Look at me. I won, 53. I’m a big shot.’ I really have to stay humble."
The city meet featured 12 different teams but each school could only have one competitor per event. Northside responded well to the different scoring system.
Other standouts for the Mustangs in the boys meet were Nathaniel Agharese in the 200 (3rd, 23.81), Lucien Fitzpatrick in the 55 high hurdles (3rd, 8.64) and the high jump (5th, 5-feet, 6-inches) and Josh Williams in the long jump (3rd, 19-10).
GIRLS
In the girls meet, Northside finished in fifth place with 44 points. The meet featured very even scoring. Kenwood won the meet with 66 points, followed by Brooks (54), North Lawndale (52) and Simeon (49).
Veronica Schwartz was a big winner for the Mustangs, taking first place in the shot put with a put of 28-5.
“I was really proud of myself, because this is my first year doing track for Northside,” Schwartz said. “I decided to come out this year and I guess shot put just ended up being my event. I’m really proud of what I did, becoming city champion and giving my best in high jump today.”
Schwartz had a very respectable fifth place finish in the high jump, clearing 4-6, but it was her ability to win a city title in shot put with just weeks of practice that was so impressive.
“I’m just really athletic so I pick things up really quickly in sports,” she said. “Over at Northside, in the course of my four years I’ll have participated in seven sports. It’s mental and physical."
One of the most exciting races of the day came in the 1,600. Kenwood’s Dhiaa Dean, winner of the city title in cross country, came in as the heavy favorite but Mary Coomes didn’t make it easy.
Dean raced out of the gate and looked like she might run the whole race with a big advantage. But Coomes wouldn’t let her get away and eventually passed her for the lead halfway through the race.
Coomes built a good size lead with 300 meters left but Dean turned it on over the final lap and a half, winning with a time of 5:46.59. Coomes was close behind in second with a time of 5:50.3.
“I just wanted to get a PR and she really helped me with that,” said Coomes, who beat her seed time by exactly one second. “She let me go for a little bit on my own but then she came back and made me chase after her which helped a lot. It was a real honor to be racing with someone that fast.”
Other top finishers for Northside were Madison Weatherly in the 800 (2nd, 2:36.25), the 3,200 relay team of Weatherly, Coomes, Taylor Provax and Brittany Brodersen (2nd, 10:41.36), Deja Lindsey in the triple jump (3rd, 30-8) and Aliyah Jervier in the 55 (5th, 7.79).
Mustangs tested at Meteor Classic
By Rob Valentin
ChicagolandPreps.com Editor
March 12, 2012
Northside College Prep had an opportunity to square off with some quality city teams at the De La Salle Meteors Classic on Saturday afternoon and the Mustangs held their own every step of the way.
The boys squad finished in fourth place out of 17 teams while the girls squad was third out of 13 teams.
The highlight of the meet might have been Ezra Edgerton in the 1,600. He had been injured early on in the 2012 season but he showed no ill effects on Saturday. The senior won the mile with a sterling time of 4:49.52, ahead of teammates Patrick Brennan (3rd, 4:52.67) and Cesar Rufino (8th, 5:07.5).
“(Brennan) is in a lot better shape than me because I’ve been injured for the past couple weeks,” Edgerton said. “I wasn’t really sure how to pace myself so I thought I’d run with him and then try to outkick him and that’s basically what I did.”
Edgerton stayed on Brennan’s heels for the first three-quarters of the race and took off on the final two laps, surging into the lead.
“I felt good, I thought I would feel a lot worse at that point,” Edgerton said. “I guess the pace wasn’t as fast as I thought it would be. At that point I was like ‘There’s 400 left and I just have to put it in gear.’ And I did.”
Edgerton’s best outdoor time last season was 4:34 at sectionals. He seems to be well on his way to besting that this year.
“I’m really looking forward to (outdoor season),” he said. “I hope to make state and do well there.”
The girls distance runners showed plenty of heart as well. Mary Coomes and Madison Weatherly finished second and third, respectively, in the 1,600.
“I think it went really well,” said Coomes, who ran a 5:51.25. “We had Elizabeth (O’Connor) running with us, which actually really helped. We always have a really strong pack.”
Coomes chased down the race leader on the final lap, but came up less than a second short of winning the race.
“My teammate, Madison, was right behind me and she was telling me to ‘Push” and I could feel her coming up behind me,” Coomes said. “At that point I realized I could get her if I really tried. I don’t think she expected it and when she heard us coming, she picked it up too.”
Coomes is already just six seconds off her best mile time from last year. Meanwhile, Weatherly is just a freshman, running track for the first time ever.
“Today I was just trying accomplish sticking next to my teammate, Mary, and getting into the 5:40’s.” said Weatherly, who clocked a 5:51.43 “Our goal was to get into the top three and we did that, so it’s really great.
“I’ve never done track before so that, and it’s early in the season, indoor tracks are all a little different so it is difficult to gauge (pace). But I think it really helps that I’ve got a teammate and I feel like I’m getting better at figuring out where I am.”
Veronica Schwartz also had a stellar day for Northside, notching a win in shot put with a throw of 31-feet 1-inch.
Other top performers from the girls side were Aliyah Jervier in long jump (3rd, 13-8.5) and the 55 meter dash (4th, 7.5). The 3,200 relay team of Kristin Wojciek, Lisa Wendt, Dejay Lindsey and Brittany Brodersen earned a second place finish with a time of 11:59.87.
There were also plenty of top performances on the boys side. Josh Williams earned second place in triple jump (38-3) while Lucien Fitzpatrick was fourth in high jump (5-8). Mac Melto was fourth in the 55 (6.49) and seventh in the 800 (2:12.86). Dan Graham was fifth in the 800 (2:10.03) while Brennan was eighth (2:15.36).
Nathaniel Agharese took fifth in the 55 (6.64) and seventh in the 200 (24.63) and Tom Frejowski notched an eighth place finish in the 400 (56.31). It was the top time of any freshman at the meet.
The 3,200 relay team of Graham, Joseph Smith, Robert Szmurlo and Pat Duffy took third (9:08.51) while Melto anchored the 1,600 relay team to a fourth place finish.
“Triple jump went pretty well,” Williams said. “I’m just trying to get my mark down. I’ve been a little inconsistent the past few meets but today was good, I only scratched once.
“I think I’m pretty well prepared and our 4X4 is up there too. It’s very competitive and I’m sure we’ll do great at city.”
Rob Valentin
ChicagolandPreps.com
Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2012
Northside College Prep’s boys track team took a big step forward competing in an indoor meet at Glenbrook North on Wednesday night.
The Mustangs scored 59 points last season but took a big leap forward this season finishing with 82 points, just behind first-place Highland Park (84). Glenbrook North was third with 53 points.
Lucien Fitzpatrick had a stellar meet taking first place in both the 55-meter high hurdles (8.2) and the 55 low hurdles (8.4).
“The hurdles felt really smooth,” Fitzpatrick said. “In earlier events I was kind of iffy but I was three-stepping everything, going over just a little bit. I felt really in the zone on all of them and didn’t really get thrown off so it’s nice.”
Even though Northside has had just three meets, Fitzpatrick can feel himself getting better each and every meet.
“I’ve been getting a PR slowly as we’ve been moving up,” he said. “We’ll just see how I go against other competitors. My biggest thing is my trail leg doesn’t snap down as much as it needs to. That’s the biggest part of the form I’ve got to get.”
Mac Melto was his usual stellar self on Wednesday night, sweeping the three events he competed in. Melto cruised to wins in the 55 (6.1), the 200 (24.2) and the 400 (54.27).
“It definitely felt good, it’s been a long week and school can be tiring so coming in to a middle of the week can be hard but I made sure that I felt good and warmed up before each of my races and luckily I came through,” Melto said. “It was a good day for me.”
Melto isn’t getting caught up looking at his times right now. Indoor season can be quite tricky with each track having different lengths and its own characteristics.
“If I look at the times sometimes I can discourage myself but the truth is I’m doing these races and I’m not really that tired,” he said. “I definitely feel once I’m on a really good track in my spikes I’ll be able to do something great. I’m looking forward to it.”
Dan Graham shined in the 800 for Northside, winning the race with a time of 2:09.2.
“I knew that I would have to go out there and lead the 800 the entire time,” Graham said, “I didn’t really make any moves. I just went out hard and knew I had to keep up the pace for the entire race.”
Last year, Graham’s best time indoors was 2:14 and his best outdoor time was a 2:04. Being able to trim five seconds off that bodes well for outdoor season. And he has some pretty lofty goals for this season.
“I know I’m going to run sub-two (minutes),” he said. “That’s something I have to do this year. I’d really like to qualify for state and that’s (1:59.04). That’s the goal time for this season.”
Patrick Brennan ran well in a very competitive 1,600 and finished in second place with a time of (4:50.2). It was the first time Brennan broke the 5:00 barrier.
“It’s started off kind of hectic,” Brennan said. “Maybe they changed the order because we thought we had one more event before our mile so we didn’t have our spikes on and they called us to the line. So we threw our spikes on and I guess it was kind of good because we didn’t have time to think about it and over-hype myself.
“The third lap was what killed me last time and why I didn’t break 5:00 so I jus tried to stick with the guy from Highland Park who ran a great race.”
Brennan only need one word to sum up how far along he is right now.
“Fantastic. Way better than I thought it would be. I finished last year at 5:10 outdoors and now I’m at 4:50. This is better than anything I could hope for.”
Other big standouts for the Mustangs on Wednesday night were Josh Williams, who took first in long jump (19 feet 4.75 inches) and second in triple jump (36-7.5) and Tom Frejowski, who was second in the 400 (57.5) and anchored the 1,600 relay team to a very impressive win.
photos at the bottom videos can be found on http://www.youtube.com/user/chicagolandprepsMustangs open new campaign
By Rob Valentin
ChicagolandPreps.com editor
Friday, February 3 2012
Northside College Prep got the 2012 track and field season underway with an indoor meet at Niles West Friday night in Skokie.
After a very successful cross country season, which saw both the boys and girls team qualify for the Class 2A state meet, the Mustangs are ready to make some noise with some wily veterans and up-and-coming youngsters.
Mac Melto is the top returnee for Northside and he has a very realistic shot at winning a state title this season. Last year, Melto took seventh in the 400-meter dash in Class 3A with a time of 48.86. He would have had the second-fastest returning time in Class 3A but the Mustangs move down to Class 2A this year.
Melto’s time of 48.86 would have placed him third in Class 2A last year and the top two finishers from that race have graduated. That makes Melto’s goal for this season pretty simple to figure out but extremely difficult to make happen. Win state.
“We have indoor state and outdoor state and ideally I want to win one,” he said. “I know that’s a huge goal. I know there’s a lot of really good CPS runners. It’s going to be tough but I want to finish my last year strong.
“I’m a guy who does not like to lose. This is my last year and those kids will have their junior and senior years. I want this to be my year. I’m going to take it.”
Mount Vernon senior Anthony Moore (49.01 last year for third) and Cahokia’s Marlin Brady (4th, 49.38) are expected to contend with Melto for a state title this season. Troy’s Brandon Penrod also ran in the state finals last year but was disqualified after a false start. He ran a 49.71 in the preliminaries.
The 2012 season got off to a bit of a bizarre start for Melto. He won the 50 meter dash at Niles West (6.00), took second in the 200 (24.6) and was third in the 400 (56.39). Melto thought he crossed the finish line in the 400 but in reality he had another 50 meters to go. After stopping for several seconds he realized his error and kicked it into high gear passing several runners to still win his heat.
“I guess I was just not paying enough attention,” Melto said. “My body is pretty conditioned to know when to stop so I figured ‘Hey, I just ran a 400. I’m done.’ I sat there for a few seconds and my team started yelling at me and that’s when I realized I made a big amateur mistake. But luckily that made me really angry and I was able to catch the guy.”
Also having a big day for Northside was Josh Williams. He placed second in the long jump (18-8), was third in the high jump (5-6) and placed in triple jump.'
“In high jump I jumped 5-6 which was a PR for me so that was really good,” Williams said. “After I went 5-4 I just kept going and it worked out. That was really nice.
"In long jump I jumped 18-8, which is close to my PR. I hurt my quad recently so I was just happy to be jumping at all. I think I’m pretty close (to be where I need to be).”
Lucien Fitzpatrick excelled as well in a very busy day. He was second in high jump (5-6), third in the 55 low hurdles (8.49), fourth in the 55 high hurdles (9.37) and placed in the long jump.
“Long jump is not always my best but it’s something I’ve been trying to work on a little bit,” Fitzpatrick said. “High hurdles I felt really good about but I didn’t start out to good in the groove so I was a little bit far back. I really started getting into it midway through and that’s what really pushed me to the front.
“In high jump, I kept with my PR. I had a better jump at 5-4 that probably would have cleared 5-8 but I just couldn’t get it anymore. I was probably a little tired. I feel like it’s a decent starting point (for the year).”
Tom Frejowski is one of the up-and-coming youngsters on the team. The freshman was first in the freshman 400 (60.8) second in the freshman 50 dash (6.81) and second in the freshman 200 (27.6).
“It’s been great; since I’ve never run before it’s hard to get used to all the events but it’s really fun out there and I think I did a great job,” Frejowski said. “In the 50 meter I started out strong and I didn’t have anyone behind me and I just kept running. For the 400, I started out strong and sprinted it. It was good.”
Frejowski, who is 6-foot-2 will spend plenty of time under the wing of Melto. Having such and experienced runner to work with will make Frejowski that much better.
"It’s definitely crazy practicing with Mac,” he said. “He’s such a good runner and such a positive guy that it’s always awesome going to practice with him.”
Other top performances for the Mustangs were put in by senior Dan Graham in the 1000 (4th, 2:53) and the 600 (3rd, 1:32.73), Ari Perlmutter in the freshman shot put (2nd, 29-9) freshman high jump (4th), and freshman 55 high hurdles (5th, 10.94), Porter Abbey in the freshman high jump (3rd), long jump and triple jump and Walter Johnson-Geis in the sophomore 400 (1st, 61.7). Perlmutter and Abbey also teamed up in the freshman 1,600 relay to help the squad take second.
