track and field

Niles West meet photos at bottom of page

By Rob Valentin

ChicagolandPreps.com editor

Saturday, April 10, 2010

   Northside College Prep’s Cooper Eben joined a short list of top-notch distance runners in school history as he became just the third Mustang runner to break the 10-minute barrier Saturday at the Paul Gans Invitational at Niles West.

   Eben took second in the two-mile race, crossing the finish line in a time of 9:58.8.

   “(Breaking 10:00) was my biggest goal going into the season,” Eben said. “It looked good during indoor and I kept dropping time.

   “Last week at the Mather Invitational I got it down to 10:11 and I thought “we’ll, maybe in a few more meets.’ But today I just managed to bust out. It was pretty windy but it didn’t manage to stop me.”

   Eben’s plan was to start the meet a little bit slower but he also wanted to stay in the lead group so his goal of a first lap in 75 seconds turned into a first lap of 70 seconds. But he evened out his pace and he ran the first mile in 4:57. He knew he was on pace to break 10:00, but there was still more work to do.

   “I started to get pretty fatigued in the last three laps,” he said. “But I really wanted that sub-10:00 so I kept going for it.”

   Breaking 10:00 earlier then he planned means that Eben must set some new goals for the rest of the year.

   “I have to motivate myself to set a goal below sub-10:00 now,” Eben said with a big smile on his face. “The next step is to get below 9:50 and then 9”45. I just want to go as low as possible. I want to get as fast as I possibly can.”

   Sophomore Mac Melto made his own mark on Saturday as he broke the school record in the 200  by running a 23.44, which topped Santino Merino’s old record of 23.6.

   “Last year I talked about how I wanted to beat the 200 record so it’s a pretty good accomplishment to finally get that done,” Melto said. “The 200 is not relly my focus though because usually the 200 is right after the 400 and the 400 is my focus.”

   Melto also competed in the 100 finishing with a time of 11.64 and the 400 (3^rd place, 53.41. The 400 time would have been even better but Melto had shin problems the last 20 meters and lost his balance, almost falling.

   “Before the race I felt the shin splints in my right leg,” Melto said. “Then about 100 meters left it really started to sting. Then I started to stumble but I did better than I thought I would going into that race.”

   Hersh Perlmutter had a solid day taking fifth place in the 100 high hurdles (16.37) while breaking the school record in the 300 hurdles with a time of 44.82.

   “This is my first complete outdoor meet because last week I fell in the 110 so it was nice to completely finish a meet,” Perlmutter said. “I ran a 16.46 in the (110) prelims (today) and then 16.37 in the finals and that’s only .01 from my record from last year. It’s nice to see those numbers.”

   Perlmutter has high expectations for this season.

   “The goal is always to make it to state,” he said. “I’ve dropped 1.5 seconds every year so I’d like to see that this year but it’s going to be pretty tough.”

   Wesley Laytham was another key member for the Mustangs. He ran a 4:45 mile to take fourth place and was also the anchor of the 3,200 relay team of Charlie Mesimore, Pat Duffy and Erik Zuehlke that took second place in a time of 8:36.18.

   “Erik came out of last week with a hurt foot and we weren’t sure how he was going to run but he ran his best time ever,” Laytham said of the 3,200 relay. “When I got the baton we were third and I started to try and got at the Niles West guy but he was just too fast for me so I dropped back a little.

   “I sat back until the second lap and was able to pass the other runner for second. I just ran as fast as I could.”

   Laytham has seen a big improvement in Northside this season.
    “I think w were all waiting for indoors to finally end so we could get outside,” he said. “We’re dropping a lot of time and it’s pretty satishying.”

   Sophomore Josh Williams impressed in the field events taking fifth place in the triple jump (37-feet 5-inches) and sixth in the long jump (18-5). Williams was also a part of the 800 relay team (Nathaniel Agharse, Mesimore, Kevin Jaburek) that took fifth and the 1600 relay team (Pat Duffy, Eben, Laytham) that took sixth in a time of 3:47.13.

   Other key contributors were Agharse in the 100 (11.62) and 200 (23.88), Andrew Czyszczon in the 110 hurdles (8^th, 18.99) and Danny Sobor in the 3,200 (9th, 11:11).

robvalentin@hotmail.com

Mustangs make strides in Northbrook

By Rob Valentin

ChicagolandPreps.com Editor

    Northside College Prep kept making strides forward, Wednesday, February 18^th at the Glenbrook North Invitational.

    The Mustangs had plenty of good performances including Hunter Speese's win in the high jump.

It was a pretty good day for me,” Speese said. “I got 5-6 today and had 5-8 last time out. But the other guy today didn’t clear 5-6 so that was all I needed.”

    Speese injured his hamstring last year and could never get fully healed. While he still isn’t 100 percent, there’s no doubt he feels much better.

    “I can still kind of feel it but it’s got a lot better and I’m just building it up and making it stronger,” said Speese, who is also a sprinter. “I want to try and hit 6 feet in high jump and I want to get my 400 time down. I also want to get my 100 time down.

    As always, the 1,600 was a thrilling event with Northside runners at the front. Cooper Eben brought home second place with a time of 4:49 while Wesley Laytham wasn’t far behind recording a time of 4:55.

    “I was keeping in mind the clock and I could tell after the first lap, they did 25 or 26 and that was too fast,” Eben said. “I wasn’t going to chase them. I’m not going to go out too hard, I’ll let them tire out.”

    The biggest obstacle Eben had to overcome was the small track.

    “You want to be inside as much as you can and because the straightaways are so short, you have to really plan how you’re going to pass people,” Eben said. “You have to do some of the passing on the curves.”

    Eben is excited for the outdoor season, especially with where he’s at right now. His mile time was just one second off his PR and it’s very early in the track season.

    For Laytham, the start to the mile race was very interesting. For the first few laps  the gap between the leader and Laytham grew bigger. But that was all part of the gameplan.

    “I wasn’t feeling too good after the 4X800 so I didn’t want to chase them early,” Laytham said. “I didn’t know if my legs would be able to hold up. After lap five I knew I could finish it strong. I just kept making progress and picked them off.”

    Laytham pushed himself hard after a short week and some tough practices.

    “We had a meet on Saturday and 400 intervals so my legs were tired,” Laytham said. “My legs were feeling dead so I’m really happy with my time.”

    One of the other big highlights of the day was the 1,600 frosh/soph relay team. Jusuf Skelic led the race off, built a lead and the Mustangs never looked back.

    “I tried to not go out too fast,” Skelic said. “I tried to really go out with 1 ½ laps left probably 250 meters in. It’s pretty good to get the win but for me it’s more about the time and not places.”

Skelic took the baton and handed off to Daniel Graham who kept Northside in the lead.

    “Jusuf got us to first and I was surprised I kept us there for the whole second leg,” Brown said. “I was scared and thought the guy was right behind me but he wasn’t. It was a good feeling and I was happy.”

Freshman Nathaniel Agharese ran the third leg of the 4X4 and he was focused on just one thing.

    “I was concentrating on keeping the lead up,” he said. “I gave it my all. I’m always happy when we’re in first but it does add a little pressure because you want to keep the lead. Still, it feels good taking the handoff and being in first.”

    Anchorman Pat Duffy was definitely feeling the pressure. Being the last runner, the last thin in the world you want is to be chased down and passed with first place on the line. Duffy made sure that didn’t happen as the Mustangs cruised to the win.

    “We had a huge lead and I was just focused on keeping that lead,” Duffy said. “When you’re anchoring, you have to keep up that lead. I hate being first but at the same time it’s great. I just try not to think at all. It weighs me down.”

    Duffy is hoping to beat his outdoor time of 57 in the 400. In the 800 he’s looking to break 2:10.

Northside opens season at Niles West

(photos at bottom of page)

Rob Valentin

ChicagolandPreps.com editor

   Northside College Prep opened the 2010 season competing at the Niles West Indoor Invite, Friday, Feb. 6.

   The Mustangs had several impressive performances led by Cuitlahuac Pineda Youniss’ winning the 1,600 in convincing fashion.

   “I was so surprised that I ran that fast,” Pineda Youniss said. “The last few days I’ve been really tired. And during the last two laps I felt like I still had more left in the gas tank.”

   Pineda Youniss finished the mile race in a time of 4:39 and that’s pretty solid for his first indoor meet of the season. Last year he ran a 4:34 at the Illinois Prep Top Times.

   “I set the bar high today,” he said. “Especially since, no offense to Niles West but their track is kind of crappy because it’s so small and there’s no ventilation. Now I’m going to go jump in the snow.”

   The big goal Pineda Youniss has for the team this indoor season is making it to state in the 4X800 relay.

   Northside had another winner as Mac Melto took home first place in the 400.

   “When you come to a track like this it’s kind of intimidating with all the turns you’re going to have to do,” said Melto, referring to the fact that the 400 is 2.5 laps on Niles West’s track. “But I surprised myself and I’m pretty happy with my win.”

   For Melto, and much of the Northside team, indoor is just practice for the upcoming outdoor season.

   “Outdoor is really what matters to me,” Melto said. “So when I get out there I hope the indoor season got me ready.”

   Wesley Laytham captured second place in the 800 running a 2:11.

   “I was feeling a little bit sick going into this,” he said. “I didn’t feel that great and if I would have pushed a little harder, I probably could have won it. But this is the first meet so it doesn’t really matter too much.”

Laytham will be a big contributor during the outdoor season and is excited to get outside.

   “I still need to do some speed work and I use indoor more for conditioning,” Laytham said. “I think I’ll be ready when I need to. I want to go under 2:00 and I think I should be able to do that. I’d also like to drop time in the mile.”

   Northside is absolutely stacked in the mile this season. In addition to Pineda Youniss, the Mustangs had several runners do well including Cooper Eben who was the second Northside runner to cross the finish line.

   “It was my second race of the day because I ran the 1,000 earlier,” Eben said. “It’s been a while since I ran a mile so I was a little hazy on how to run it. I ran a 4:57 and I’m pretty happy with that especially after running earlier.”

   Eben really struggled with his recovery from the 1,000.

   “The biggest problem is the air,” Eben said. “It’s pretty dry in here and it really messes up your lungs. I’ll be coughing for a long time after the meet is over.”

Erik Zuehlke was the third Mustangs finisher in the 1,600 while Fahad Savari was fourth.

   Hersh Perlmutter had a tougher day, competing in the two hurdles events.

“I don’t think it went to well,” he said. “My training and workout methods haven’t been very good lately and I feel like I’m starting worse than where I left off. I think this meet will be a wake-up call.”

   Perlmutter finished with a 9.5 in the 55 high hurdles and an 8.6 in the 55 low hurdles.

   “I’m still starting poorly and right now the whole race is bad for me now,” Perlmutter said. “Going over the first hurdle, then re-stepping. I’m having trouble with the whole race. I need to get faster and work on the blocks more. Hopefully I’ll get there.”

Nelson heading to state

By Rob Valentin

ChicagolandPreps.com Editor

Saturday, May 23, 2009

Northside College Prep’s Eric Nelson can pack his bags.

The senior standout will be making a return trip to the state finals after winning the high jump in the Fenwick Sectional at Concordia University.

Nelson cleared 6-feet 4-inches on his first attempt to win the title.

“I felt pretty good jumping because I haven’t been jumping the last two weeks,” Nelson said. “I’ve been out with the flu and had a 104 degree temperature.

The long layoff definitely had an effect on Nelson.

“It was interesting trying to find my approach again and get the spring back in my legs since I’ve been laying on the couch for the last two weeks,” Nelson added. “Considering that, I’m really happy with how it turned out.”

Four jumpers were able to clear 6 feet and only two managed to jump 6-2. Now that Nelson has qualified for state, the attention turns to a good week of practice leading up to the preliminaries on May 29 at Eastern Illinois University’s O’Brien Stadium in Charleston, Ill.

“I’ll do a lot of jump training just to get my legs back,” Nelson said. “I feel pretty confident with my form.”

Nelson also took fifth place in the triple jump and broke a school record with a leap of 42-3 and finished 9^th in the shotp put with a throw of 40-6.

Northside wasn’t able to qualify anyone else to state but they still had some outstanding performances.

With four heats of the 100 and 200, it wasn’t going to be easy to make it into the finals but the Mustangs’ Wemi Jemine did just that.

The senior, who is also a star on the basketball team, ran a 11.64 in the 100 prelims and an 11.66 in the finals to finish in seventh. In the 200, his time of 23.64 earned him a spot in the finals and he was able to run a 24.19 to and fifth place. It was the first time a Northside runner has won a medal in sectionals in a sprint event.

“I’m really surprised because I haven’t doing too well in the 200 this year,” said Jemine who also added a ninth place finish in the high jump after clearing 5-6. “My knee was still hurting and that’s why I couldn’t get higher. The knee still hurts in the sprints but the adrenaline kicks in and I can zone it out.”

Jemine will attend the University of Illinois where he plans on majoring in engineering.

As usual, Northside did well in the distance events. In the 3,200 Cuitlahuac Pineda Youniss took fourth with a 10:07.9 and Cooper Eben finished eighth with a 10:17.16.

Despite earning a medal, Pineda Youniss was disappointed with his time and how the day went.

“To be honest, I don’t know what happened,” Pineda Youniss said. “ I went out and the first mile was fine and I just kept slowing down in the second mile. I performed well but it wasn’t my best of the season.”

Sophomore Charlie Mesimore had a solid meet taking fifth in the 1,600 with a personal best and school record time of 4:35.05, just 11 seconds behind the winner.

“That’s what I expected, unrealistically,” Mesimore said with a laugh. “I wanted to at least get sixth. I just wanted to get a medal.

“I had some injuries so this is a good base for next year and for cross country. But I’m just glad the summer is here. The track season is too long.”

Wesley Laytham wasn’t too far behind as eh finished sixth with a time of 4:39.3

In the hurdle events, Hersh Perlmutter continues to make strides forward. The sophomore qualified for the finals of the 110 hurdles where he ran a 17.45 for seventh place. In the prelims he ran a 16.36. Perlmutter also added an 11^th place in the 300 hurdles (47.22).

“It was nice to make the finals in the 110, that’s a big step,” Perlmutter said. “And I got the school record with that 16.36. It’s fun to see that I’m getting better and better each week.”

Last year Perlmutter’s best time in the 110 was an 18.5 and a 48 in the 300 hurdles.

The Mustangs’ best relay finish of the day came in the 3,200 where Jon Kittaka, Pat Duffy, Jusuf Skelic and Simon Vecchioni teamed up to take fifth place with a time of 8:51.17.

Skelic, a freshman, led the way with a personal best split time of 2:10 and he couldn’t have been more excited.

“I’ve been training so hard for the past few months and I knew there was no way I wouldn’t run a PR in this race,” said Skelic, whose previous best was a 2:15. “It wasn’t definitive until Thursday that I was going to run. I was running on empty but it was worth it. I didn’t care if I passed out because this is the last race of the season.”

Kittaka led the race off by running a 2:13.

“I like leading off because I get to run with the other guys right off the bat,” Kittaka said. “I didn’t think I ran a particularly smart race because I went out to fast but I had a good time.”

Northside’s 1,600 relay team of Brian Chhun, Pineda Youniss, Pat Duffy and Wesley Laytham took eighth (3:42.21). The 400 relay team finished 11^th and the 800 relay brought home eighth.

Northside senior Martin Melto was able to crack the top ten in the long jump (10^th, 17-6) in his last high school meet.

Mustangs set for sectionals

By Rob Valentin

ChicagolandPreps.com Editor

Friday, May 21, 2009

This is the moment they’ve waited for.

All season long, the Northside College Prep boys track team has and poured all of their effort into every meet and every practice to get ready for sectionals. And now the time is here.

The Mustangs travel to the Fenwick Sectional at Concordia on Saturday, May 23 with one last chance to record a personal best, or even better advance to state.

The only lock to qualify for state is high jumper Eric Nelson. Barring an injury, the senior, who is seeded first with a leap of 6-5, should win the meet and will have a good chance to make some noise at the IHSA state track and field meet next weekend at Eastern Illinois University.

Nelson will also compete in the discus where he’s seeded sixth with a throw of 114-3, the shot put (85^th, 42-4.5) and the triple jump (5^th, 41-11.5).

In the long jump, Northside will be represented by Martin Melto (10^th, 18-7) and Josh Williams (19^th, 15-9). Williams will also compete in the triple jump (17^th, 34-6).

Other entries for the field events include Wemi Jemine in the high jump (7^th, 5-10), Luke Sobieraj in the pole vault (11^th, 8-0), John Ko in the discus (17^th, 96-10) and the shot put (14^th, 39-1).

One of the big goals for Northside will be to advance the 3,200 relay team to state. Head coach Jon Gordon hasn’t yet settled on a lineup for the team that heads into sectionals seeded third. 

Cuitlahuac Pineda Youniss heads into his 3,200 with the fourth fastest time (9:47) but the difference between fourth and second is less than 10 seconds. Also running the 3,200 is Cooper Eben whose 10:20 is the eighth-fastest time.

The Mustangs’ other relays include the 400 relay team of Melto, Albert Lin, Jemine and Hunter Speese (8^th), the 800 relay team of Melto, Lin, Brian Chhun and Neal Capapas (9^th) and the 1,600 relay team of Hunter Speese, Chhun, Pineda Youniss and Laytham.

In the sprint events, Northside will look to Speese in the 100 (11.66) and 200 and Jemine in the 100 (11.89) and 200. The 400 will see Simon Vecchioni (59.00) run while Mac Melto who had a time of 52.47 is out sick.

The 110 hurdles will see Hersh Perlmutter (16.7) and Andrew Czyszczon (20.44). The 300 hurdles will also see Perlmutter (46.33) and Czyszcon (50.37) compete.

Two Northside runners will square off with 10 others in the fastest heat of the mile. Chalie Mesimore heads in with a 4:39 while Wesley Laytham has a 4:42.

In the 800, Pineda Youniss (2:03) and Jon Kittaka (4:06) are scheduled to compete.

Mesimore, Mustangs shine 

at fresh-soph city meet

Rob Valentin

ChicagolandPreps.com

Friday, May 8, 2009

Northside College Prep’s Charlie Mesimore had quite the day on Friday, May 8 at the freshman-sophomore city championship at Hanson Stadium.

The sophomore destroyed the competition as he brought home city titles in the 1,600 and 3,200.

Mesimore started the day by winning the two-mile in a time of 10:28.59 and completed the sweep by winning the mile with a 4:48.52.

Coming off hamstring and calf injuries that really limited his productivity for the last few weeks, Mesimore wasn’t sure what to expect.

“It’s still bothering me but it’s been doing a lot better,” Mesimore said. “My goal today was to go my PR (10:23) in the two-mile and then just try to win the mile. But it was pretty hot out there and there wasn’t any competition so I wasn’t able to get my record for the two-mile.”

The entire meet was completed in about two hours so Mesimore didn’t have a whole lot of recovery time after finishing the 3,200. Still, he won the 1,600 by over eight seconds.

“I thought I would have a lot more recovery time but the meet was going pretty fast,” Mesimore said. “Coach just told me to take the lead from the start because you don’t want other people to get in the race. I took it out hard for the first lap and after the second lap, I knew no one was there with me.

Mac Melto had a pretty impressive day as well for the Mustangs. The freshman took third place in the 400 (52.47), fourth place in the high jump (5-4) and sixth place in the 200 (24.64).

“I’m a very competitive person and I started (the 400) a little slower and then just catch people if they pass me,” Melto said. “I try to use them to set my own speed. When I hit that last turn I just tried to get myself as close to the front as possible.”

While Melto was happy with his 400 he would have liked to do a little better in the 200. But a quick turnaround was too much to overcome.

“I was really hoping to get a good 200 time but it was so soon after my 400 that I really didn’t have any time to rest,” Melto added. “I used all my energy on that 400.”

In the two mile, freshman Taylor Kuehn had a terrific race and finished in fifth place after recording a time of 11:00.62.

“I just wanted to come out and set a PR and I knew I’d be in good shape,” said Kuehn, who improved a lot on his start of the season time (11:24). “I would have liked it be a little cooler but I kinda of like running when it’s warmer.”

Eric Zuehlke brought home fifth place in the mile after running a 5:00.69. He was also part of Northside’s 3,200 and 1,600 relay teams so he was spent after the tiring day.

“Physically I was okay until after the mile because I got a lot of rest after the (3,200 relay),” Zuehlke said. “But I was pretty tired running that last 400.”

While Zuehlke will enjoy his summer break, he’s also going to be gunning for the fifth man spot on the boys cross country team. The Mustangs are posed to do a lot of damage in the fall with Cuitlahuac Pineda Youniss, Cooper Eben, Charlie Mesimore and Wesley Laytham all returning from very strong track seasons on the varsity level.

“I’m thinking I can get that fifth spot over the summer if I run the 500 miles and train hard,” Zuehlke said. “I’d love to be a part of the great team we’re going to have. The goal is to get under 16:00 for a 5K.”

Pat Duffy took sixth place in an 800 race that saw the difference between first and seventh amount to just over two seconds.

“I beat my PR by two seconds so I feel really good,” Duffy said. “I got boxed in but it felt good when I was able to pass them up. The first couple hundred meters is a blurr. You just try and get through it and sprint the last 200.”

Hersh Perlmuter had another solid meet for Northside as the sophomore took 4^th in the 300 hurdles (46.33) and 7^th in the 110 hurdles (17.28).

Josh Williams finished 10^th in the triple jump (34-6) and 6^th in the high jump (5-2). Allen Tu took home ninth in the discus with a throw of 83-6

The Mustangs 3,200 relay team of Duffy, Fahad Sarvari, Zuehlke and Danny Sobor finished in sixth place with a time of 9:13.05 while the 1,600 relay team of Luis Mesa, Sobor, Zuehlke and Duffy took eighth.

Rob Valentin can be reacher at robvalentin@hotmail.com

Mustangs all geared up 

for soph-fresh city finals

By Rob Valentin

ChicagolandPreps.com Editor

Wednesday, May 6, 2009

Northside College Prep’s boys team is going to have quite a presence at Friday’s Chicago Public Schools Sophomore-Freshman City Championships.

The Mustangs qualified a school record 14 different athletes at the May 2 semifinals and they’re hoping to bring home some serious hardware when the meet kicks off 3 p.m. at Hanson Stadium.

The field events will see Josh Williams looking to bring home medals in the triple jump (33-feet 3-inches) and the high jump (4-10) while Mac Melto will also compete in the high jump (5-2).

In the discus, Allen Tu has a real good shot at medaling after throwing a 83-6, which is one of the top seeds heading into the meet.

Two different relays will also be competing for Northside in the finals.

The 3,200 relay qualified for the finals with all four runners running very similar splits for a time of 9:37.33. Danny Sobor led the way with a 2:23 while Taylor Keuhn, Erik Zuehlke and Charlie Mesimore ran splits of 2:24.

The 1,600 relay also made it to Friday’s finals by running a time of 3:57.82. Leading the team was Pat Duffy (57.69), Williams (1:02.57), Jusuf Skelic (59.74) and Mesimore (58.92).

In addition to anchoring the two relay teams, Mesimore had an absolute monster performance in the mile. The sophomore ran a 4:39.8 to win the race by over 20 seconds. Mesimore ran the first 400 in a time of 1:06 and followed that up with splits of 1:10, 1:10 and 1:13.

Zuehlke also qualified for the finals in the mile running a 5:03.9 for sixth place. His splits were 1:12, 1:19, 1:19 and 1:13. Both runners ran personal best times and should be ready to peak at the city finals.

Sophomore Hersh Perlmutter qualified in two different events after running a 17.37 in the 110 hurdles and a 46.95 in the 300 hurdles.

The 800 finals will see two Northside runners compete as Duffy (2:13.9) and Skelic (2:15.7) both qualified.

In addition to making the high jump finals, Melto will also run in the 400 after breaking the school record with a time of 53.47.  He took first in his heat and was just 1.1 seconds behind the overall leader, Calumet’s Spencer Williams. Melto also qualified in the 200 after running a 24.37 to place fifth overall.

Alternates for the relay teams that qualified were Josh Pfest and Luis Mesa (1,600), and Farhad Sarvari and Michael Loftus (3,200).

Northside passes big test

at Spartan Relays

By Rob Valentin

ChicagolandPreps.com Editor

Friday, May 1, 2009 

The Spartan Relays offered Northside College Prep a whole lot of challenges and opportunities and the Mustangs took full advantage at Glenbrook North, Friday, May 1.

The story of the day was the 6,400 relay team of Cuitlahuac Pineda Youniss, Cooper Eben, Jon Kittaka and Wesley Laytham. The quarter broke a two-year old school record (20:16.3) by running a blistering 18:55.11, just 18 seconds behind perennial power York.

Pineda Youniss opened the race with a solid 4:38.12.

“It was pretty exciting because we broke the PR by over a minute,” Pineda Youniss said. “This shows we’ve come a long way in the last couple years. We set the bar a little higher.”

Pineda Youniss felt good early on but thought he could have finished a little stronger.

“I don’t think I run my best race but it was still fun to do,” he said, “My first 400 was on pace and I wanted to break 4:30 but we’ve been having a hard week of practice. I think all the hard work will show at city.”

Eben finished the second leg of the race with a time of 4:50.38.

“It was a lot of fun but it’s so different than running a normal mile because you’re not starting with everyone else,” Eben said. “And in a normal relay, you want to go catch them as fast as you can but in a mile you can’t afford to give up everything you have right away.”

Kittaka ran the third leg of the race and set a PR with a time of 4:44.38.            

“It turned out pretty well,” Kittaka said. “We haven’t always had these (quality) runners. We’re getting better and it’s a real culmination of everything we’ve been working on and towards.”

Laytham ran the anchor leg in a 4:42.38, which tied his personal best time.

“I think I could have gone a little faster, but overall it was a decent race,” Laytham said. “I went out were I wanted to be but I slowed down the second and third laps. I think I could have gone under 4:40 if I pushed it a little more today.”

One of the things all the runners agreed on was how much fun it was competing against so many good distance teams like York and Loyola.

“Running against really stiff competition is a way for you to get better and set new goals for yourself,” Eben said. “It’s definitely a boost to run a race against those teams.”

Nelson dominates high jump

Eric Nelson had another solid meet as no one could hang with the senior in the high jump. Nelson, who plans to go to Illinois and try and walk onto the golf team, easily cleared 6-feet, something no other jumper at the meet could do.

Nelson decided to go right to 6-4 and nailed it on his first attempt.

“I’ve cleared 6-2 plenty of times so another jump at 6-2 wasn’t going to do much for me,” Nelson said. “I figured I would just put it up a few inches.”

While Nelson couldn’t clear 6-6 on his three attempts at the height, the day definitely had the feel of being successful.

“I thought I was jumping pretty well,” Nelson said. “This and the Windy City Relays were really the first two nice jumping days we had. You could really feel the difference when you’re jumping because you’re all warm and loose.”

With the meet being all relays, it meant there would be 48 jumpers competing and since the opening jumps were 4-8, Nelson’s opening jump didn’t come until hours after the high jump began.

“It was a lot longer of an event with 48 people going. But it gave me time to go throw shot put and discus and I didn’t have to run back and forth during the events.”

Speese shows his speed

Hunter Speese had a great meet, highlighted by his leg in the 800 relay. Speese ran a personal best time of 22.6.

“I didn’t do so well in the field events but I think I made up for it in the running events,” said Speese, who also ran a PR 55.0 in the 1,600 relay. “I haven’t run a 400 this year so it was nice to see that I could still run a good time.

Jemine a speed demon too

Wemi Jemine was also a member of the 800 relay team. He finished with a 23 flat and wasn’t sure what to think of the time.

“Last year I ran a 21.8 so I don’t know if that was legit or not but I was hoping to get something around there,” said Jemine who is trying to come back from patella tendinitis. “I’m just trying to get my knee healed more. I can’t high jump anymore and that was my favorite thing to do.

“I always thought these knee injuries people got, they just over-exaggerated but this started back in basketball season and it just got worse and worse. I can’t jump off one leg anymore.”

Rob Valentin can be contacted at robvalentin@hotmail.com

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Northside Prep prepares 

for Spartan Relays

By Rob Valentin

ChicagolandPreps.com Editor

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Northside College Prep’s varsity boys team will get to have a little fun and compete against some of the best teams in the area when they travel to Northbrook for the 47^th Annual Spartan Relays at Glenbrook North.

Four athletes will compete in the high jump relay for the Mustangs, led by senior Eric Nelson. Last year Nelson won the individual title at the Spartan Relays and he’s already cleared 6-feet 5-inches this season.

Nelson has high hopes for the state finals in May and this should be a good opportunity to work on his jumping after missing a meet last week with the flu.

Joining him on the high jump relay will be Wemie Jemine. The senior has not jumped during the outdoor portion of the season and has been focusing on the sprint events. But last year Jemine jumped 5-10 at sectionals. Hunter Speese, who won the Lake Forest Academy high jump with Nelson absent will also be on the high jump relay team. The final spot is yet to be determined between seniors John Byrne and Albert Lin.

The marquee event for Northside might be the 4X1600 relay. The Mustangs are gunning for first place but will have to beat out a York team that is known for cranking out distance runners like a factory assembly line.

Junior Cuitlahuac Pineda Youniss will pace the squad and has a personal best time of 4:34. Wesley Laytham has been progressing nicely this season and enters the meet with a personal best mile time of 4:43. Cooper Eben has also been having a solid season and has a personal best of 4:48.

Rounding out the team is Jonathan Kittaka, who missed much of the early season after playing the lead in a school play. But Kittaka, who also runs cross country, is ready for a big breakthrough and that might come at the Spartans Relay.

Weather Conditions throw Northside Prep a curve

Rob Valentin

ChicagolandPreps.com

 Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Northside College Prep was hoping to make an assault on the record books during a duel meet with Lake Forest Academy on Tuesday, April 21.

Mother Nature had different plans.

With temperatures in the low 40’s, constant rain and gusty winds, the meet became more about survival.

The boys’ team lost a close battle to Lake Forest Academy 74-62. But the Mustangs were missing Eric Nelson who would have most likely added wins in the shot put, discus, high jump and triple jump.

Still, there were some solid performances at the meet.

Freshmen Mac Melto won the 400 in a time of 54.4 while taking second in the 200 (24.52) and third in the 100 (12.0)

“Today, I have to say is the most miserable track meet I’ve ever been to,” Melto said. “The biggest thing going through my head is ‘Will I be warm enough when the race starts.’ I think I could have done a lot better if the weather was warmer.”

DISTANCE

Wesley Laytham had a solid meet, running one of his best 800 races in a time of 2:08.18 for first place while taking third in the 1,600 (4:59.2).

“I felt good on the first lap (of the 800),” Laytham said. “I ran a 59 but then I died on the second lap. I think the wind was a partial factor but I think I should have just tried to run even splits.”

Northside dominated the 1,600 as Cuitlahuac Pineda Youniss took first (4:50.27), Jon Kittaka took second (4:56.32) while Laytham finished third and Cooper Eben took fourth.

“The cold and wind are fine but sometimes I would rather just stay home and run six or seven miles,” said Pineda Youniss, who also took first in the 3,200 with a time of 10:13.37. “When you run as many races as we do, you take it a little bit easier.”

There were some things that Pineda Youniss was able to work on during Tuesday’s meet.

“I practice on my form more,” Pineda Youniss said. “That really helps you in the long run.”

Kittaka just tried to roll with the punches when it came to Tuesday’s weather conditions.

“The wind was rough but I kind of like the temperature,” Kittaka said. “But it’s always something. It’s either too hot or too cold. I would rather have it be cold.”

Kittaka was happy with his race but he’s hoping for a break through by city that allows him to break into the 4:30’s.

HURDLES

Hersh Perlmutter grabbed a pair of second place finished in the 110 hurdles (17.18) and the 300 hurdles (48.65).

"The wind really hurt for the 300 hurdles because you're going straight into it for the first 200," Perlmutter said. "But it helped me in the 110."

Perlmutter feels like he's seeing some nice improvements from earlier this season.

"My blocks are getting a lot better and so is my form," he said. "And I'm getting faster in between hurdles."

FIELD EVENTS

Mac Melto’s older brother Martin Melto made it four wins on the day for the Melto family as the senior captured victories in the long jump (17-0) and the triple jump (35-0).

“The pit was pretty damp and I know I definitely didn’t do as well as I could have on a warmer day,” Martin Melto said. “I just tried to do the best I could.”

With only about a month left to the season, Martin Melto has his eyes set on the record books.

“I really want to break the school long jump record (19-2.5),” said Melto, whose best jump this year is 18-4.75.

John Ko brought home first place in the discus (94-4) and third place in the shot put (32-8.5). Hunter Speese, filled in for Nelson in the high jump admirably, taking first with a leap of 5-4.

Northside will have a 10-day break until its next meet, which is a welcome break for the athletes.

“It’s going to be nice to have some time off,” said Speese, who is also trying to come back from a pulled hamstring. “It will be time for me to just get back into shape and get faster.”

GIRLS

On the girls’ side, Northside dropped an 86-50 decision to Lake Forest Academy.

Jennifer Kane had a terrific day winning the high jump (4-2) and taking second place in the 100 hurdles (19.47) and the triple jump (29-2.75).

“I’m pleased with my events but it’s a horrible day weather wise,” Kane said. “It’s really tough running against the wind and waiting around in the cold in the high jump. It was a hectic day.

“I didn’t start the hurdles race with blocks and I normally start with them. But I was doing the triple jump and I just had to run over. I didn’t have any time to warm up. I just got on the line and ran.”

Maria Torres won the triple jump with a leap of 30-4.5 and finished third in the high jump (4-2) and 100 (14.16).

Ani Zotti won the mile (6:13.38) while Bessie Nolan took second (6:20.42). Rosailie ran a personal best 31.58 in the 200 to take first place while Stella Han wasn’t far behind to finish in second (33.75).

Anastasia Rhodes grabbed second in the shot put (27-2.5) and the long jump (13-6). Other second place finishers were Robin Doherty in the 300 hurdles (1:07) and Adaora Achufusi in the 400 (1:10.26).

“It’s hard because you know you’re not going to get your personal best on a day like this,” Kane said. “You just have to focus on your competition because everyone has to face the same conditions.

“Staying warm is impossible because once you get cold, you can’t get warm again. You just have to make sure you stretch so you don’t get injured.”

Rob Valentin can be reached at robvalentin@hotmail.com

(Lake Forest Academy photos are at the bottom of the page)

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Northside looking to re-write record books

Rob Valentin

ChicagolandPreps.com Editor

Monday, April 20, 2009

Northside College Prep school records were falling left and right at last week’s Deerfield meet and the Mustangs should have a similar attitude this week as they head to Lake Forest Academy for a duel meet on Tuesday, April 21.

Eric Nelson, who qualified for state last year in the high jump, will have a chance at beating his own school records in the triple jump, shot put and discus. In the high jump, Nelson will look to at least tie his school record of 6-feet 6-inches, if not surpass it.

In the relays, the 3,200 relay team of Jon Kittaka, Simon Vecchioni, Cooper Eben and Pat Duffy will look to topple the school record of 8:37.61. The 400 rely broke the school record at Deerfield and will look to go even lower this week as the team of Martin Melto, Neal Capapas, Albert Lin and Hunter Speese eye the time to beat of 46.32.

Cuitlahuac Pineda Youniss is setting his sights on a pair of school records. He dropped 30 seconds off his two-mile time (9:47) and would love a shot to break the five year old record held by John Krumsee (9:37). He will also chase the school record in the mile held by Joseph Terdik (4:37.2). Pineda Youniss’ best time this season was a 4:38.

Freshman speedster Mac Melto will look to better his school record times in the 100 and 400 while breaking the 200 school record held by Santino Merino.

On the girls side, Maria Torres will take aim at the school records she owes in the long jump, triple jump and high jump.

Rob Valentin can be reached at robvalentin@hotmail.com

Mustangs impress at Deerfield

Rob Valentin

ChicagolandPreps.com Editor

 Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Cold temperatures and a strong wind could do nothing to slow down Northside College Prep, Wednesday, April 15 at a Deerfield duel meet.

Plenty of school and individual records fell as the Mustangs start to gear up for the city championship next month.

BOYS

One of the real highlights of the day was a surprise performance by the 400 relay, which was using two alternates.

The team of Martin Melto, Neal Capapas, Albert Lin and Hunter Speese demolished the old school record of 47.81 by running a 46.32 to win the race.

On the individual side, Hersh Perlmutter broke a pair of school records he already owned in the hurdles events. In the 110 hurdles he ran a 16.7 to beat his old time of 18.08 and in the 300 he clocked a 46.34 to beat the old time of 46.98.

“In the 100, I was in the blocks just waiting for her to shoot the gun and she held it quite a while,” Perlmutter said. “But I was relaxed and I’ve learned to just settle down.

“I’m usually slow to the first hurdle but I make it up during the race. It’s nice to run that fast and during the next week or two I should be able to get even faster.”

Perlmutter has had to readjust some of the goals that he set at the beginning of the season.

“At the beginning of the year I just wanted to hit 16.5 but I’m basically there now,” Perlmutter. “Now I can go a bit farther, I’d like to place at city but I’ll have to go 15.8 or 15.9.”

Another school record fell in the 1,600 relay as the team of Cuitlahuac Pineda Youniss, Brian Chhun, Wesley Laytham and Charlie Mesimore clocked a 3:41.67 to destroy the old time of 3:47.62 set at last year’s sectional meet.

Pineda Youniss turns heads

While Pineda Youniss didn’t break a school record in the 3,200, he seemed to run the race of the day. With no competition in the two-mile race, Pineda Youniss broke his personal best time of 10:17 by running a 9:47. That time was just 10 seconds behind the school record of John Krumsee set in 2004.

“I thought I had it in me,” Pineda Youniss said. “I haven’t run two miles (in a meet) since about a month and a half ago but I had a really good week of practice.

“I’m really happy with the time. I didn’t even know I was going that fats. The key was running negative splits.

Pineda Youniss clocked a 4:54 in the first mile and a 4:53 in the second mile.

The real shame is that Deerfield’s Billy Malmed didn’t run in the race. Last Saturday he clocked a 9:44, so Thursday’s race would have been a real duel.

Freshmen phenom

Freshmen Mac Melto had a solid day for Northside, even though both his races were run at the tail end of the meet when the sun was setting and the temperatures were dropping.

In the 400 he clocked a 54.19 and in the 200 he ran a 24.15, just off his personal best time of 24.1.

“When you’re getting ready to race it feels like it’s going to be really bad (because of the cold) but when you’re running, it’s perfect weather,” Melto said. “It’s just tough to stay warm before the race.”

The fact that his time in the 200 was just off his PR despite the cold is a very good sign.

“I was really surprised because I came here not thinking I would do that well because of the weather,” Melto said. “But I surprised myself. I’ve already met the previous goals I’ve set but now I’d like to break the school record in the 200 (Santino Merino, 23.6 in 2008).

Milers improving

Laytham also put in a solid effort in the 1,600 as he hung with Deerfield’s Malmed for much of the race and finished in second with a PR time of 4:43.

“We just went out to fast and we should have started a little more conservative,” Laytham said. “I wanted to run pretty even splits but after the first 400, I realized we had gone out way too fast (first 400 of 1:03).

“The season is going well. We’re all dropping time and I think we’re all going to be near that (school) record (Joseph Terdik, 4:37.2 in 2006) in another week or two

Teammates Jonathan Kittaka and Cooper Eben weren’t far behind as they finished third and fourth respectively.

Kittaka, who has been performing in a school musical and has run only one-mile race this season, looked solid in his third-place finish.

“I tried to stick with Wesley but I could tell it was really fast,” Kittaka said. “I tried to ease up and run a little more conservatively. It was a nice meet to come to, not too much pressure but we had some good competition.”

Field Events

In the field events, Albert Lin grabbed a second-place finish in the triple jump with a leap of 38-7.5 while Martin Melto took second in the long jump with a PR of 18-7.

Eric Nelson won the high jump clearing 6-3 and also set season bests in the shot put (40-9) and discus (114-3).

“It’s tough to stay warm in between jumps,” Nelson said. “You keep jogging around and stretching out and you almost get tired getting ready for the jumps.

“In meets like this, I’m just trying to fine-tune my approach. I can work on my form getting over the bar. I’m pretty comfortable with where I’m at jumping-wise. We’ve had a lot of meets this year.”

GIRLS

On the girls’ side, Maria Torres stayed busy competing in the long jump, triple jump, high jump and 1,600 relay. She won the triple with a leap of 32-3.75 but she wasn’t happy with her meet as a whole.

“My mark was a little off on the long jump so I only jumped a 14-1,” said Torres, who set the school record with a jump of 15-6.25 at last year’s city meet. “I wasn’t at my best in the triple jump either.”

It’s a busy stretch for Northside as the Mustangs have four big meets in a 13-day period.

“There’s a lot of things to stay focused for and it’s tough, but you just try to do your best.”

The 3,200 relay team had a fantastic race coming within one second of breaking the school record of 10:34. The team of Adaora Achufusi, Bessie Nolan, Ani Zotti and Anna Parks ran a 10:35.16.

Anna Parks was able to break a school record in the 100 as her time of 13.66 beat the old record of Natalie Hanigan (13.84) set in 2007. Achufusi was right behind, running a time of 13.9.

“I’m a distance runner so I wasn’t expecting to run the 100,” Achufusi said. “It was fun to try something different and get the adrenaline going. It’s a lot different being in the blocks. It’s hard to control your breathing.”

(Deerfield photo album is at the bottom of the page)

Northside looking to make 

some noise at Deerfield

Boys Track and Field

The Deerfield Meet has been moved to Wednesday, April 15 due to weather conditions

Rob Valentin

ChicagolandPreps.com Editor

Sunday, April 12, 2009

Six years ago it would have been impossible to imagine Northside College Prep heading North to take on powerful track teams like Glenbrook North and Deerfield.

But Mustangs coach Jon Gordon has worked hard day and night to make Northside a city power and when the Mustangs travel to Deerfield on Tuesday, April 14, the two suburban schools will have their hands full.

Northside lost a close 47-44 contest to Glenbrook North on Feb 18. But the Mustangs have come a long way in the last two months.

Northside’s Mac Melto is the perfect example. The freshman ran a 1:02.25 in the 400 dash and lost to Glenbrook North’s Andrew Harter (53.5) in that February indoor met. But on April 4, Melto broke the school record and upset sprinters from Mather and Urban Prep as he ran a 53.7. 

That kind of drastic improvement is the sign of a dedicated coach and athlete and the rematch between Melto and Harter should be fun to watch. Deerfield’s Cohen also has a solid time (53.6) and will be a big threat.

North Shore track fans will also get a special treat when they get to watch Northside’s Eric Nelson in the high jump. The senior has already cleared 6-feet 5-inches this season and will have a great chance to be All-State at the state finals later this spring. Deerfield’s Blake Davis and Glenbrook North’s Kosma Kwiatkowski have cleared 6-0 this season and will try to make Nelson work for first place on Tuesday.

The other two big events should be the distance races.

In the 3,200, Northside’s Cuitlahuac Pineda Youniss and Charlie Mesimore do battle with Deerfield’s Dan Channon.

Deerfield’s Billy Malmed has already run a 4:35.2 in the 1,600 and that should set a great pace for Northside junior Cooper Eben (4:48) and sophomore Wesley Laytham (4:45). The fast race might allow one — or both — Mustangs’ runners to break the school record of 4:37.2.

Northside high jumper Eric Nelson

Northside's Cuitlahuac Pineda Youniss