Sandburg's 3200 meter relay team of (left to right) Sean Marquardt Declan Tunney, Trent Anderson and Brock Rice ran the third-best time in the nation Thursday at Lockport and finished in second place. Photo courtesy of Sandburg High School.
Track Postseason Report: Sandburg boys 3200 relay records nation’s third-best time in 2022
By Jeff Vorva
Staff Writer
How good was the competition in the boys track Class 3A Lockport Sectional in the 3200 meter relay?
Sandburg’s relay team of Brock Rice, Declan Tunney, Trent Anderson and Sean Marquardt ran a time of 7:42.42, which tied for the third-best time in the nation in 2022.
And that was only good enough for second place.
In a battle that went down to the wire, Hinsdale Central’s 7:42.15 performance barely beat the Eagles.
According to Athletic.net, the Eagles time is tied with Fremont (Nebraska) for the third-best time in the country entering this week. Hinsdale Central’s time was second in the nation.
Ridge (New Jersey) was the nation’s leader at 7:41.59.
Success in the 3200 is nothing new for the Eagles as they head into the weekend’s IHSA state meet in Charleston with the No. 2 seed and ready for a rematch with the Red Devils. Sandburg has medaled in the event nine straight years and won it three times during that span, including the 2016 season in which they set the state record with a 7:36.36.
The Eagles had one sectional champion this year at Lockport, as junior Lance Somerfield had a 23-1.5 long jump.
Also at Lockport, Shepard’s Roy Williams won the shot put with a throw of 53-10.75.
Morton Sectional
In other 3A action, Marist and Lyons tied for the Morton Sectional championship with 104 points each.
Marist sophomore Lucas Parr won the 100 with an 11.12, junior Danny Olsen won the 400 with a 50.28 and sophomore Kamil Kokot won the 110 high hurdles with a 15.33.
The RedHawks’ 400 relay team of Parr, Tyler O’Brochta, Michael Coy and Ak’Tavion Agee won with a 43.48. The 800 relay team of Parr, O’Brochta, Coy and Agee also won with a 1:30.80 and the 3200 relay team of Andrew Kerlin, Jake Phillips, Brendan Geary and Olsen won with an 8:02.27.
Lyons used depth to earn its co-championship as the team has just one sectional champ in junior triple jumper Will Disessa, who had a leap of 41-10.25.
Richards junior Owen Forberg continued to be on fire this season in the 1600, as he won with a 4:18.95. Senior Mustafa Washington won the shot put with a 50-7.
Morton senior Alex Bacci claimed a sectional crown in the 3200 with a 9:26.79 and senior teammate Daniel Chavez was right behind him at 9:28.05.
Riverside-Brookfield sophomore William Smithing won the 300 hurdles with a :41.48.
Brother Rice senior Henry Boyer claimed the top spot in the discus with a throw of 137-5.25. Senior teammate Joe Heilmann won the pole vault, clearing 11-6.25.
Oak Lawn’s Robert Wagner won the high jump with a 6-4.75 and the long jump with a leap of 21-1.25.
St. Rita Sectional
At the Class 2A St. Rita Sectional, the host Mustangs finished second to South Shore.
St. Rita senior E.J. Nwagwu won the 200 with a 22.31 and the 400 with a 50.41. The Mustangs’ 1600 relay team of Wayne Conley II, Kaleb Brown, Nwagwu and Nikolas Norton won with a 42.40. Triple-jumper Camden Martin earned a title with a leap of 38-1.75.
De La Salle finished first and second in the 1600 with senior Chase Pitre winning with a 4:57.83 and freshman Gabriel Schonknecht right behind him at 4:58.45. Schonknecht won the 3200 with a 10:42.95. Caleb Terrell won the high jump with a 5-9.75,
Mount Carmel’s Jaden Bossie won the 110 hurdles with a :14.79 and 300 hurdles with a 42.25. Maurice McLaren won the discus with a 107-0.25.
Evergreen Park junior Nathan Fernandez won the 800 as the Kankakee Sectional with a 2:05.93 while junior teammate Isiah Mosley won the shot with a 45-6.5 and senior Elijah Matthews claimed the triple jump with a 41-4.75.
Fenwick Sectional
At the Class 2A Fenwick Sectional, St. Laurence senior Adrian Williams won the 200 in 21.98.The 400 relay team of Matt Ochoa, Williams, Harley Rizz and DeShawn Parker won with a 43.32 and the 800 relay team of Ochoa, Parker, Allan Parker and Williams also claimed a championship. DeShawn Parker won the triple jump with a leap of 43-11.25.
Seneca Sectional
In Class 1A, Chicago Christian won the Seneca Sectional with 85 points for the program’s first sectional championship.
Knights’ sophomore Noah Luke was a 3200 with a time of 10:59.52. The 400 relay team of Steffon May, Jeremiah Oliver, Jon Tobey and Luke Jelderks won with a 44.03. Freshman Caden Boersma won the triple jump with a 41-0.25.
Girls track
Numerous area athletes competed at the HSA state finals, but only a few advanced to the second-day of competition.
In Class 3A, Lyons junior Catherine Sommerfield finished seventh in the 3200 with a time of 10:35.21 and 12th in the 1600 with a 4:58.80. The 3200 relay team of Scarlett Lestina, Anna Bylsma, Kristina Findley and Shannon Cranny took eighth with a 9:32.05.
In the shot put, Shepard junior Kayden Porter finished 12th with a 38-1.5. In the discus, Reavis junior Mercedes Herrera took 12th with a 112-2. In the triple jump, Shepard junior Chloe Dunigan took 12th with a 36-4.5.
Local News
Worth Park District has big plans after acquiring Altman Park
Upon the recent acquirement of Altman Park, the Worth Park District has big plans in store for its future. Altman Park is located at West 115th Street in Worth and is just shy of 21 acres of open fields. There is an outlying building that has restrooms, concessions and a baseball field. The Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago owned…
New ordinance requires rooftop safety measures for firefighters
A new ordinance, spearheaded by Ald. Marty Quinn (13th), will take effect on Jan. 1, 2025, mandating rooftop safety measures to protect firefighters. In the event of a fire, light shafts, light courts, and skylights present grave danger to firefighters. These openings often lack guards or parapets, preventing firefighters from falling. The new ordinance requires…
July Chicago Lawn tornado victims can get repair help from FEMA
By 9:30 a.m. on Oct. 18, a Saturday morning, the Chicago Lawn neighborhood on the southwest side, home to many Latino residents, was already bustling with energy along Kedzie Avenue near the intersection of 61st Street. It would be hard to believe that just three months earlier, on July 15, an EF1 tornado swept through…
Obituaries October 31, 2024
MARIA B. AGUILAR Maria B. Aguilar who was born on November 25, 1945 passed away on October 13, 2024 at the age of 78. Visitation was held Friday October 18. Funeral Mass was celebrated at St. Rita of Cascia on Saturday October 19. Her final resting place is at St. Casimir Cemetery. Service was celebrated…
Young runners shine at 9th annual Howl Through the Hills 5K
Runners of all ages took to the streets of Hickory Hills for the 9th Annual Howl Through the Hills 5K Run/Walk last weekend. The event, which began at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 26, started at Hickory Hills City Hall and unfolded on a beautiful, brisk fall day. Hickory Hills partnered with North Palos School…
Oak Lawn’s Kelly Nissan dealership celebrates renovation, grand opening
Ryan Kelly, president and CEO of Kelly Nissan in Oak Lawn, said the dealership is entering a new phase for the 21st century. Kelly Nissan, located at 4300 W. 95th St., underwent a complete renovation over the past year. While Kelly acknowledged that the process brought “some headaches,” he believes the overall outcome is positive…
Peppo’s subs stays true to family roots with new Orland Park shop
Robert Peplowski believes that a great sub sandwich can be enjoyed everywhere in the southwest suburbs. And why not in Orland Park? Peplowski felt it was time to do just that, opening the newest Peppo’s Great Sub Sandwiches at 9836 W. 159th St., at the corner of 94th Avenue, near the Orland Park Mall. The…
McCord Gallery throws a 20th anniversary party
McCord Gallery & Cultural Center knows how to throw a party. The gallery, 9602 W. Creek Road, Palos Park, hosted its 20th annual fundraising Gala themed, For the Love of Arts – Tapestry…McCord Woven in Time, on Saturday, Oct.5 at Midlothian Country Club, 5000 W. 147th St #1, Midlothian. “Seeing all the enthusiastic guests and…
Chicago Ridge trustees reinstates clerk as a full-time job
The Chicago Ridge Village Board voted on Oct. 22 to reinstate the village clerk as a full-time position and confirmed the mayor’s role will also remain full-time, reflecting recent practices. Under the new measures, the annual salary for the mayor will stay at $85,000, with an additional $12,000 for serving as liquor commissioner. According to…
Neighbors
Jury deadlocks, mistrial declared in case of ex-AT&T boss accused of bribing Madigan
By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com CHICAGO – A federal judge on Thursday declared a mistrial after a jury deadlocked in their deliberations over whether former AT&T Illinois President Paul La Schiazza bribed longtime Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan via a no-work contract for the speaker’s political ally. After nearly 15 hours of deliberation…
High court: Smell of burnt cannabis is not cause for warrantless vehicle search
By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com Law enforcement officers in Illinois cannot rely on the smell of burnt cannabis alone to justify searching a vehicle without a warrant, the Illinois Supreme Court ruled on Thursday. The decision was unanimous, though Justice Lisa Holder White did not take part in it. Writing for the court,…
State wraps up case in challenge to assault weapons ban
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com EAST ST. LOUIS – A federal judge invoked images from the 1917 race riots in East St. Louis, Illinois, on Thursday at the end of a trial in a case challenging the constitutionality of the state’s ban on assault-style weapons and large-capacity magazines. Judge Steven McGlynn, who has…
Gun expert says assault weapons ban ‘describes the most popular firearms I’m involved with’
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com EAST ST. LOUIS – A firearms expert testified Wednesday that the weapons restricted under Illinois’ assault weapons ban include many of the most common firearms that American consumers use for self-defense. Steven Randall Watt, a combat veteran and retired law enforcement officer who now owns a private firearms…
Case of former AT&T boss accused of bribing Madigan heads to jury
By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com CHICAGO – On Valentine’s Day in 2017, then-AT&T Illinois President Paul La Schiazza got some good news: After years of trying to push for legislation in Springfield that would save the company hundreds of millions of dollars annually, powerful Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan had agreed to a…
State Supreme Court hears arguments in Jussie Smollett’s effort to overturn conviction
By JERRY NOWICKI Capitol News Illinois jnowicki@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Supreme Court heard arguments Tuesday in actor Jussie Smollett’s appeal to overturn his conviction on disorderly conduct charges for falsifying a hate crime. Smollett, who was an actor on the TV show “Empire,” was improperly charged with the same crime twice, his legal team…
Testimony continues in 2nd Amendment challenge to Illinois’ assault weapons ban
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com EAST ST. LOUIS – An engineer who spent decades designing weapons for one of the world’s leading gun manufacturers testified Tuesday that the assault-style weapons now banned in Illinois are intended only for civilian use and cannot be easily converted into military-grade firearms. James Ronkainen, a former engineer…
Contractor’s unsecured databases exposed sensitive voter data in over a dozen Illinois counties
By ANDREW ADAMS Capitol News Illinois aadams@capitolnewsillinois.com Around 4.6 million records associated with Illinoisans in over a dozen counties – including voting records, registrations and death certificates – were temporarily available on the open internet, according to a security researcher who identified the vulnerability in July. The documents were available through an unsecured cloud storage…
Prosecutors rest case against former AT&T Illinois boss accused of bribing Madigan
By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com CHICAGO – After years of pushing in Springfield, AT&T Illinois’ executive team was thrilled when the Illinois General Assembly in 2017 passed legislation that would get the company out from under expensive obligations to maintain its aging copper landline wires in Illinois. “Game over. We win,” AT&T Illinois…
Trial begins in challenge to assault weapons ban
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com EAST ST. LOUIS – The owner of a gun store testified Monday that Illinois’ ban on the sale of assault-style weapons and large capacity magazines has had a significant impact on his business and prevented his customers from buying items they would normally use for self-defense, hunting, target…