The Boys State Track and Field championship is on at Eastern Illinois University. The runners are here to compete in the 2026 finals with Naperville Central, Waubonsie Valley, Metea Valley, Neuqua Valley, and Benet still competing in the 3A meet. This highlight is sponsored by BMO.
Field events get the meet going
Starting in the field, Parker Owens of Edwardsville High School is competing in the pole vault for class 3A. Owens sprints down the runway and clears the bar at a school best height of 16 feet and 2.75 inches, finishing in first place as state champion.
Rogan Nelson from Neuqua Valley cleared 14 feet 4.25 inches in the prelims, which put him in sixth after the first day, but he suffered an injury and was unable to compete in the finals. A tough finish after a great season for the senior.
Moving on to the high jump is Waubonsie Valley’s Ishmaiah Elliot, clearing the bar for a personal best of 6’4 feet in his first attempt, finishing in 10th place with Otis Powell of Willowbrook and Malik Griffee of Oak Park River Forest.
Mustang junior George Murphy made it through to the finals in the high jump and cleared 6’2, finishing in 19th.
The winner of the high jump is Evanston’s Jaden Jean-Paul. The junior clears the bar at 6’7 on a windy afternoon, which is good for first place.
Daniel Robinson is the state long jump champ
Neuqua Valley senior Daniel Robinson recorded a long jump distance of 23 feet, 8.75 inches in the prelims on Friday. On Saturday, he scratched on all three attempts; however, no one could beat his prelims performance, which means Robinson is the 2026 3A state long jump champion! He wins by four inches over Larry Wills from Glenwood. Malik Johnson from Peoria High School wins the triple jump with a distance of 48 feet, 4.50 inches
Joey Bockwell from Lyons Township wins the shot put state championship, narrowly edging Patrick Peterson from Dunlap. Ben Blank from Naperville Central just misses the final in 15th place. Peterson does finish in first place in the discus, taking home the 3A title with a toss over 201 feet. Jalen Vannoy from Neuqua finishes 15th in the discus.
A record-breaking day on the track
Let’s go racing in heat 2 of the 3200-meter run. Benet’s Robert Johnson and Neuqua Valley’s Jesse Guduaskas are both competing in the second of three heats in the event. Approaching the halfway mark, Quinn Anderson of Lane Tech leads the pack with Robert Johnson keeping pace, with Gudauskas keeping stride. In the final stretch, it’s Jamie Chandler from Deerfield finishing first for heat two. Chandler finishes in fifth overall, with Gudauskas taking fourth in heat two and ending up in 15th overall. Aiden Connors of Plainfield North finishes in first place in the 3200.
Moving on to the relays for the 4X800. Naperville Central is running in this event, with Derek Williamson starting things off for the Redhawks along with teammates Vaughn Scherer, Manny Najera, and Lucas Probst. In the end, it’s Tyler Lynch-Goff, Joshua Farrero, William Surratt, and Philip Cupial crossing the line in first for Downers Grove North with a school best time of 7:38.98 while Naperville Central finishes in 12th. Cupial also wins the 1600 for the Trojans later in the meet.
Downers North also wins the 4X100 meter relay at 7:38.98, ahead of Hersey and Downers Grove South. Evanston wins the 4X200 meter relay, setting a new record with a time of 125.63.
Going to the fastest race of the day with the 100-meter dash. Daniel Robinson of Neuqua Valley is running in the event, going neck in neck with Geneva’s Benett Konkey. The Geneva runner finishes in first with a time of 10.39 secs while Robinson finishes in second with a school best performance of 10.62. Another top-two medal for the Wildcat.
Jaylin Cole from Belleville West wins the 110-meter hurdles, setting a new record with a time of 13.53. Daylin Donaldson from Belleville East wins the 300 hurdles with a record-breaking time of 36.50.
Wildcat action continues with Grayson Meek running in the second pack of the 800-meter run. Halfway through, Grayson Meek runs in the top 3 with Owen Horeni of Yorkville leading the pack. In the final stretch, the lead changes with Washington’s Ben Gorsage running down the stretch to finish in first with a personal best of 1:49.88. Meek finishes in the top four with a personal best of 1:53.01.
Henry Faber makes Metea history in the 200
Multiple local runners are competing in the 400-meter run. Metea Valley’s Henry Faber and Redhawk Kyle Clark are two of the top contenders. It all comes down to the final stretch with Henry Faber in a tight finish at the line with Morquez Bulliner of Belleville West. Bulliner finishes the event with a personal best of 47.20 secs while Faber finishes second at 47.39. The runner-up finish is the best for the Metea boys’ track program. Kyle Clark earns a spot on the podium in seventh place.
Bennett Konkey from Geneva wins the 200 meters at 21.08 over Dontrell Young from Oswego and Prezadent Morgan from Thornton.
Evanston Township wins the state meet
Evanston Township comes home with the IHSA 3A state championship team win with a score of 56, while Neuqua Valley and Belleville East tie for 6th with a score of 24. Belleville West earns the second-place trophy after winning the 4X400 meter relay to end the day. Glenwood finishes in third place.
For more prep sports highlights, visit the Naperville Sports Weekly page.
