It’s time for the boys’ track and field DVC championship at North Central College. Naperville Central looks to win for a third year in a row, while the rest of the conference contenders look to flip the script. This highlight is sponsored by BMO.
Neuqua Valley starts the meet strong in the field events
Over at the long jump pit, Neuqua’s Daniel Robinson starts the day off strong for the Wildcats and secures first place with a jump of 7.27 meters. Metea Valley’s Zoelen Terry finishes in second place for the Mustangs. Robinson also finishes second in the 60 meters.
Jumping over to the pole vault, Naperville North’s Reggev BenDror attempts a 3.89-meter vault, securing third place with his successful vault. Waubonsie Valley’s Matthew Crane finishes in second place, while Wildcat Rogan Nelson finishes in first place.
Onto the track with the 3200-meter run as Huskie teammates Simon Reckamp and Lukas Keane are off to a strong start. Later on, Naperville Central’s Derek Williamson erases the early North lead as the Redhawks and Huskies are neck-and-neck. Down the stretch, Williamson reaches the finish line first for the Redhawks in 9:38 with Reckamp finishing in second in 9:39.
Moving on to the second heat of the 60-meter hurdles. Central’s Eron Kennedy comes out of the blocks hot and doesn’t look back as he is the first to finish in 8.23 seconds, a personal best. Huskie Mason Hill finishes in second place in 8.61 seconds.
Heading over to the 800-meter run, as Wildcat Grayson Meek is out in front. As the race goes on, the Wildcat maintains his lead before securing another first-place finish for the Neuqua in 1:58.35. Central’s Lukas Probst finishes in second place, just ahead of teammate Vaughn Scherer. Mika Lam from Waubonsie Valley is fourth, with Theo Marchand from Metea in fifth.
Henry Faber sets another record in the 400
The 400 meters showcases some of the top sprinters at their best over one lap around the track. Metea Valley senior Henry Faber smashes his own meet record with a first-place time of 48.70 seconds. Braylen Anderson from DeKalb takes second with Edward Mason from Neuqua in third and Jordan Rich from Waubonsie Valley in fourth after a thrilling race.
In the 4×200-meter relay, Naperville North’s Andrew Hebron comes out of the blocks fast and is the first to reach the exchange. After a smooth exchange, the Huskies extend their lead as the Redhawks look to cut into the strong Huskie start. Down the stretch, North anchor-leg Mason Hill sets a season best for the Huskies with a team time of 1:31.77 seconds. Central’s Kyle Clark, Vince Barcelona, James Vent, and Connor Marvin finish in second in 1:32.53 seconds.
Into the first heat of the 200-meter dash, Husky Jude Knechtel is off to a strong start with Redhawk Chad Earl applying the pressure. On the final straightaway, the Redhawk is out in front as Chad Earl is the first to finish in 22.8 seconds, a season best. Moving into the second heat, Warrior Jordan Brown has the early advantage. After the final curve, Wildcat Zander Bramsco took the lead and sped to the finish line in 22.73, his personal best.
In the final heat of the 200, DeKalb’s Braylen Anderson continues to impress after his earlier victory in the 60-meter dash. Anderson speeds out of the blocks to take the early lead and holds onto his lead as he soars to the finish line and secures first place in 22.23 seconds, setting a new record. Edward Mason from Neuqua takes second with Andrew Hebron from North in third.
Metea Valley finishes strong in the 4X400 relay
Finishing off the indoor season with the 4×400 meter dash. Early on, Waubonsie Valley and Naperville North are neck-and-neck. Metea and Central are the first to reach the exchange as Mustang Ben Vallandingham has the slight advantage over Redhawk Derek Williamson and Warrior Logan Dunlap III. Later on, Mustang Kofi Kwakyi extends the lead for the Mustangs and never looks back as Metea anchor-leg Jamari Hawkins rides to the finish line to secure first place. Akinyemi Igbalajoni, Vallandingham, Kwakyi, and Hawkins finish in 3:30.37 seconds. Waubonsie takes second with Central in third.
Neuqua Valley finishes off the indoor season strong, securing the Indoor DVC championship in first place with 147.5 points. Naperville Central finishes in second with 136 points, and Naperville North finishes in third with 83.5 points.
For more prep sports highlights, visit the Naperville Sports Weekly page!
