2024 BCR Boys Track Preview

Bureau Valley

Coach: Dan DeVenney

Key returners: Eli Attig, sr. (sprints), Jon Dybek, sr. (throws), Payton Walowski, sr. (sprints), Brock Shane, sr. (sprints/hurdles/jumps)), Cameron Lemons, sr. (sprints/PV), Justin Moon, jr. (jumps/relays), Landon Hulsing, jr. (HJ), Adrian Gallardo, so. (distance), Brady Hartz, so. (sprints), Maddox Moore, so. (distance)

Worth noting: Business is booming in the Storm camp with 43 boys out for track, believed to be largest in school history. There are 20 newcomers, including two seniors, four juniors, three sophomores and 11 freshmen. With the added dynamics of this year’s roster, DeVenney said some roles will change. “All of our returning athletes are excited to get their chance to show what they can do. Many of them had smaller roles in many events last year, but this year they’re going to be able to focus on fewer events and develop those skills more in-depth,” he said. BV have of the seven of the 14 top returners on the BCR Honor Roll in Moon (HJ, TJ), Hartz (100, 200), Gallardo (800), Moore (1600) and Shane (100 hurdles). The Storm bring back state experience with Moon, Adrian Gallardo, Moore, and Attig all running in relays (4x4, 4x8) last year. “They, along with the relay alternates we took to state last year, are hungry to get back and experience more success this year,” DeVenney said. Hulsing (HJ, 10th), Hartz (60m hurdles) and Roth (60m) qualified for the Prep Top Times Indoor Meet. ... Other upperclassmen are seniors Blake Erickson and Aiden Morris in throws and Connor Scott (sprints/jumps/throws) and juniors Ayden Andrade, Aidan Besler, Robert Burgess and Bracin Patnoe (throws), Kaleb Workman and Nathan Siri (distance) and Kai Walowski, Ryan Wasilewski and Rhiley Pinter (sprints). Sophomores include August Anderson, Brad Schoff, Riggins Shafer and Jacob Bolin (throws), Brandon Carrington and Morgan Mahnesmith (sprints, jumps), Andrew Roth (hurdles/sprints) and Zac Wiggim (distance). Freshmen Storm are Alex Attig, Alex Gallardo, Lucas Hartz and Jordan Linley (distance), Aiden Carroll and Brady Dybek (throws), Dominic Carton (hurdles/jumps), Garrett Gross and Tucker Shane (sprints), Jaden Macklin (sprints/PV) and Kyle Velazquez (sprints/jumps). ... The freshmen, the Storm coach said, are still “trying to figure out how high school track works, and where exactly they are going to be successful, but has no doubt they are going to learn and grow tremendously with the leaders we have on this team.” The Storm will open their outdoors season at home on Monday, April 1.

Princeton

Coach: Dan Foes

Key returners: Arthur Burden, jr. (LJ); Evan Driscoll, sr. (sprints); Payne Miller, sr. (throws), Ian Morris, jr. (throws); Cade Odell, jr. (throws); Andrew Peacock, sr. (PV); Augustus Swanson, so. (distance); Bennett Williams, sr. (throws)

... There are five sets of brothers on the team as well about same sets of cousins which DeVenney said “really has helped to create a family atmosphere that they want to be part of.

Worth noting: The Tigers carry a lot of weight with all of their throwers - Miller, Morris, Odell and Williams -qualifying for state last year. They landed two state medals with Miller taking fifth in shot and Williams sixth in discus. Williams is recovering from knee surgery from a football injury and if he’s able to throw this spring, it will likely come from the power position. Odell medaled with a 7th-place effort in the Prep top Times Meet. “The strength of our team is our throws. The rest of the team is very young, but they are competing very well early on,” Foes said. ... Sprinter Driscoll is rounding back to form after a broken leg during the 2022 football season. Swanson is the top returning runner in the 3200 while Peacock shares the best mark returning in the pole vault and is a “Jack of all trades,” Foes said. The Tiger coach calls Burden a “work horse.” Etheridge has made thrills on the football field and is bringing his speed to track this year. ... Also returning for the Tigers are junior Dawson Lambert (distance) and sophomores Beckett Funderberg (sprints, jumps) and Common Green (sprints). The Tigers have a host of newcomers in senior Austin Gordon (throws), juniors Jeremy Borsch (sprints), Cameron Lawrence (400, 800) and Anthony Vujanov (throws), sophomores Aaron Eckberg (distance) and Matthew Lord (distance) and freshmen Ayden Agushi (HJ, sprints), Konnor Kain (throws, sprints), Jackson Drozda (distance), Michel Sanchez-Rodriquez (distance), Tyler VandeVenter (distance) and Camdyn Vorhies (throws).

Amboy-LaMoille

Coach: Jeramey Wittanauer

Top returners: Ian Sundberg, sr. (throws); Joel Billhorn, jr. (jumps/sprints); Ed Fry, jr. (jumps); Caleb Yanos, jr. (sprints/relays)

Worth noting: The Clippers have more than 20 athletes on the roster. Throwers Sundberg and Zach Dunne will lead the team as the squad’s only seniors. The Clippers have a strong junior class of nine athletes, led by Billhorn, Yanos and Fry. Billhorn and Yanos helped Amboy’s 4x400-meter relay qualify for the state meet last season. Billhorn is the top returning qualifier in the long jump and 400. Sundberg has been on the verge of qualifying for state in both throws the last two seasons. The Clippers will get a boost from young athletes as well as Amboy won the Northwest Upstate Illini Conference title at the F/S level last season and have 11 freshmen on the roster.

St. Bede

Coach: Marty Makransky

Top returners: Greyson Marincic, jr. (hurdles/relays); Jack Maschmann, jr. (sprints/jumps); Haiden Ator, jr., (distance); Will Sramek, so. (throws); Eric Du, so. (distance)

Key newcomers: Max Bray, sr. (sprints); Marco Rizzi, jr. (sprints/jumps); Johnny Brown, so. (sprints/jumps); Brax Kim, so. (sprints); Sean Brayton, fr. (sprints); Landon Marquez, fr. (sprints)

Worth noting: The Bruins are a small and young team with only 11 on the roster and only one senior in Bray, a transfer from Aurora Christian, who was quarterback of the football team in the fall. Marincic is a returning state qualifier in the 300-meter hurdles, who “should be very competitive in the hurdles again,” Makransky said. Maschmann in sprints and jumps, Ator and Du in the 1,600 and 3,200 and and Sramek in the shot put also bring experience. “We will be a small team in comparison to previous years, but very skilled and competitive. Our goals are to improve each time we compete and to qualify as many as we can for the state meet in Charleston. With only one senior, we want to build a great group of talented track athletes,” Makransky said.

Hall

Coach: Rob Malerk

Top returners: Caleb Bickett, sr. (sprints); Joseph Caracheo, so. (distance); Anthony Fiocchi , sr. (PV); Logan Corsolini, sr. (pole vault); Jeremy Smith, jr. (sprints); Joseph Bacidore, sr. (jumps/sprints); Ryan Bosi, jr. (sprints/jumps); Vance Pienta, so. (mid-distance/jumps)

Key newcomers: Joseph Perez, fr. (sprints); Cesar Figueroa, fr. (jumps)

Worth noting: The Red Devils have a mix of returning talent and young athletes who have already contributed. The Red Devils have 15 athletes on the roster with four seniors, two juniors, five sophomores and four freshmen. Bacidore, Bickett, Bosi, Caracheo, Corsolini, Fiochhi and Smith are all among the top returners in the Honor Roll. At the season-opening meet at Rock Falls, Bickett won the 200m and placed third in the 100, while Bosi won the triple jump. Figueroa and Perez had solid debuts to their high school careers as Figueroa placed second in the high jump and Perez took third in the 400. Sophomores include Blake Gambiani. Christopher Hollenbeck, Vance Pienta and Gabe Wamhoff. Other freshmen team members are Colton Crowther and Alexander Tucker.