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A look at the top boys track and field athletes in the NewsTribune area during the 2024 season.
Caleb Bickett, sr., Hall: Bickett was the fastest sprinter in the area this spring, topping the leaderboard in the 100- (11.26 seconds) and 200-meter (23.13) dashes. He qualified for the Class 1A state meet in both sprints.
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Ryan Bosi, jr., Hall: Bosi placed second in the triple jump at the Class 1A Deer Creek-Mackinaw Sectional to earn a trip to state. He recorded the area’s second-best triple jump of the season at 12.09 meters.
Sebastian Carlos, so., Mendota: Carlos placed top three in the 400 in every regular-season race, winning five times. He placed fifth at the Class 2A Sycamore Sectional but qualified for state with a time of 51.5 seconds. His state preliminary time of 51.02 was the area’s best this season.
Griffin Hammers, so., La Salle-Peru: Hammers recorded four wins in the 800 this season. He ran a state-qualifying time of 2:00.14 at the Class 2A Pontiac Sectional, which topped the area leaderboard.
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Landon Hulsing, jr., Bureau Valley: Hulsing is a versatile athlete who competed in six events this season. He placed seventh at the Class 1A state meet in the discus and had the area’s third-best throw of the spring at 46.58 meters. He led the area in high jump at 1.91.
Caleb Krischel, jr., Fieldcrest: Krischel placed third in the 800 at the Class 1A Deer-Creek Mackinaw Sectional but ran a state-qualifying time of 2:01.02, which ranked second in the area this season. He also ranked third in the 1,600 at 4:57.48.
Greyson Marincec, jr., St. Bede: Marincec was the area’s best hurdler this spring, topping the leaderboard in the 110s (16.45) and 300s (43.09). He placed second in both events at the Class 1A Seneca Sectional to earn a return trip to state.
Payne Miller, sr., Princeton: The 2024 NewsTribune Boy Track and Field Athlete of the Year led the Tigers in scoring this season. He placed third in the Class 2A shot put and 13th in discus. He had the area’s top toss in the shot (17.28 meters) and second-best toss in the discus (49.83).
Justin Moon, jr., Bureau Valley: Moon recorded the area’s top triple jump of the season at 12.18 meters. He won the event at the Class 1A Erie Sectional to qualify for state.
Ian Morris, jr., Princeton: Morris threw the discus farther than anyone in the area this spring at 50.27 meters. He won the event seven times. Morris placed third in the discus at the Class 2A Galesburg Sectional with a state-qualifying toss of 47.52.
Cade Odell, jr., Princeton: Odell placed top three in the shot put every time he competed except at the Class 2A state meet, where he came home with a fourth-place medal. He ranked second in the area in shot put at 16.4 meters.
Alex Rodriguez, so., Putnam County: Rodriguez was a double state qualifier in the shot put and discus after winning both events at the Class 1A Deer Creek-Mackinaw Sectional. He had the area’s fourth-best shot put toss (14.36 meters) and fifth-best discus throw (45.49) this spring.
Richie Santiago, jr., La Salle-Peru: Santiago had 11 top-three finishes in the discus this season. He won the event at the Class 2A Pontiac Sectional at 44.22 meters to earn a return trip to state.
Ian Sundberg, sr., Amboy co-op: Sundberg was a state qualifier in the shot put after placing third in the event at the Class 1A Erie Sectional with a qualifying toss of 14.63 meters. His best toss of the year of 14.8 ranked third in the area.
Hall 4x100: The foursome of Bickett, Bosi, Joseph Bacidore and Jeremy Smith was the only relay in the area to qualify for state after the Red Devils placed second at the Deer Creek-Mackinaw Sectional. Hall had the area’s No. 2 time this spring at 44.83 seconds.