Joseph Michelini secured his third straight trip to the state meet in shot put, Jaxon Acolatse claimed his first in high jump, and Lake Park claimed the overall championship with 105.5 points at its Class 3A sectional meet in Roselle on Friday.

For Michelini, his 62-foot, 11.5 inch toss was a personal best that not only helped him clinch another trip to Charleston, but also made the senior a three-time sectional champion.

“It feels great,” Michelini said. “It’s been a goal for the last few weeks to complete the trio. All that hard work is starting to pay off.”

The Lancers standout had a strong indoor season; however, he feels that his outdoor campaign started a bit slow. But after his performance on Friday, it is safe to say he is peaking at the right time.

“This is definitely huge for my confidence,” he added. “Starting to feel really well in the ring, getting that form back.”

It was also a personal best meet for Acolatse, who jumped 6-6 to qualify for state for the first time. He is proud of the work he put in to earn the honor as a senior.

“It actually means a lot,” Acolatse said. “Last year wasn’t too bright for me, so, you know, I’ve just been practicing every day, every week improving, coming in every day. We got it done today.”

They will be joined by a host of Lake Park teammates, including Zino DiFranco, who placed first in pole vault with a 4.65m result.

Glenbard West placed second in the meet with 90 points led by star hurdler Benjamin Schoettle, who ran a headturning time of 13.68 seconds in the 110 hurdles.

If Schoettle can match that time next week in Charleston, it would set a new Class 3A state record.

“He has the most drive and dedication of any other hurdler I’ve ever coached,” Glenbard West coach David Voland said. “He comes up with ideas. I come up with ideas. He studies video. I study video. We ask each other questions. He coaches himself just as much as I coach him.”

Schoettle has been laser focused all spring with his sights clearly set on the state meet since the early going.

“We get to ask really fine tuned questions, like ‘what’s your shin angle going into each hurdle?’,” Voland said. “That’s not a question most hurdles are thinking about. But he’s just at that level where we can get really detailed.”

Schoettle also qualified for Charleston in the 300 hurdles (39.70) and was part of the Hilltoppers’ 4x100 relay team that took first place with a 41.45 time. He will be joined by Owen Ashmore, Chase Martin Scott, and Jordan Ademuyiwa in that event.

Ademuyiwa placed third in this sectional meet by running the 100 in 10.79, which qualifies him for state in that race.

Junior Bennett Konkey of Geneva claimed the top time in the 100 with a 10.42, not far off the 3A state meet record of 10.31. He also took victory in the 200 with a 21.01.

This will be Konkey’s third trip to the Charleston and he hopes to convert it into some hardware. His prior experience has him focused on only the things he can control.

“[I’m] just worrying about myself,” Konkey said. “Whatever happens, happens. Can’t change the other runners, all I can change is myself. So I’ve got to focus on myself, stay laser focused, and don’t worry about who’s around me and just run my best race.”

The Vikings sprinter will be joined by Lex Griffith, who won for Geneva in the discus with a distance of 162-10. It will also be Griffith’s third trip to the state meet.

“This is just last goodbyes, I guess,” said the senior. “I’m gonna give it my all, as much as I can give, [and] get ready.”

“Consistency is very important for me. I’ve been very consistent with practices and slowly, consistently increasing my distances, so that has helped a lot,” he added, when asked about his progress to reach this point for the third time.

Darin Ashiru claimed both the long jump and the triple jump for Batavia. His 13.86-meter triple jump stood out for the crowd as the only distance that met state qualifying standards, while his 6.80 long jump was nearly matched by both his teammate, Thomas Contreras, and reigning state champion Zoelen Terry of Metea Valley.

Both Contreras and Terry jumped 6.78.

But neither had quite enough to take the sectional crown from Ashiru.

“It was extremely exciting, especially knowing I had so much more in me,” Ashiru said.

He will be one-to-watch next week in multiple events.

St. Charles North distance runner Samuel Hill qualified for his second straight state meet in the 3,200 with a 9:11.56. The recent Michigan State commit hopes his experience last year, as well as a ninth place state finish in cross country last fall, will set him up for success next week.

“Just that confidence that, you know, I’m one of the best runners in the state and I have a really good shot at the win,” said Hill when asked about what he felt pushed him to the sectional title and will help him in Charleston.

“I got way more experience,” he added. “I’m way more ready for it.”

Among standouts in the middle distance events were York runners Patrick Hill and Dylan Golomb.

Hill claimed first in the 1,600 with a 4:19.68, while Golomb set a 1:54.63 time in the 800, also winning the event.

“I’m really excited,” Golomb said. “Big PR, but I kind of even split that, so I know I still got a lot of time to grow.”

Henry Faber of Metea Valley won the 400 with a 48.19. Omar Kuta of Lake Park will join him in Charleston with a 49.38, as will a few other runners.

Akinyemi Igbalajobi took the top time in the 300 hurdles for the Mustangs, narrowly edging Schoettle with a 38.96 time.

https://www.dailyherald.com/20260522/boys-track-and-field/boys-track-and-field-michelini-acolatse-lead-lake-park-to-sectional-championship/