Aiden Kolkmeyer didn’t think he would get a chance to go to his third and final event of the day Saturday.

Shortly before taking to the starting line in the Class 3A 300-meter hurdles final, the Yorkville sophomore heard the call to report to the high jump for his final event of the day.

After crossing the finish line, he was tasked with a choice: Either take the short rest and try to earn his third All-State honor of the day, or walk away with the two medals he already had.

“I was really stressed out, especially with the turnaround,” Kolkmeyer said. “I had to run to get a tape measure and jumping shoes just in case, talk to my coach about what he wanted me to do. I was back and forth constantly.”

In the end, Kolkmeyer ended up making the start in the high jump, and eventually finished in eighth place after clearing 1.98 meters (6 feet, 6 inches) to secure his third All-State finish of the day at the IHSA Boys Track and Field State Championships in Charleston.

“This has just taught me not to give up too soon,” Kolkmeyer said. “I was really debating giving up on the high jump, but now I’ve got three medals, which is awesome.”

The sophomore had his two other medals come in the hurdle events, finishing sixth in the 110-meter hurdles (14.40 seconds) and also taking fourth in the 300 hurdles (37.70).

“In the 110, I was on the edge of qualifying so it was good to get that improvement,” Kolkmeyer said. “I also had an improvement on my seed in the 300. I didn’t run a personal-best, but it is what it is in the end. I’m still on top of the world.”

Yorkville finished the day with five All-state finishes, the most of all Kendall County schools. Besides Kolkmeyer’s three finishes, seniors Owen Horeni (second, 800) and Jayden Ruth (ninth, 200) also secured podium finishes in the state finals.

Horeni, who was looking for his first state title in the 800 after finishing second as a junior, took to the lead with 350 meters to go. But he was passed up by Washington’s Ben Gorsage with 100 to go, forcing him to settle for another second-place finish after crossing the line in 1:51.07.

“I know I was slow out in the first lap, so I knew I was already off the time I wanted when I heard the time,” Horeni said. “And then I just kind of ate it in the last 100 like I did last year and couldn’t get it back. That stuff happens, but I’m really happy for Ben.”

Despite not getting an individual state title, the Notre Dame commit still finished his high-school career with five medals on the track.

“Yorkville track has bought me a lot of good things over the past few years,” Horeni said. “From the state championship my freshman year to just constant improvement in the 800 from then. It’s obviously disappointing not to finish my career with a first, but I know this isn’t the end, so I’m excited to see how college goes.”

Also securing three All-State medals on the day was Oswego junior Dontrell Young. It marks his second consecutive season finding the podium three times after medaling in the 100, 200 and 400.

“I mean it’s a cool feeling,” Young said. “It’s a lot on the body, but I’m proud of my performance.”

The junior had his best finish in the 200, taking second for the second straight season in 21.18, with Geneva’s Bennett Konkey beating him out for the title in 21.08. He also added a fourth-place finish in the 100 (10.70) and a fifth-place finish in the 400 (48.68), an improvement from his eighth-place finish in the event a season ago.

“It feels good to do this again,” Young said. “I know I can beat all the guys who got me in those events, but it is what it is. They can have it for now, I know what i’ve got and I know what I can do.”

Also finishing on the podium for the Panthers was junior Jezhian Sprinkle, who took sixth in the 300 hurdles with a personal-best time on 37.85.

Sandwich junior Jacob Ross secured his second-straight All-State honor in the pole vault, finishing sixth after clearing 4.50 meters (14 feet, 9 inches), a slight dip from his fifth-place finish a season ago.

“Honestly, I don’t think I could be more disappointed,” Ross said. “Coming into the meet, I’ve been chasing 16-feet all season, and I fell such short. It just really wasn’t my day, and going from fourth to sixth at the end was just a stab in the chest.

“But at the end of the day, this is just one meet. And I know next year coming around, the competition is going to be way different, and I’ve been at a very consistent training point that I know that at any second I’m going to shoot up in progress. So by this time next year, hopefully I’ll be at the top.”

Yorkville Christian junior Graham Razum ended up taking All-State honors in the Class 1A 800, finishing sixth in a personal-best time of 1:55.77.