Boys Track and Field: Oswego East edges Yorkville to take Red Ribbon Classic title

AURORA – Oswego East may not have claimed top honors in the final event of Saturday’s Red Ribbon Track Classic at Waubonsie Valley, but the Wolves’ strong runner-up finish in the mile relay capped off a day in which they piled up high places and walked away with the team trophy.

Yorkville blazed its way to a first-place finish in that 4x400 race in 3:26.26, but Oswego East was a solid second with a time of 3:32.46. It allowed the Wolves to top the team standings with 119.5 points to hold off runner-up Yorkville (110) and third-place Neuqua Valley (70).

“The kids did really well. They’ve been working real hard and having a great season and the team’s really coming together,” said Wolves coach James Milner, who talked to his team on Friday about how to prepare for competing in the predicted rains which ended up postponing the pole vault competition Saturday and delaying the other field events for awhile. “We talked about that [weather] beforehand, that you’ve got to be prepared for all kinds of weather. The kids listened, they stepped up and they had a great day for it.”

Oswego East didn’t pile up a big number of wins in the meet, but consistently placed high enough to claim top honors overall. The Wolves did take first in the 4x800, 4x100 and 4x200 relays, and Alexander Das topped the 1,600 field in 4:22.58, while Aiden Rinehart was second in the 300 hurdles. In the field events, the Wolves’ Nicholas Morrison was first in the triple jump with an effort of 12.31 meters.

“Das in mile ran a good race and we had a win in the jumps,” Milner added. “We placed just about everywhere across the board. It was a good team effort.”

Wheaton Warrenville South was fourth in the team standings at 69 points as the Tigers turned in a number of solid efforts despite the less than ideal conditions. The Tigers’ Nathan Virginelli (9:44.25) and Sam Cruz (9:44.97) finished a close 1-2 in the 3,200, where Jack Schultz of Oswego East took third.

“I have been having a good spring, definitely in the mile and 800, I’ve been running a lot better than last year,” said Virginelli, a senior who ran his first outdoor 2-mile race on Saturday. “It was a bit tough today, but it was all right. I wasn’t really too excited but I wasn’t mad about it. We’ve been having some hard trainings, so you’re not looking to PR every time.”

Also winning for the Tigers were Amari Williams in 110 hurdles (16.71) and Colin Nelson in the 800 (1:57.91).

“It was pretty windy so coach taught me to stick behind a couple people cause I know [York’s] Aidan Hill likes to take it [out fast]. So that was my plan originally, just let him take it. Then around like the 600 mark I was in third place and I just kind of kicked it in. At the end there was one guy ahead of me [Hill] and I just kicked it the last hundred and got first place. It’s been probably the best track season ever for me and the team as a whole is having a great spring,” Nelson said.

Metea Valley was without many of its senior runners since the school prom was Friday night, but senior thrower Evan Sweeney was on hand to continue his stellar spring. Sweeney, who has bested the Mustangs’ previous school record mark in the discus twice already this year, won the discus with a throw of 46.66 meters and added a third in the shot at 14.23. St. Charles East’s Bodey McCaslin won the shot at 15.00 meters and also was second in the discus.

“I did good considering the conditions. So I did as well as I could hope for,” said Sweeney, who will compete at Division II Quincy University after graduating from Metea Valley. “I’m just happy that my hard work’s starting to pay off. I practice all throughout the season, winter time, summertime. There’s no offseason for me. I just try and practice as much as I can.”

Sweeney is hoping to cap off the season with a first time state berth.

“It really does feel good,” he said. “I just try and stay in my own lane, as long as I do what I need to do I know I can succeed. I try and set goals for myself but always keep that in the back of my head. I always try and focus on the now.”

The Mustangs also picked up a title when Daniel Pere raced to first in the 200 with a time of 23.25. Waubonsie Valley, meanwhile, got a title from Brody Squires in the long jump with a 6.61 meter effort, and the Warrior also placed second in the 100.