Here is a look at boys track and field teams for the 2026 season in The Herald-News area.

BOLINGBROOK

Head coach: Jeff Lester

Class: 3A

Top returners: Edmond Ankomah, jr., sprints/relays; Isaac Stowers, sr., distance; Nik Maldonado, sr., distance; Jason Vervack, sr., distance; Caleb Wallace, sr., sprints/relays; Devin Cathey, sr., sprints/jumps

Top newcomer: Justin Shelton, fr., sprinter/hurdler

Worth noting: Ankomah, Stowers, Maldonado and Vervack were all-state in the 4x400-meter relay last season for the Raiders and also qualified for state in the 4x800 relay. Wallace is a multiple-time state qualifier in the 4x100, 4x200 and 4x400 relays, while Cathey has qualified in both the sprint relays and long jump. ... Coach Lester: “We are going about attacking our process every day, trying to get better each and every day. The last two seasons, we have finished top 20 in the state. If we put everything together like I think we can, we can be better than that.”

COAL CITY

Head coach: Colin Keppner

Class: 2A

Top returners: Parker Jacovec, jr., sprints/hurdles/long jump; Charlie Pfeifer, jr., middle distance; Alex Collins, jr., sprint relays, high jump, long jump

Top newcomers: Logan Natyshok, jr., sprints/relays; Jonah Micetich, fr., 300 hurdles, pole vault, relays; Colten Lynn, so., distance

Worth noting: Jacovec set the school record in the long jump last season for the Coalers and qualified for state. Pfeifer and Collins are returning All-Illinois Central Eight performers. ... Coach Keppner: “Our goal for this team is to send more boys to state than we have in the past decade. Our goal is to send at least five athletes to Charleston this year for the big meet. This is a goal that we established last year, and the boys have been training throughout the offseason to reach these goals.”

DWIGHT

Head coach: Larry Lane

Class: 1A

Top returners: Graham Meister, jr., throws; Joe Faris, jr., distance

Worth noting: Meister is the defending Class 1A shot put champion and finished fourth in the discus last season for the Trojans as well, while Faris finished third in the 800-meter run.

JOLIET CATHOLIC

Head coach: Erick Carlson

Class: 2A

Top returners: Craig Peacock, sr., sprints; Dylan Travis, jr., sprints/relays/jumps; Phil Larson, so., pole vault

Top newcomers: Andrew Campbell, fr., middle distance/relays; Braeden Carlson, fr., throws; Ian Meyer, fr., high jump/sprints; Jack Jackovich, fr., sprints/relays

Worth noting: Peacock is a two-time returning state qualifier in the 4x100 relay for the Hilltoppers who took ninth in the 60-meter dash at the Illinois Top Times Championship. He is committed to play football at Michigan Tech, while Travis is a two-time Class 2A state qualifier in the triple jump, and Larson is a returning sectional champion and state qualifier in the pole vault. ... Coach Carlson: “We are predominantly a young team, so our main goal is to build a good foundation for the years to come. We will try to accomplish this by utilizing some of the terrific upperclassmen we have like Craig Peacock and Dylan Travis to lead and set good examples for our young team. This year for many of our athletes, (it) will be a year of learning and growing as they are asked to not only compete at the varsity level for the first time but also compete in events that may be new to them. Another goal for the program going forward is to help bridge the gap between the football and track programs. We feel if we can use the great football program at JCA to help build the foundation of the track program, we will set ourselves up for success.”

JOLIET CENTRAL

Head coach: Brian Reed

Class: 3A

Top returners: Nathaniel Gabriel, jr., distance; Erick Ortiz, sr., distance; Manny Ramos, jr., distance; Kevin Quintero, so, distance

Top newcomer: Jacob Beavers, fr., jumps

Worth noting: Gabriel is a two-time state qualifier in the 800-meter run for the Steelmen, while Ortiz, Ramos and Quintero will join him in the 4x800-meter relay.

JOLIET WEST

Head coach: Marcus Mars

Class: 3A

Top returners: Devin Triplett, sr., sprints/mid-distance/relays; Payton Hudson, sr., sprints/mid-distance/relays

Worth noting: Triplett and Hudson were members of the state-qualifying 4x400 relay team for the Tigers last season.

LEMONT

Head coach: Frank Kovach

Class: 2A

Top returners: Daniel Jaquez, sr., high jump; Nathan Murray, jr., sprints; Sam Scoville, sr., distance; Connor Wiles, jr., distance

Top newcomer: Gavin Nally, fr., distance

Worth noting: Jaquez finished 11th in the Class 2A high jump last season for Lemont, while Murray took first in the 400-meter dash and fifth in the 200 at Illinois Prep Top Times, ... Coach Kovach: “Our goals are first place in the South Suburban Blue Conference and advance two to three athletes to state. We’re practicing off the foundation of the FTC program made popular by Tony Holler, with our own tweaks to the system. We are seeing progress every week and achieving competitive scores at invites.”

LINCOLN-WAY CENTRAL

Head coach: Dustin Waddell

Class: 3A

Top returners: Bryce Counihan, sr., distance; Cian Scanlon, jr., distance; Mekhai Wright, sr., distance; Ryan Zartler, so., distance; Ronin Borgeson, sr., distance

Worth noting: Counihan was Class 4A all-state in 2024 (fifth place) and 2025 (second place) as part of the 4x800 relay for the Knights. He is also the indoor school record holder in the 1600-meter run and is committed to DePaul University. ... Coach Waddell: “Our athletes have been incredibly dedicated from Day 1. They show up early, stay late and push each other to get better every single day. Our coaching staff has matched that energy, putting in the hours to make sure every athlete has what they need to succeed. With that kind of commitment on both sides, we’re feeling really optimistic about what this outdoor season can become.”

LINCOLN-WAY EAST

Head coach: Ray Hines

Class: 3A

Top returners: Nathan Botanga, sr., long jump; Jimeto Okafor, jr., throws; Tabet Okwen, jr., triple jump

Worth noting: Botanga was a Class 4A state qualifier in the long jump last season for the Griffins, finishing 10th. Okafor qualified for state in the shot put, while Okwen was a qualifier in the triple jump.

LINCOLN-WAY WEST

Head coach: Joe Strain

Class: 3A

Top returners: Hunter Spee, jr., middle distance; Zaven Johnson, so., sprints/relays; Caleb Terdic, so., sprints/relays; Michael Kennedy, jr., sprints/relays; Braydon McNulty, sprints/relays; Anthony Rokas, sr., pole vault

Worth noting: Spee qualified for state last season in the 800-meter run for the Warriors, while Johnson, Terdic, Kennedy and McNulty qualified for state in both the 4x100- and 4x200-meter relays. Rokas qualified in the pole vault.

LOCKPORT

Head coach: Tom Razo

Class: 3A

Top returners: Jacob Soderstrom, sr., pole vault; Xavier Adeniyi, sr., sprints; Fobe Omisore, sr., sprints; Michael Nicholson, sr., sprints/mid-distance

Worth noting: Soderstrom was all-state in the pole vault last season for the Porters and is committed to the University of Milwaukee, while Adeniyi, Omisore and Nicholson were all-state as part of the 4x400 relay team. ... Coach Razo: “We will evaluate our team as the season progresses.”

MINOOKA

Head coach: Nick Lundin

Class: 3A

Top returners: Nico Cimino, sr., distance/relays; Nate Schalk, sr., distance/relays; Jayden Reed, jr., distance/relays; Max Smith, jr., sprints/relays; Giovanni Rycraft, jr., sprints/relays; Blake Larson, jr., sprints/relays; Cooper Bowman, sr., pole vault; Jaxon Waddell, jr., pole vault

Worth noting: Cimino, Schalk and Reed qualified for the Class 4A state meet in the 4x800-meter relay last season for the Indians, while Smith, Rycraft and Larson were part of the state-qualifying 4x200 team. Bowman and Waddell each qualified for state in the pole vault.

MORRIS

Head coach: Ryan Battersby

Class: 2A

Top returners: Cuyler Swanson, jr., distance; Everett Swanson, jr., distance; Colin Zierman, sr., sprints/hurdles; Nikita Hovious, sr., distance; Brodie Peterson, sr., distance; Owen Noon, sr., high jump

Top newcomers: Romero Zdanwic, so., hurdles; Marin Lauterbach, sr., pole vault; Kado Thanadaboth, so., sprints

Worth noting: Cuyler Swanson is a two-time Class 2A state medalist in the 3,200-meter run for Morris, taking fourth in 2025 and eighth in 2024, and also qualified as part of the 4x800 relay with Everett Swanson, Hovious and Peterson. ... Zierman was a state medalist in the 300 hurdles in 2024, while Noon was all-Interstate Eight Conference the past two seasons. ... Coach Battersby: “We have a senior-heavy group that will look to have success that they achieved as a frosh/soph group two years ago. We hope to compete with Kaneland and Sycamore for a conference title, have a chance at a sectional championship and send the most state qualifiers we’ve sent in the last 10 years.”

PLAINFIELD CENTRAL

Head coach: Jeff Purdom

Class: 3A

Top returners: Jakub Banka, jr., triple jump; Cobey McGregor, sr., high jump; Torrance Freeman, sr., sprints; Stanford Moss, so., sprint/relays; Na’Varyian Junior, jr., sprints/relays; Brayden Lane, so., sprints/relays; Joseph Des Garennes, so., sprints/relays; Stanford Moss, so., sprints/relays; Spencer Kazak, jr., distance; Nathan Reyes, sr., throws

Top newcomers: Xavier Jones, so., sprints; Will Carter, jr., distance; Caden DeGraaf, fr, distance; Jimmy Gutmann, fr., distance; Emerson Raino, fr., distance; Zain Quarishi, fr., sprints/relays

Worth noting: Banka is a returning all-Southwest Prairie Conference performer in the triple jump for the Wildcats, taking third at the SPC Indoor meet, while Freeman is committed to Loras College in both football and track and field.

PLAINFIELD EAST

Head coach: Timothy Thompson

Class: 3A

Top returners: Nasir Robinson, sr., sprints; Joe Owusu, sr., sprints; David Croom, jr., sprints; Josiah Wilcox, so., sprints; James Turi, so., sprints/hurdles; Elijah Frimpong, jr., sprints/hurdles

Top newcomers: Kaleb Hale, fr., jumps; Dinari Overton, fr., sprints

Worth noting: Owusu finished fifth in the state in the 100-meter dash last season for the Bengals and was also a part of the fourth-place 4x100 and seventh-place 4x200 relay teams. ... Robinson is committed to Southern Illinois University and was a part of both medal-winning relays along with Croom last season. ... Coach Thompson: “We want to qualify for state in the 100, 200, 400, 4x100 relay and 4x200 and earn as many podium appearances as possible this season. To do that, we need to make continuous improvements to the foundations that were previously built with other coaches or track clubs and remind ourselves that comfort is the enemy of growth.”

PLAINFIELD NORTH

Head coach: Anthony Woods

Class: 3A

Top returners: Thomas Czerwinski, sr., distance/relays; Gavin Hall, sr., distance/relays; Jake Schmauderer, sr., distance/relays

Worth noting: Czerwinski qualified for the state meet last season in the 1,600-meter run and played a prominent role in the Tigers’ Class 3A cross-country state championship this fall. He also qualified for state, along with Hall and Schmauderer, as part of the 4x800-meter relay team.

PLAINFIELD SOUTH

Head coach: Jason Crowe

Class: 3A

Top returners: Dylan Buturusis, jr., distance; Alex Batsala, jr., distance; Tramaine Jarrett, sr., throws; Kilan Callahan, so., sprints

Top newcomer: Phoenix Viger, fr., distance

Worth noting: Buturusis is a two-time state qualifier in the 4x800-meter relay for the Cougars, while Batsala is a returning sectional champion and state qualifier in the 3,200-meter run. ... Callahan is a returning state qualifier in the 4x200 relay. ... Coach Crowe: “Our annual goal is to win the Southwest Prairie Conference team championship, qualify many athletes to state and advance to the finals on Saturday to score points at the state meet. We want to make progress in all events throughout the season and grow together as a team.”

ROMEOVILLE

Head coach: Scott Harper

Class: 3A

Top returners: Shaun Alexander, sr., jumps; Jaden Hardin, sr., sprints; Xavier Santiago, sr., sprints; Michael D’Amico, sr., sprints; Floyd Jackson, sr., throws; Alex Adebayo, sr., high jump

Worth noting: Alexander qualified for the Class 4A state meet last season for the Spartans in both the long jump and triple jump.

SENECA

Head coach: Terry Maxwell

Class: 1A

Top returners: Matt Stach, sr., sprints/long jump; Zebadiah Maxwell, sr., throws; Jesus Govea, jr., pole vault; Brayden Simek, sr., high jump; Trent Powell, so., pole vault; Noah Odum, jr., wheelchair shot put and discus

Top newcomers: Lincoln Hebel, fr., high jump/hurdles; Judd Taylor, fr., long jump; Liam Baima, fr., distance; Kaden Meents, fr., pole vault; Lorenzo Isham, fr., high jump

Worth noting: Stach finished fourth in the Class 1A long jump last season for the Irish and was part of the state-qualifying 4x200 relay team, along with Powell and Simek. ... Maxwell, Govea, Simek and Powell are all returning state qualifiers in their events, and Odum is a returning state medalist in his events. ... Coach Maxwell: “Matt Stach broke our school record for the second time in long jump last year, going 7.03 meters, which is over 23 feet. He’ll have a shot to push for one of the top jumps in the state this year. We have over 40 boys out for the team this year, giving us a lot of depth. Our strength will be in our field events with several returning state qualifiers. We have a strong group of freshmen who I hope will continue to develop, filling in as the year goes along. The boys should have a chance to compete for another sectional and conference title.”