Boys track and field: Cael Hiser helps Minooka place 3rd at own invite

MINOOKA – Minooka’s Cael Hiser looks like an old hand in the 400-meter dash.

His blistering time of 40.58 seconds to win the race at the Smith Strong Invitational was evidence of that.

Saturday was the first time he had run an outdoor 400 in high school, and it wasn’t a bad opening act.

Hiser held off Homewood-Flossmoor’s Nelson Speaks on the home stretch to win by two-tenths of a second.

“I had a plan, and then the wind picked up, and I didn’t really have a plan then,” Hiser said. “I ran 80 to 90% for the first 200 [meters], coasted for the next 50, then picked up my speed for the last 150 through the headwind.”

Meanwhile, there was Speaks, over to Hiser’s right, pounding for the finish-line, as well.

“At 360 [meters], I could see him coming, so I kicked with whatever I had left,” Hiser said.

It was not only enough to win, but also to set the sixth-fastest time in Illinois this season. About 90 minutes later, Hiser took fifth in the 200, helping Minooka to a third-place team finish – two points behind Plainfield South (83). Oak Park-River Forest won the meet title with 126 points.

I ran 80 to 90% for the first 200 [meters], coasted for the next 50, then picked up my speed for the last 150 through the headwind.

—  Cael Hiser, Minooka

Camyn Viger of Plainfield South, effectively providing the team runner-up margin, might have been even more impressive in the 3,200, outkicking Liam Newhart of Oak Park-River Forest in the final 200 meters to win in 9:13.18 – the second-best time in Illinois this year. Newhart’s 9:14:05 ranked second. They ran side-by-side until about 50 meters remained, and Viger pulled ahead.

“It’s all heart from there,” Viger said. “We’re exhausted, everyone’s exhausted. Whoever had more heart and wants it is going to win.”

Until the end, Viger was just off Newhart’s right shoulder.

“You try to draft a little, not take all the wind,” Viger said. “Then I just took off. I know [Newhart]. He’s an amazing runner. I expected a race like that even before the race started. It feels amazing. It took everything in my legs to beat him.”

Andrew Undesser of the host Indians scored a big victory in the pole vault, his top vault of 4.6 meters (just over 15 feet) also setting a school record. The senior said it could have been better,

“Everything was off today,” Undesser said. “The wind … my head just wasn’t in it.”

Pole vault is a discipline of precision. That he got to 15 feet with the crosswind sometimes taking his pole off line on his run to the pit was remarkable.

“Without that, maybe over 16 [feet],” he said.

Undesser, who edged Josh Meister of Oak Park-River Forest and Kyle Eppenstein of Plainfield South, missed the indoor season with a bad back, which has bugged him since November. Only now, with temperatures in the 80s, is it beginning to feel close to normal.

“It’s on the upturn now,” Undesser said. “The plant is terrible with a hurt back. Today, I definitely didn’t put it out of my head.”

Eppenstein set a personal record clearing 14-6, and knows Undesser is his top competition in the Southwest Prairie Conference.

“We’ve met three or four times,” Eppenstein said. “We’re just getting started.”

Jake Lansdowne of Neuqua Valley won the 300 hurdles in a personal-best 39.71, and took second (15.06) in the 110 high hurdles. Teammate James Ammenhauser’s triple jump of 45-8, third-best in Illinois this season, captured that event by 2 3/4-inches over Batavia’s Alec Crum.

Brody Squires of Waubonsie Valley won the long jump at 21-10.