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Here is a look at the boys track and field season ahead for Ottawa, Sandwich, Streator, Marquette, Seneca, Fieldcrest, Earlville, Newark and Somonauk.
Ottawa
Coach: Trent Swords
Top returners: Brian Diederich, pole vault, sr.; Austin Hellman, pole vault, sr.; Colby Mortenson, sprints, sr.; Oliver Ruvalcaba, distance, sr.; Kasey Dose, distance, sr.; Sam White, distance, sr.; Michael Mills, throws, sr.; Nate Kaminski, pole vault, sr.; Keevon Peterson, sprints, sr.; Lucas Goetz, pole vault, sr.; Sean Farrell, distance, sr.; Luke Boaz, throws, sr.; Malachi Snyder, distance, sr.; Cameron Debernardi, pole vault, sr.; Malikhai Stayton, pole vault, sr; Weston Averkamp, hurdles, jr.; Cody Green, throws, jr.; Corwin Diaz, sprints, jr.; Jack Thomas, sprints, jr.; Miles Frederickson, throws, jr.; Aiden Hardee, throws, jr.; Ethan Gromm, distance, jr.; Daniel Fisher, distance, so.; Evan Ristau, throws, so.; Joey Liebhart, hurdles, so.; Alexander Contreras, sprints, so.; Ethan Poutre, throws, so.; Diego Martinez, sprints, so.; Evan Fallmaier, sprints, so.; Andrew Vercolio, sprints, so.; Charlie Woodyer, sprints, so.; Stephon Patrick, throws, so.; Kaleb Nimke, distance, so.; Grant Smithmeyer, distance, so.; Logan Mills, sprints, so.; Derek Hoffman, sprints, so.; Stephen Parker, distance, so.; Archer Cechowicz, hurdles, so.; Dominic Sartori, sprints, so.; Mason Posey, sprints, so.
Top newcomers: Cooper Smith, throws, so.; Jax Carrier, throws, so.; Atoryan Murrell, sprints, so.; Hunter Easton, sprints, so.; Kaleb Hunt, sprints, fr.; Evan Farrell, throws, fr.; Diante Jones, sprints, fr.; Wes Weatherford, sprints, fr.; Wyatt Sawyer, sprints, fr.; Jaedyn Matthews, sprints, fr.; Landry Brenbarger, throws, fr.; Jonathon Mustered, throws, fr.; Ryan Rowe, sprints, fr.; Jacob Pastor, sprints, fr.; Darien Gutierrez, sprints, fr.; Draeger Duncan, sprints, fr.; Julian Ruvalcaba, distance, fr.; Leo Mendez, sprints, fr.
Worth noting: Averkamp and Mills return after competing at state last season. Swords also feels Peterson, Patrick, Goetz, Kaminski, Oliver Ruvalcaba, Sean Farrell, Mortenson and Diaz are going to have strong seasons. “We are looking to having another very rewarding track season and competing at a very high level,” Swords said. “Even though we have moved from Class 2A to 3A this year, we are motivated to get athletes back to the state meet to compete and hopefully come back with some medals. We are once again excited to be hosting now the 16th annual Ottawa Invitational Saturday, April 13, one of the state’s most competitive invitationals. The boys have been working very hard and are anxious to get on the track and field to showcase their hard work.”
Marquette
Coach: Wyatt Hettel
Top returners: Leo Leskanich, sprints, sr.; Luke Amicon, throws, sr.; Stefen Swords, throws, sr.; Will Carlson, throws, sr.; Jimmy Lawsha, distance, jr.; Charlie McGrath, sprints, jr.; Joe Amicon, distance, so.; Frankie Reynolds, throws, so.
Top newcomers: Denver Trainor, sprints/jumps, sr.; Adrian Schaefer, throws, jr.; Jake Siena, sprints, so.; Ty Warrner, throws, so.; Jacoby Gooden, sprints, fr.; Alex Schaefer, throws, fr.; Caden Shreve, throws, fr.; Mackinnley Thompson, distance, fr.
Worth noting: The Crusaders have a nice mix of experienced seniors and promising freshmen. Lawsha will look to improve on an impressive sophomore season in which he just missed out on advancing to state by a few seconds in the 800. The upperclassman throwers of Carlson, Swords, Amicon and Schaefer have shown much promise, particularly in discus. Trainor, a Times All-Area basketball player, is using his athleticism on the track for his first season and has impressed with his speed and vertical. Gooden will look to complement Trainor, as he shows blazing quickness in the 100 and 200. Finally, Thompson will join Amicon in the distance category, as the pair will look to add on to the gains they made during the cross country season.
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Streator
Coach: Ken Carlson
Top returners: Collin Jeffries, sprints, sr.; Isaiah Brown, sprints, jr.; Zach Schutlz, throws, sr.; Luke Gebhardt, throws, sr.; Chance Robart, sprints, jr.; Tyke Legeralde, sprints, sr.; Garritt Benstine, sprints, so.; Jon Davis, sprints, so.; Riley Stevens, jumps, so.; Edward Flores, sprints, jr.; Andrew Warwick, vault, so.; Chase Lane, distance, so.; Cian Reed, distance, jr.; Leon Ramirez, distance, so.; Gabe Gutierrez, distance, so.; Jake Isermann, throws, so.; Harley Kosur, sprints, sr.; Eric Moton, throws, sr.; LA Moton, sprints, so.; Cooper Sharisky, sprints, so.; Cody Taylor, throws, so.
Top newcomers: Dylan Childers, throws, jr.; Eddie Devera, distance, fr.; Joey Grako, throws, fr.; TJ Horton, sprints, fr.; Jordan Lukes, sprints, jr.; Sharonn Morton, sprints, fr.; Cristian Paramo, throws, so.; Cade Peterson, sprints, sr.; Chris Pollett, sprints, fr.; Nick Pollett, pole vault, sr.; Andres Salcido, sprints, fr.; Aidan Stevens, throws, sr.; Trenton Studnicki, distance, fr.; Vincent Wargo, sprints, fr.
Worth noting: The Bulldogs have an experienced core of sprinters back from last year, including Jeffries and Brown, who were on last year’s state-qualifying 4x800 relay team. Legeralde is going to be the squad’s top hurdler this year and is expected to shine as part of the 4x400 relay. Robart, Davis, Benstine and Warwick provide even more experience and talent to the sprint crew, while newcomers Peterson, Morton and Horton will provide even more talent and options. Moton, Flores and Sharisky also are back and have improved. Gebhardt is expected to be the top shot putter, with Schultz, Stevens, Isermann, Taylor and Grako providing even more talent in the throws crew. A young but improving distance group will be led by Lane and Reed, with Ramirez, Devera, Gutierrez and Studnicki adding plenty of depth. “We look to contend for another conference championship, after winning the last two conference championships,” Carlson said. “We have a great mix of guys, and we intend to be very competitive when it comes to conference and sectional time.”
Seneca
Coach: Terry Maxwell
Top returners: Sam Churchill, pole vault, sr.; Alex Bogner, shot put, sr., Carter Thomas, discus, sr.; Ryan Flynn, sprints, jr.; AJ Keedy, sprints, sr.; Matt Stach, sprints/jumps, so.
Top newcomers: Colton Pumphrey, hurdles, jr.; Zeb Maxwell, discus, so.; Jaxson Finch, distance, so.
Worth noting: Churchill, Bogner, Thomas and Flynn will look to return to state in their events, while Keedy and Stach were part of a state-qualifying 4x100 relay team last season. “I feel the team’s strength will be in the field events with the throws, vault, and long jump,” Maxwell said. “A young distance crew will have to mature and progress to grab some necessary points at the conference and sectional meets to have a chance to win those meets. The sprint crew largely returns from last season and should be able to be competitive in the sprint relays. An injury to state finalist high jumper Nathan Grant is a large hole to fill in the sprints and jumps.”
Sandwich
Coach: Elizabeth Vick
Top returners: Brodie Case, sprints/hurdles, sr.; Max Cryer, distance, sr.; Simeion Harris, sprints/jumps, jr.; Nate Hill, sprints/jumps, jr.; Jackson Heilemeier, throws, jr.; Keegan Herren, throws, jr.; Peter Popp, throws, jr.; Kayden Page, sprints/jumps, jr.; Alex Walsh, distance, so.
Key newcomers: Jake Ross, sprints/vaults, fr.; Riley Moore, throws, fr.; Luis Murillo, throws, fr.
Worth noting: Sandwich last season had seven state-qualifying athletes in four events, with the 4x400 relay making the finals and placing seventh. Harris, the anchor, is the lone returner off that relay, and his focus this year primarily will be on the long sprints and high jump. Cryer just missed qualifying for state in the 300 hurdles. Ross was an Illinois Elementary School Association sectional champion and state qualifier last year in the pole vault. Sandwich was fourth at the Sycamore Invite and tied for third at the Reed-Custer Invite during indoor season. “We have a very talented group of upperclassmen this year that are eager to lead our newcomers in the right direction,” Vick said. “After joining a new conference, this group has already expressed a strong desire to show up to our conference championship ready to show what they can do.”
Fieldcrest
Coach: Carol Bauer
Top returners: Caleb Krischel, distance, jr.; Jozia Johnson, sprints, sr.; Jackson Hakes, throws, jr.
Key newcomers: Chance Hedrick, throws; Michael Beckett, jumps
Worth noting: Krishel is a returning state qualifier in the 1,600, running a state-qualifying time of 4:38.75 at the Class 1A El Paso Sectional. “He is coming off his best ever cross country season, so [he] should couple that strength with speed to be a dominant force,” Bauer said. Johnson will compete in the 100, 200 and 400 and possibly Fieldcrest’s two longer relays. “He has good foot speed and the desire to work hard, which we hope will result in putting his name on the record board for the 200,” Bauer said. Hakes, Hedrick and Beckett will contribute in field events.
Earlville
Coach: Jillian Harp
Top newcomers: Michael Clemens, sprints/jumps, jr.
Key newcomers: Chase Congdon, distance/shot put, fr.; Jared Dormer, jumps, sprints, fr.; Alvin Hernandez, jumps, sprints, fr.; Jeff Peterson, sprints, fr.; Thomas Peverill, sprints, fr.
Worth noting: Clemens is the lone returning athlete for the Red Raiders very young squad, which now includes participants from Serena. “We are really looking forward to this season because we now have more athletes than we have had in years, which will make us so much more competitive, and we will be able to have a relay team for the first time ever,” Harp said.
Newark
Coach: Abbey Akre
Top returners: Logan Pasakarnis, 400/800, sr.; Zach Carlson, 400/high jump, sr.; Lance Pasakarnis, 200/400, sr.
Worth noting: Newark took second at the 2023 outdoor conference meet. Logan Pasakarnis is a returning state qualifier in the 800, as is Carlson in the 400 and high jump. Logan Pasakarnis qualified for the Top Times indoor state meet in the 400 and 800.
Somonauk
Coaches: Samantha Reid and Trace Woodward
Worth noting: The Bobcats, who also have athletes from Leland, have experienced a huge increase in athletes this year, Reid said. “The team has nearly tripled in size, and more than one athlete has their eyes on state this season, including sophomore Landin Stillwell, who made it to state in the 3,200. We have doubled the athletes coming from Leland, and morale is high. The team is growing, and the coaches could not be happier.”