Boys Track and Field: Sean Hopkins’ spectacular performance carries Glenbard West to close second at West Suburban Silver meet

HILLSIDE – Glenbard West senior Sean Hopkins completed the 200-meter dash, his fourth and final event at Wednesday’s West Suburban Conference Silver Division Meet, walked diagonally across the football field and collapsed.

Hopkins just gave one of the greatest individual conference performances in Hilltoppers’ history with three firsts and a second in the 200 by .08.

“It was a little bit emotion and also some physical pain,” Hopkins said. “I was getting a little bit of a headache, but also I was just, ‘Dang. I could have had him in the 200.’ But I was still just happy with my performance overall.”

As a team, Hilltoppers also again rose to the occasion. But for the third straight Silver meet, they finished an agonizingly close second to Oak Park-River Forest, which won its fourth straight title at Proviso West.

This time the margin only was 115-112 compared with 155-123.5 in 2019 and 136-121 in 2018.

Hopkins won the 100 (lifetime-best 10.84), long jump (6.71m/22-0) and triple jump (13.81m/45-3 1/2). Seniors Pierce Cousins (1,600 in personal-best 4:21.76) and Matt Travers (6 feet in high jump) also won events.

York (89.5 points), Hinsdale Central (67.5) and Lyons Township (64) were third through fifth and Downers Grove North seventh (48).

“(Hopkins is) just a competitor. He has just been so great with everything – training, bouncing back after tough practices, tough meets,” Glenbard West coach Jon Schweighardt said.

“And he showed up today. And a bunch of other kids, too. We have decisions to make (for sectionals) and that’s a good thing. It means we have kids that can be good in a lot of different things.”

Hopkins follows hallmark 2019 performances by Tyquan Cox, who won the 100 and long jump and was second in the 200 and with the 400 relay, and Rory Cavan, who swept the 3,200 and 1,600. Hopkins even wore his green with white bandana that he used while winning four events at the WSC Invite, including a school-record long jump (state-best 23-10 1/2).

In Wednesday’s 200, Hopkins (22.21) was edged in the last 10 meters by OPRF senior Naahlyee Bryant (22.13) after Hopkins the Western Michigan football recruit by .05 in the 100.

“I was giving it all I’ve got. I was feeling a sharp pain coming. (And) I don’t want to end my season, especially now,” Hopkins said. “I still gave him a great race, probably one of my best 200s, but it does feel good winning three events and second in the one.”

Cousins’ 1,600 victory came after he was disappointed by a fourth-place 9:46.69 in the 3,200.

“I was in bad shape until about 10 minutes before my (1,600). I was like, ‘Come on. Put yourself in a focus that allows you to succeed,’ " Cousins said. “It was a personal victory for me. And to not just win it, just give it my all that I knew I could.”

Travers, who has cleared 6-4 in high jump (6-3 state-qualifying standard), also equaled the 200 standard with his third-place 22.33. Mykhail Sandacz was second in high jump (1.73m/5-8) and pole vault (13-2).

“I’ve put in a lot of (high jump) work and lots of practicing and it paid off in the end so I’m super happy,” Travers said.

LT senior Jocqael Thorpe had two great 800s. His 1:53.7 anchor leg helped the Lions win the 3,200 relay (7:52.55) with Charlie McLawhorn, Cade Nelson and Charles McMahon.

Thorpe later was second in the 800 (1:55.96). He’ll add the 1,600 relay at sectionals.

“(The 3,200 relay) was the best. We knew we had it in us so to actually do it, it feels good, feels awesome,” Thorpe said. “I (also) felt awesome in the open 800.”

LT junior Tyler Vizgirda won the 300 intermediate hurdles by 1.66 seconds in a personal-best 39.59, which is .38 under the state-qualifying standard.

“That was probably the best I’ve ever ran,” said Vizgirda, converted to hurdles from pole vault as a sophomore. “I usually have a bad habit of listening for footsteps behind me. I did not hear any footsteps at all so I knew I was going fast.”

Hinsdale Central sophomore Dan Watcke won the 800 (1:54.62) and anchored the winning 1,600 relay (48.7 split) with Henry Jonas, Aden Bandukwala and Piyush Mekla (3:24.72) under the 3:25.13 state-qualifying standard. The 800 relay ofJoey Morris, Emmanuel Dorris, Mehlum Anjarwala and Jonas was second (1:33.26).

“It’s definitely better to win as a (relay),” said Watcke, who owns the state’s fastest 800 (1:52.72). “Actually I was more nervous for the (relay). All of a sudden, we realized we could have a solid (relay) if we put the right pieces together.”

York senior Will Heuer won the 400 (personal-best 50.19) and added a sub-50 anchor split on the second-place 1,600 relay with Colin Hill, Esau Carbajal and Joey Valeski (3;27.36). Mickey Vreeland (1,600 in 4:22.96 in 1,600), Jeff Luka(3,200 in 9:31.88), Jalen Thomas (6.20m/20-4 in long jump), the 400 relay (JalonJones, Heuer, Sami Ayers, Kelly Watson in 43.29) and 3,200 relay (Sam Ayers,Thomas Braun, Jackson Geiger, Vreeland in 7:54.23) also were second.

“I knew I needed to show people why I was seeded first (in the 400), and when you go out and run a really solid open event, it really carries over to that (1,600) relay, where you feel on top of the world,” Heuer said.

Downers North junior Roy Llewellyn won the 3,200 (9:26.77) by 5.11 seconds with a personal best by nearly 24 seconds and under the 9:29.30 state-qualifying standard. The Trojans’ Harrison Maher (110 high hurdles in 16.19), Ryan Guerin (400 in 50.98) and Sam Bowerman (12.98m/42-7 in triple jump) were second.

Llewellyn was inspired by 22 of 25 teammates running 1,600 personal records at Tuesday’s annual Under the Lights home event for non-postseason competitors.

“I was like, ‘I want a piece of that, too,’ " Llewellyn said. “That definitely got me in the mindset to compete today.”

Other performances under state-qualifying standards were York’s Hill (1:56.30)and Glenbard West’s Tyler Yeager (1:56.79) going 3-4 in the 800, LT’s Owen Hays in the 1,600 (3rd, 4:23.67) and the Red Devils’ 3,200 relay (4th, 8:02.54).