boys track and field capsules

Abbreviations for field events are as follows: HJ-high jump, LJ-long jump, TJ-triple jump, PV-pole vault.

Fox Valley Conference

Cary-Grove

Coach: Layne Holter (17th season)

Last year’s finish: Eighth in FVC

Top returning athletes: Anthony Golowach, sr., sprints, HJ; Ryan Borys, sr., sprints; Max Anderson, jr., 400/800; Josh Freeman, jr., throws; John Pearl, jr., sprints; Tyler Peterson, sr., distance; Joel Wenrich, jr., sprints

Top new athletes: Michael Gerblick, so., jumps; Jack McGowan, so., TJ

Worth noting: Holter said he feels his team had its best offseason workouts in several years and likes that the Trojans’ numbers are up. … Golowach cleared 6-9 for the FVC Meet record last year, and Holter said he had a new determination for his senior season as a jumper and runner.

Crystal Lake Central

Coach: Brian Seaver (11th season)

Last year’s finish: Fourth in FVC

Top returning athletes: Mike Bondi, sr., distance; Chris Alvarez, jr., distance; Josiah Becker, sr., PV; Jake Dvoracek, sr., PV; Dyllon McKinney, sr., sprints, jumps; Jake Cooper, sr., sprints; Brett Schuld, sr., sprints; Garrett Davis, sr., sprints; Sean Buczek, jr., jumps; Zach Brandwein, sr., HJ, hurdles

Top new athlete: Isaiah Mosher, so., sprints

Worth noting: The Tigers’ Ryan Alvarez took third in the Class 2A 1,600 and was a tremendous team leader, but they have good depth all over the track returning, led by Bondi, who was fourth in state in the 800. … Most FVC coaches consider Central the team most likely to make a run at two-time FVC champ McHenry. … “We have a deep team of experienced upperclassmen, and I am excited to see what they can accomplish as a team,” Seaver said.
 

Crystal Lake South

Coach: Rich Eschman (first season)

Last year’s finish: Ninth in FVC

Top returning athletes: Kenny King, sr., sprints, LJ; Matt Biederwolf, sr., middle distance; Chaz Barnett, sr., PV, sprints; John Sullivan, sr., middle distance; Brad Walovitch, jr., sprints; Brian Roesslein, jr., distance; Kyle Enos, sr., throws

Top new athletes: Zeven Clark, so., throws, sprints; Andrew Stumper, sr., throws; Duncan Henderson, so., distance; Michael Hernandez, sr., sprints

Worth noting: Eschman returns for a second stint as head coach, a position he held from 1993 through 2000. He was assistant coach from 2001 through 2010. … Biederwolf will be one of the area’s top 800 runners. King and Sullivan also ran at state as members of a relay team last year. … Eschman said they would have a large freshman-sophomore team and have 86 athletes total out for track.

Dundee-Crown

Coach: Tom Smith (31st season)

Last year’s finish: Second in FVC

Top returning athletes: Anthony Manfrin, sr., distance; Andrew Knapik, sr., distance; Max Kittle, sr., hurdles; Miles Adkins, sr., sprints; Ryan Smith, sr., distance; Nate Kirchhoff, sr., distance; Ardian Asani, jr., HJ, LJ

Top new athletes: Ray Griggel, so., throws; Sean Battin, so., sprints

Worth noting: D-C usually finds a way to become a factor in the FVC Meet. “That’s what I’ve challenged them with,” Smith said. “I think we can still do that. All four of our relays will determine how we do.” … Manfrin won the Class 3A 3,200 meters at the Illinois Prep Top Times Indoor Classic on Saturday and has looked good in workouts. “He ran the way he’s been running the last two months,” Smith said. “He was ready.” … Kittle took seventh in the 55 high hurdles at the indoor state meet.

Huntley

Coach: Jim Rolando (sixth season)

Last year’s finish: Seventh in FVC

Top returning athletes: Nathan Kennedy, sr., middle distance; Dalton Slater, sr., middle distance, hurdles; Andrue Wright, sr., sprints

Top new athlete: Ronnie Zawacki, sr., sprints

Worth noting: Rolando said his team has had its share of illnesses and injuries in the indoor season and received an eye-opener at the Dundee-Crown Indoor Invitational, the unofficial FVC indoor meet. Huntley finished 12th of the 13 teams. “If we are the 12th-best team in the conference, then the FVC should have an amazing year,” Rolando said. “We have a large group of sophomores and juniors who competed at the varsity level for us last year. Their continued progress will go a long way in determining how competitive we become in the bigger meets at the end of the season.” … For three years, the Red Raiders could put thrower Marcus Popenfoose down for an almost-automatic 20 points in big meets. Popenfoose won the Class 3A discus and was second in shot put last year and now throws at Auburn.

Jacobs

Coach: Jason Borhart (ninth season)

Last year’s finish: Third in FVC

Top returning athletes: Joey Cieniewicz, sr., middle distance; Nick Ellingsen, sr., distance; Will Hennessy, jr., distance; Creighton Masters, sr., jumps; Filip Skrzesinski, so., sprints, jumps; Dom Blake, jr., sprints

Top new athletes: Jason Judson, jr., hurdles; Cam Bokowy, jr., sprints; Caz Zyks, jr., sprints; Evan Bishop, jr., sprints; Maciej Kozlowski, jr., throws

Worth noting: Borhart said an influx of football players would add depth for the Golden Eagles in sprints. … Cieniewicz and Hennessy ran in the Class 3A 800 at state last year and return.

Johnsburg

Coach: Chris Setzler (12th season)

Last year’s finish: Tie for 12th in FVC

Top returning athletes: Dan Fox, sr., distance; Alex Krebs, jr., distance; Jake Szramek, sr., PV, sprints; Nick Plett, sr., throws; Kyle Johnson, sr., throws; Kyle Stelmasek, so., distance

Top new athletes: Sandro Magradze, fr., sprints, hurdles; Nika Magradze, fr., sprints, hurdles; Levan Magradze, jr., sprints, hurdles; Mike Siudak, sr., LJ

Worth noting: The Skyhawks are low on numbers but strong in areas, Setzler said, where other teams also are strong in the conference. He said he thinks Fox will have a chance to advance to the Class 2A state meet after running against such tough distance competition in the FVC. “[Fox] may not score in the FVC and make it to state in the 3,200,” Setzler said. “We’re just that stacked in those events in the FVC.” … Szramek has gone 12-6 in the pole vault this season.

McHenry

Coach: Dave D’Angelo (sixth season)

Last year’s finish: FVC champion

Top returning athletes: Curtis Bosshardt, sr., throws; Devin Friske, jr., jumps, hurdles; Alex Heinz, sr., distance; Josh Holm, jr., sprints; John Konstantelos, so., distance; Gilbert Matias, so., hurdles, sprints; Carlos Nevarez, jr., hurdles; Carey Nolan, sr., sprints, jumps; Corey Szamlewski, sr., PV, sprints; Tay Tomal, jr., distance; Cody Wallstrom, jr., distance; Blake Swanson, jr., throws; Travis Walker, jr., throws

Top new athletes: Austin Ives, sr., HJ, sprints, hurdles; Justin Slack, jr., throws; Grant Watkins, jr., throws;
Urbano Perez, jr., throws

Worth noting: The Warriors have won the McHenry County and FVC meets each of the past two years. Szamlewski and Nolan head a returning group that could make it three in a row. … Nolan scored 38 points by himself last year in the McHenry County Meet with three firsts and a second. … McHenry should put together some strong sprint relays again.

Prairie Ridge

Coach: Judd Shutt (seventh season)

Last year’s finish: Sixth in FVC

Top returning athletes: Kerry Kohlbacher, jr., 400; Marc DiVerde, sr., distance; Mitch Wilkins, jr., distance; Joe Campbell, sr., hurdles; Justin Lindahl, jr., hurdles; Dan Pegarsch, sr., PV; C.J. Eikum, jr., jumps

Top new athletes: Joe Cowlin, so., distance; Nick Nissen, jr., sprints, jumps; Tyler Rippel, sr., middle distance, jumps

Worth noting: Shutt said he feels there are state-caliber athletes on the Wolves in most events in the FVC this season. … Kohlbacher is the defending FVC 400 champion and a state qualifier, but now he will have to compete in Class 3A as Prairie Ridge moves up. DiVerde, Wilkins and Cowlin had very good cross country seasons for the Wolves.

Woodstock

Coach: Matt McCulley (second season)

Last year’s finish: 10th in FVC

Top returning athletes: Phil Meyer, sr., distance; J.D. Fuller, sr., distance; Eddie Grogg, jr., HJ; Phil Krueger, so., throws; Nate Hams, jr., sprints

Top new athletes: Tate Webster, sr., sprints; Donte Arnold, jr., sprints, TJ; Keeandee Benjamin, so., sprints

Worth noting: The Blue Streaks are strong in the distance races with Meyer and Fuller. Meyer took fourth in the Class 2A 3,200 and 12th in state cross country. Fuller was fourth in state cross country. … McCulley said he thinks Arnold would give Woodstock a boost in the sprint races. … “It will be nice to have some depth in the sprints this season,” McCulley said. “And we have some potential in the field events.”

Woodstock North

Coach: John Fredericks (second season)

Last year’s finish: 11th in FVC

Top returning athletes: Jon Walsh, jr, PV, jumps; T.J. Scott, sr., sprints, LJ; Mike Solano, sr., sprints, PV; Jeff Taylor, jr., hurdles, jumps; Ben Markison, jr., sprints

Top new athletes: Sergio Rodriguez, fr., distance; Adam Haimbaugh, so., sprints; Jordan Kempf, jr., sprints; Alex Niese, jr., sprints; Eddie Bauer, jr., throws; Brody Stamann, sr., throws

Worth noting: T.J. Scott scored the first point in FVC history for the Thunder with a sixth-place finish in the long jump last season. … Fredericks is in the second year of building a varsity program and feels the returning athletes did a good job recruiting others to come out for the team. … “Walsh, Taylor and Scott have potential to do some good things for us,” Fredericks said.

Big Northern Conference

Hampshire

Coach: Steve Bruhn (10th season)

Last year’s finish: 12th in BNC

Top returning athletes: Jared Butler, distance; Peter Sonnefeldt, jumps; Andrew Sim, jumps; Rich Reiter, distance

Top new athletes: Lucious Armstrong, sprints; K.J. Williams, sprints; Jarrett McCardle, throws

Worth noting: Most of the Whip-Purs team are going to be freshmen and sophomores. “We have a young team that needs time to develop and find themselves on the track,” Bruhn said. “We have a group of hard-working individuals that are willing to get better. I look for Jared Butler to have a break out year in middle distance and for our team to grow as the season progresses.”

Harvard

Coach: Dennis Eisele (11th season)

Last year’s finish: Fourth in BNC

Top returning athletes: Dan Bach, sr., middle distance; Buddy Lasker, sr., throws; Alex Kick, jr., distance; David Martinez, sr., hurdles, TJ; Adam Schmidt, sr., throws; Matt Smith, jr., sprints, LJ; David Wilson, sr., middle distance

Top new athletes: Nick LaTour, so., sprints, LJ; Jorge Pichardo, fr., distance; Tim Wiltshire, so., distance

Worth noting: Harvard had its best season in school history last year with a Class 1A sectional championship, but 18 seniors graduated from that team.

Marengo

Coach: R.J. Meyer (third season)

Last year’s finish: 10th in BNC

Top returning athletes: Joe Janssen, sr., middle distance; Torben Hoffmeyer, jr., distance; Cody Bauman, jr., TJ, sprints; Andrew Pfiffner, sr., LJ

Top new athletes: Adam Rogutich, fr., TJ, HJ; Jake Pratt, fr., sprints; John Bowen, fr., distance

Worth noting: Janssen took ninth in the Class 2A 800 last year and is chasing the school record of 1:55.7 this season.

Torben Hoffmeyer had a strong cross country season and will be shooting to qualify for state in the 1,600.

Richmond-Burton

Coach: Paul Zelle (seventh season)

Last year’s finish: Third in BNC

Top returning athletes: Ryne Pearson, sr., sprints, LJ; Austin Gunderson, sr., sprints, LJ; Jake Pauly, jr., throws; D.J. Wolfram, so., distance

Top new athletes: Sean Kirby, so., sprints; Corey Prejna, fr., HJ; James Kaht, fr., distance

Worth noting: R-B was hit hard by graduation after having one of its best teams in school history last year. Class 2A state medalists Kyle Wismer and Ian Sanchez were among the group that is gone. … “We are very young and in the process of rebuilding,” Zelle said. “We have a great nucleus of young athletes that have a great determination and work ethic which will allow us to be successful in the future.”

Suburban Christian

Conference

Marian Central

Coach: Mike Pippitone (second season)

Top returning athletes: Alex Foley, sr., distance; Ty Balduf, jr., distance

Top new athletes: Brett Olson, fr., middle distance; Chase Heinzelman, fr., sprints

Worth noting: The Hurricanes lost distance runner Andrew Wozniak to a stress fracture that hindered his finish to the cross country season. … Marian’s numbers are small and most of the athletes are freshmen and sophomores. Pippitone said he thinks Marian’s baseball success and the addition of lacrosse have hurt, but he liked the enthusiasm.

“With such a small team, everyone’s going to have to do two or three different events. They’ve been a very positive group.”

Northeastern Athletic

Conference

Alden-Hebron

Coach: Dan Linneman (second season)

Last year’s finish: Fifth in NAC

Top returning athletes: Justin Gricar, so., sprints, jumps; Zak Olson, sr., sprints, TJ

Top new athletes: Donald Johnson, fr., sprints; Andrew Bohn, jr., sprints, HJ

Worth noting: The Giants have eight athletes out, so Linneman will try to put together a couple of sprint relays and get as many as possible in three or four events at meets. Long jump will be one of A-H’s stronger events.