The boys track and field team’s season ended on May 25 at Eastern Illinois University in Charleston for the IHSA Boys State Championship, where 11 students had qualified for state after competing at the 2A IHSA sectionals on May 17. One student placed, but no other students advanced to the finals, yet the team members are proud of their results and personal growth.
The results from the meet are:
- Simon Lane, ninth place, 3200-meter
- 400-meter: Nyel Khan, 24th (preliminary)
- 1600-meter: Simon Lane, 32nd; Oliver Go, 43rd (preliminary)
- 3200-meter: Sean Niro, 43rd (preliminary)
- 4×100: Ross Wilson, Ryen Williams, Justin Giles, George Ofori-Mante, 33rd (preliminary)
- 4×800 relay: Simon Lane, Ellis Dominick, Ben O’Donnell, Leyton Mueller, 26th (preliminary)
Junior Simon Lane enjoyed the experience at state and was proud of his results.
Simon said, “I feel great about my results at state. I was able to achieve all-state despite being seeded 41st out of 44 runners. I focused on staying with the front of the race and tried as hard as I could to win it in the last lap.”
Ben O’Donnell, a junior who competed in the 4×800 meter relay, said that though the team didn’t place as high as they expected, he was still proud of their time, 8:19.00, which was the fifth fastest time in the U-High track team’s history. He felt the results encapsulated the team’s commitment and growth over the entire season.
“Obviously, I wish we qualified for the finals, but this was a very tough year for the 4×800 relay because all the schools were a lot faster, and a few years ago our time definitely would have qualified us,” Ben said. “I’m still proud of our team and this was our fastest time as a relay team from this year, and I think we all had a great season and improved a lot.”
Captain Ellis Domenick, a senior, believes the team’s bonding activities, including pasta parties and daily conversations at practice, improved the team’s performance throughout the entire season and at state.
“I was very excited this time around, the last two years I felt very nervous, but this time I felt confident going into the race,” Ellis said. “As a whole, state was a lot fun. I had a great time getting to know some of the freshmen and sophomores that I didn’t know as well. I also had a great time with the teammates that I know and ran with.”
