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MANDATORY 2008 CROSS COUNTRY MEETING
WEDNESDAY, 5/21, C125
- Incoming freshmen need not attend, they will receive all
relevant information on June 9th, the first day of camp.
MAX & ERMA'S FUNDRAISER, 6/2/08
Print the following
COUPON, eat at Max & Erma's in Deer Part on June 2nd, and 20% of
proceeds will go to LZXC! Also, join us on June 2nd for Andrew
Morrison's CD Birthday Party, 6PM, at Max & Erma's. Bring a gag gift
for Andrew (maximum price, $10, no minimum price), and don't forget your
coupon!
Sectionals @ Palatine - 5/16/08
It was a bittersweet ending to a season filled with a lot of
improvement. No LZ athletes qualified, although many valiant efforts
were made. The Palatine sectionals is the standard, and if you qualify
out of Palatine, you are certainly one of the top athletes in the state.
While we could have had potentially qualified 4 or 5 different events if we
had been placed differently, I would choose it no other way. Palatine
always runs a classy meet with no hitches, and more importantly, the goal is
to qualify as many athletes as possible, which is not always the case at
other sectionals.
Before I get into the performances, I want to thank the 4
seniors for their 30+ season of service to the Cross Country and Track
teams: Mickey Stott, Terry Nelson, Andy McGuiness, and Colin Schofield.
Top performances of the Sectional include:
Senior Joe Fanta finishing his career with a 4th place and a
PR 40.3 in the 300 IH's. Joe missed qualifying to state by a mere half
second. Joe has come a long way since his freshman year, and is a true
testament to what 4 years of hard work can accomplish. To put in
perspective, Joe's PR as a freshman in the 300 IH's was 50.7. Joe is
an athlete that came out of the woodwork, fell in love with hurdling, and
plans to continue in college. Thank you Joe for 4 years of service and
an excellent senior season as a captain.
Junior Josh Fitts takes over the reigns as top hurdler next
year. Josh took 6th in the 110 HH's with a PR 15.4.
Junior Dan Iwicki PR'ed twice in the Pole Vault, clearing
12'3''. Dan is within 9 inches of the 10-year-old school record of
13'.
Our "Class Relays", with a Freshmen (Christian Williams),
Sophomore (Colin Wanat), Junior (Kyle Williams), and Senior (Jon Janus) in
each, took a 4th and 5th place. The 4x400 ran their best time of the
season in 3:31, also running the "class relay" (Jake Brinlee, Matt Frase,
Pat Hannay, and Jon Janus).
Gerardo Perez had his best day as a runner, finishing with 2
PR's. In the 3200, Gerardo let the field get away from him in the
middle of the race, but finished strong, nabbing Palatine's Alex Mourousias
at the tape for a 6th place point. His mile was more impressive, as he
ran a terrific double, placing 2nd in the 2nd heat with a 4:32.
The 4x800 Relay came up against arguably the strongest 4x800
sectional in the state, laid their hearts out on the track. With only
1 member below 2:00 (and a 1:59.7 at that), it was going to take 4 PR's to
get downstate. We didn't get those PR's, although each runners was
within a half second of their PR. The team finished with a respectable
8:10. The boys were disappointed, but with 3 of the 4 returning, the
future looks bright. They have already begun speculating the 4x800
lineup for next year...
Mickey Stott finished a stellar career as a LZ distance
runner. He led off our 4x800 with a solid 2:00, then tied his PR with
a 4:29 mile. Mickey was again within 1 second of the school record
4:28 set by Sam Romanoski. Although Mickey's name won't be found on
our record boards, he will not be forgotten, and is an irreplaceable member
of the LZXC Community. Mickey will be taking his services to the
University of Wisconsin - Stout, where he will be competing on their track
and cross country teams. Mickey finishes his career with an impressive
resume at Lake Zurich: 8 (Yes EIGHT!) varsity letters, 3 all-conference
selections, 2 Conference Championships, 1 Regional Championship, and a
closet full of ribbons, medals, and trophies. Congrats to Mickey on 4
great years.
Frosh/Soph Conference @ Grant - 5/9/08
One of our goals this season was to defend our Frosh/Soph
Conference Title. A handful of botched relay handoffs contributed to a
disappointing 2nd place finish to Zion Benton (by 4 points). Despite
the sour ending, there were some outstanding efforts by our Freshmen and
Sophomores in their final race of the season.
Outside of the distance events, I have to compliment Jake
Brinlee and Matt Frase on their outstanding 1-2 finish in the 400.
Freshman John Grossi also came home with 2 gold medals, winning the 110 HHs
in a Freshman Record 16.7, and leading off the 1st place 4x4. Wow!
4x800: A collection of journeymen ran our 4x800: Freshman
Andrew Lulis trained as a pole vaulter all season (but ran cross country and
is a standout swimmer), Frosh Matt Fajnor played football in the fall (but
is running cross this year), Freshman Chris Selvais plays soccer, which
leaves Joe Kim as the most experienced member of the team, so Joe was chosen
to anchor the team. This group certainly set the standard for the
meet. Andrew led off with an amazing 2:21 (placing 10th on the
all-time freshmen list). Matt hasn't trained in about 2 weeks, but
still managed to tie his PR of 2:25. Chris ran a very strong leg,
PR'ing in 2:27, and Joe Kim's strong kick earned him a 2:20 and a 6th place
medal for the team. More importantly, that was a point in the books
that meant the difference between 2nd and 3rd in the meet.
3200: There was a bit of craziness before the 2mile.
Tony P had a blister from his new sneakers that he couldn't shake, and Scott Harbeck had not yet
arrived from his AP Euro test yet, which finished late. Luckily Scott
arrived at the track as the 3200 was lining up, with spikes on, and Tony P's
blister magically disappeared once the gun went off. In the race, Tony
P ran a very smart race, splitting the mile at exactly 5:20, which was his
goal. A strong field ran away from him, but he was able to nag one of
Lake Forest's Briskman twins in the final lap to run a PR 10:45 and place
4th. Tony figures to compete for a varsity position come Cross
Country. Scott ran the first couple laps like he warmed up in the back
seat of a car (he did), but loosened up in the race and began to pick off
runners. He ran a decent 11:40 considering the circumstances.
800: Shawn Picha didn't get the 2:09 that he wanted, not the
Conference Championship, but he did get a solid 2nd place and score 8 points
for the cause. David Weathers ran a PR 2:32 with only Pole Vault
training, and ran competitively in the slow heat.
1600: Freshmen Victor Delatorre and Sophomore Greg Bielak
ran their best races of the season. Greg's huge 20 second PR dropped
him down to 5:20. With a summer of training Greg could do some serious
damage in Cross. I am excited with Victor's progress this spring.
Vic will be a newcomer to cross country, but his 4:57 mile will put him
immediately in one of the top 2 groups. Of any of the boys on the
team, Vic might have the biggest upside, with his silky-smooth stride and
fearlessness in competition.
Conference @ Antioch - 5/8/08
The NSC Conference Meet was an absolute thrill to watch.
In an eerie display of Deja-vu, Lake Forest came back from a huge deficit to
beat the "unbeatable" Zion Benton 4x400 Relay team, earning them the
Conference title by a mere 1/2 point. Recall back to last year when
Kevin Johnson closed a big deficit to beat Zion in the 4x4, giving us a
share of the Conference Title. A big pat on the back must go out to
the boys over at Lake Forest who won the Conference with a true team effort,
scoring big points in all facets of Track and Field.
When the Conference Meet rolls around, we distance runners put away our
watches and race for place. Our distance crew did just that.
Coming into the meet, I thought we could potentially score 25-30 points in
the 4 distance events. As it turned out, we scored 28. Each
runner did their part in contributing to this team effort, and all of their
success stems from the dedicated training they have put forward in the past
12 months.
4x800: We knew that Lake Forest would run away from
us, so the battle was for 2nd place between us and Stevenson. We beat
Stevenson at the tape at County, so it was certainly going to be a great
race. Mickey led off with an average split of 2:01.x. Cisco and
Jake gave us a little cushion in the middle lengths running 2:03.x's.
Pav got the baton in 2nd with about 20m on Stevenson's Yohan Laker.
Laker is a tough competitive runner, and it showed as he desperately worked
his way back into the race. When Pav split the 400 in 61, he was
joined by Laker, which means Laker must have run a 57 to catch back up!
My hope was that Laker had spent too much in the first 400, and Pav would
have just enough left to outkick him. Laker appeared to pull away from
Pav in the final lap, and actually developed an 8m lead with 100m to go.
But in the same fashion that Pav has done it all year, he won the last 100m,
nipping Laker at the tape, and earning a solid 8 points for the team.
The team's time was respectable at 8:12, but more importantly, we ran to
win.
3200: A lot of the North Suburban coaches commented to
me on how well our distance runners have improved. Despite all of our
4x800 (except Mickey) progressing from relative obscurity at the Frosh/Soph
level to elite varsity runners, I must say that the development of our
two-milers, Gerardo Perez and Andrew Morrison, tells the greatest story.
Gerardo and Andrew placed 3rd and 4th last year in the Frosh/Soph 3200!,
running 10:41 and 10:43. Twelve months and about 5500 combined
miles later, they went 1-2 in the Varsity 3200! Its great to
see the two of them having success, and nobody deserves any credit for their
successes except for them. They finally ran a smart 3200, and dropped
their PR's to 9:43 and 9:46. Tactically, they ran the race to
perfection. While Vernon Hills' All-stater Moe Bahrani did the work
for most of the race, Gerry and Andrew worked their way through the field
and with a lap to go, they made their move. Gerry started his
kick with 400m out, while Andrew finished his race from 150m out.
(Yes, Andrew Morrison did win a kick!). With the 18 points scored in
the 3200, we had 26 points in the distance events after only with the 800
and 1600 to go!
800: It would have taken a miracle for Pav or Jake to
score in the open 800, and that miracle did not happen. The 800 was
stacked with the best talent in the conference, and 4 runners broke 2 and 3
broke the state qualifying standard. Pav and Jake were both in the
slow heat. Pav ran a decent race, winning in 2:07, but Jake did not
have as much luck. I can't fault these guys for anything, because they
have exceeded expectations in all the big meets this year. But one
area that they will need to improve on for next year is their doubles.
If we are going to get back to a Championship level in the Conference, we
will need these guys to score points in their second event.
1600: We had an opportunity to outscore the conference
in the distance events, but we didn't score the necessary points in the
1600. Lake Forest and Stevenson swept the first 4 spots, and we were
stuck with 5th and 7th. Mickey and Gerry ran good races, but made some
tactical errors that prevented them from running great races. Although
it was Mickey's 2nd fastest mile ever and Gerry's PR, they were a bit
disappointed. Our school record is still there for the taking (Sam
Romanoski's 4:28), and knowing the poor reaction times of the timers at the
Palatine Sectional (just kidding), it has a chance to go down.
Lake County Meet @ Libertyville - 5/1/08
Ideal temperature and a light breeze led to some fast times
at Libertyville, and we got some right away in the 4x800. We
considered shuffling the order of the relay all week long, but in the end,
Mickey is great in the leadoff position and Jordan's toughness is what you
ask for in an anchor. Mickey led off with his first ever sub-2:00, as
he negative split to a 1:59.6. Cisco got the baton in second, only
behind a strong leg from Stevenson's Tyler Bartlow. Cisco ran a steady
race through the first 600m, but finally broke through the barrier that had
eluded him; he found the drive in the last straightaway. His 2:02.3
was a career best. Jake got the benefit of running behind some strong
runners who pulled him along to a solid 2:02.7, although he did not find the
drive in the final 100m. Jordan bounced back after a disappointing day
at Spartan Relays with a great anchor leg. He fought hard for position
against Deerfield and Stevenson, nipping Stevenson at the tape and nearly
getting Deerfield. The team earned a 4th place finish in 8:07.0 behind
Lake Forest, Highland Park, and Deerfield. It was the fastest 4x800 LZ
has seen since the late '80s (Thanks Coach Lange). With
all four runners splitting career PRs, we dropped 13 seconds off our
previous best time of the season. Cisco and Pav's times put them as #1
and #2 on the All-time Sophomore list, while all 4 athletes rose on the all
time Varsity list.
3200: As I watched Gerardo and Andrew split the first
200m in 33, I knew the race would not end well. They led the lead pack
through the first couple laps, but that first 200 caught up to them in the
second mile, and they had no strength with which to attack the back end of
the race. They ran respectable times of 10:05 and 10:10, but are both
still completely under the radar coming into conference. We have now
essentially race-shocked them 3 times, and they are primed for a breakout
race on Thursday. While I was initially frustrated by their poor race
tactics, it was probably the best thing that could have happened for both of
them. With Gerardo's injury last year, I have to remember this is
essentially the second track season for both of them, and they still make
underclassmen errors. But now it is time to be disciplined and save
the aggression until the second mile. All their workouts point to them
both popping a 9:45. If we see the correct patience at the beginning
of the race, that 9:45 may become a reality.
800: A strong field ran away from Jake and Pav, but
they still managed to double with respectable times of 2:07. This meet
gave them the experience and confidence to possibly steal some points in the
800 at Conference.
1600: Experience certainly makes a big difference in
big meets, and Mickey Stott has as much experience as anybody around.
He raced the 1600 to perfection, hiding near the back of the leaders for
most of the race, then making his move in the last 600m. Mickey
finished 2nd behind Nick Lane who is running really well right now, and just
in front of the area's other top runners Tyler Bartlow from Stevenson, Joe
Sullivan from Deerfield, and Alex Bennatan from Lake Forest.
Mickey's final time of 4:29 inches him to within 1 second of Sam Romanoski's
school record of 4:28.
Lake Forest Dual - 4/29/08
The varsity runners did not compete due to the County Meet 2
days later. We still managed some nice performances.
-Scott Harbeck was the only person running the deuce, and
ran a nice 60 second PR, dropping his time down to 11:27. Not bad for
a kid who was a 24 minute 3-miler just 15 months prior.
-In the 800, Mike Tirrell ran a 2:13 half the hard way.
His 59.9 opening 400 kept him in contact with Lake Forest Bennatan twins,
but he faded from there. The elusive 2:10 barrier will have to wait.
-The highlight of the meet was the 1600, and we had quite a
crowd running in it. The Showdown between Shawn, Tony P, and Vic lived
up to the hype, although the times were not what we would have liked.
Vic was the only one who attacked the race from the beginning, and was
rewarded with a PR as a result. Vic opened with a 69 quarter, and went
through the 800 in 2:26. Tony P and Shawn came through the half in a
more even-splitted 2:31, essentially taking themselved out of the 5:00 hunt.
Fast forwarding to the last 100m, Tony P made a valiant sprint at the end to
catch Victor, and the two came through the finish dead even in a time of
5:05.8. Even the timers could not pick a winner, so the much
anticipated Showdown ended in a tie. Shawn Picha came shortly after in
a 5:09.
-Other PRs in the 1600 were Joe Kim running a nice 5:20
(with spikes for the first time), and Stefano Delacuesta racing to another
PR in 6:48.
Glenbrook North Spartan Relays - 4/25/08
LZ finished in 8th place out of 12 teams. We didn't
score a lot of points due to a lot of different reasons, but the team we put
out there fought admirably the entire way. We learned what we needed
to learn about ourselves, and can now move forward with a better plan in
mind.
Spartan Relays has 3 distance events in a peculiar order:
4x800, then the Distance Medley, and finally the 4x1600, all in a relatively
short amount of time. The order of events truly rewards the deeper
teams. We decided to run our main distance scorers in 2 events each,
something they will need to do in the big upcoming meets. While the
strategy did not maximize our points at the short-but-sweet Spartan Relays,
it will pay off in Conference when the kids have more time to rest.
All our distance runners looked a little flat, and I am
pointing that to a very light week of training last week. After 3
weeks with each athlete competing in anywhere from 6 to 8 meets, we needed a
down week to regroup both physically and mentally.
4x8: Mickey looked great in his near PR of 2:02.3, and
handed Cisco the baton in second. From there, however, we looked
sluggish, and none of our last 3 guys found the inspiration to dominate the
last 200. Cisco finished with a 2:08, Jake a 2:07, and Jordan with a
2:11. The time of 8:29 was good for 5th place.
Distance Medley: Gerardo clearly had the best day of
any of the distance runners. He ran a solid 3:23 to get us near the
lead off the 1200. Cisco and Jake looked like they just ran a race 5
minutes prior in their 57! and 2:17! efforts in the 400 and 800. This
was an absolutely brutal double for these two, but the "meet shock" wil
prepare them for the 8-8 or 8-4 doubles they may be called to do next week.
Andrew Morrison found himself in no-man's land anchoring the relay 1600, and
shut it down midway through the race, splitting just under 5. The team
earned another 5th place ribbons.
4x1600: We thought long and hard about putting our top
guys fresh in this race, but in the end, it came down to our long-range
outlook: We are gearing towards Conference and Sectionals, and everything
else is just preparation. With all runners running their second race
of the day, I felt it was a decent effort. While there were no PR's,
all were about 6 seconds off of their PRs, with the exception of Morrison.
Pav split a 4:51, Mickey split a 4:38, Gerardo ran 4:41, and Morrison lagged
to a 4:50. The team earned another 5th place ribbon, our 3rd of the
day.
The day answered a lot of questions for us. 1- Doubles
are tough! It is clear that we have to turn to our upper classmen:
Mickey and Gerardo to score points for us in the open races. 2 - Gerardo
gives us the best chance for a double-score in the mile. 3 - Morrison has
found that "4:50 zone", and while he may not break 4:35 in the mile again
this year, he has enough 4:50 miles under his belt now to run a super deuce.
4 - The 4x8 is still a tough team, and has some more seconds to shed.
This team is primed for a breakout race.
Also, I must give a shout-out to Senior Mike Tirrell, who
continues to make his case to run in the big meets. Mike ran a solid
2:12 alone in the wind to anchor the middle distance medley.
***** PREVIEW OF THE 1600M SHOWDOWN *****
On Monday, April 28th, the long-awaited showdown will take
place. The players: Tony Piecuch, Shawn Picha, and Victor Delatorre.
There is much more than bragging rights at stake here, including claim to
Tony P's girlfriend and the grand prize, a free ride in Andy McGuiness's
Crusty Cadillac. Here are the player bios as the showdown approaches.
Tony Piecuch
(Sophomore)
Odds of winning-
3:1
PRs- 63.6, 2:26.6,
5:01.6, 10:50.0, 18:03.0, 23:20.0
Strengths-
Unparalleled finishing kick, has a girlfriend, High Harrier, 2nd longest CD
on the team, playing the guitar, experience
Weaknesses-
Playing the banjo, originator of "Tony P Syndrome", smiles too much,
geometry
Shawn Picha
(Freshman)
Odds of winning-
4:1
PRs- 60.1,
2:11.6, 5:07.0, 11:23.0, 18:03.0, 24:50.0
Strengths-
800m speed, unafraid to lead, fewest letter in last name, wants revenge for
Peoria
Weaknesses-
Polar Bear training base, can't play the guitar
Victor Delatorre
(Freshman)
Odds of winning-
8:1
PRs- 60.4,
2:24.7, 5:09.6, 11:28.0, 26:53.0
Strengths-
Prettiest running stride since Mike Glow, magic spikes, no pressure on the
underdog, doesn't know his own talent
Weaknesses-
Inexperience, Freshmen girls, doesn't know his own talent
Stevenson Dual - 4/21/08
We beat Stevenson at both levels thanks to a balanced effort
from distance, sprints, and field. The varsity distance crew
race-shocked their main events, felt the pain, and faded to unsurprisingly
mediocre times, although the long term benefits of the day will be
significant.
Behind the Varsity, we had a number of great PRs:
3200:
-Adam Burke made a nice strong move at the mile en route to
a PR 11:30.
-Tony Piecuch won a sprint to the finish in his PR 10:50.
800:
-Chris Doust could have made a fine 800 runner. He ran
a 2:17 in his debut 800, but the time capsule has closed for this senior.
-Mike Tirrell continues to improve behind his best
off-season of training. His 2:13 in the Open was probably more
impressive than his 2:12 in the Relay.
-Shawn Picha PR'ed to a 2:11 in a race he ran all by
himself. The elusive 2:10 barrier will certainly be broken for this
Freshman... it is just a matter of when.
1600:
-Freshmen Matt Fajnor ran a nice race to a 5:23 and a 20
second PR.
-Greg Bielak ran a 5:41, a PR of 8 seconds.
-Stefano Delacuesta broke 7 for the first time, finishing in
a quick 6:58.
-Scotty Harbeck ran like a High Harrier in his 5:20.
There is nothing like a 60 second PR!
-Andrew Gebhardt, along with Harbeck, provided the race of
the day, as he cruised to a 5:12 in the varsity race.
Joe Scheck ('06) - Alumni Update
Bear Invite - 4/18/08
The first annual Bear Invite went off without a hitch,
thanks to the help from athletes, parents, coaches, and teachers. Only
five teams participated: LZ, Barrington, Waukegan, Benet, and Lake Park, but
those five are solid teams and made for some very competitive races.
We took 3rd place as a team behind Barrington and Champion
Lake Park. In my opinion, this was the best meet we have ran as a
team. Our sprint relays finally are coming together, and our distance
runners are finding out that hard work truly does beat talent. Our
field events are still our weakness, but with most of our top jumpers as
sophomores, the future looks bright.
Per my request, the 4x1600 Relay was added to this meet in
place of the 3200. I must admit, with only 4 teams in the race, it
isn't a very exciting race. But I am confident that as the meet grows,
the race will become more competitive.
Frosh Soph 6400m Relay: Our Freshmen, Vic and Shawn,
ran great to begin the race, running PRs in 5:07 and 5:09, respectively.
Our Sophomores didn't close the race like they should have, with Joe Kim and
Tony P running subpar splits that I don't want to mention... Stay
tuned for the much awaited 1600m showdown of Tony P, Vic, and Shawn- next
Monday in the Warren/LF dual. All 3 will be going for the elusive
sub-5 mile.
Varsity 6400m Relay: It looked as if the team of Andy
McGuiness, Tim Ewan, Adam Burke, and Mike Tirrell got blown out, and in fact
they did, by some very strong distance running teams. However, I am
very proud of this group of upper-classmen. While they don't usually
get a chance to run in weekend Invitationals, they took advantage of the
opportunity to run in our home Invite on Friday. They ran hard every
step of the race, as would be expected out of experienced runners, and, in
turn, earned 4 PRs: McGuiness- 5:10, Tirrell- 5:16, Burke- 5:24, and Ewan-
5:19.
Frosh/Soph 4x800: Matt Fajnor, Greg Bielak, Chris
Selvais, and Scott Harbeck fielded our Frosh/Soph 4x800. Matt (2:24),
Greg (2:27), and Chris (2:31) all ran PR's for the 4th place team.
Varsity 4x800: This was the race of the night, and the
final 100m sprint between J-Pav and Barrington's stud Ryan Mangone was an
instance classic. Mickey led off with a solid but unspectacular 2:03.
Between this race and the Patriot Relays Distance Medley, he has yet to be
challenged in an 800. He certainly will be at Spartan Relays, and we
may see his first sub 2 split. Cisco PRed for the 5th meet in a row,
running a solid 2:05, which gave us a comfortable lead over the field.
Jake ran an unspectacular 2:09, and it seemed he was waiting for the field
to catch him. When the final leg began, Pav had a solid 25m lead over
Barrington's Ryan Mangone. Mangone's blazing speed was apparant right
away, as he must have run a 56 split to catch Jordan at the 400. With
300m to go, Mangone passed Jordan, but Jordan responded. The battle
was on down the backstretch, and Mangone gained a step as they entered the
final curve. It appeared that Mangone was going to run away with it,
but that opening 56 split finally caught up with him on the final straight.
Pav and Mangone were literally neck and neck the entire final 100m, and it
was a sight. With the crowd on its feet, it was Pav by a nose as the
two gave outstanding efforts for the spectators. My hat goes off to
Mangone for running the type of anchor you would expect out of a superstar.
But for the LZXC faithful, I can't say enough about the grit of Jordan
Pavlovic. We continue to put him in the toughest of positions, giving
him the baton with the lead, knowing there are All-State athletes chasing
him. While the 2:02.5 he ran is the fastest sophomore 800 we've ever
had (tied with Mickey's 2:02.5 in '06), the time is overshadowed by the way
he ran it.
1600: If it weren't for the instant classic in the
4x800, this would have been the Race of the Day. Andrew and Gerardo
ran in the lead pack through the first 400m in 66. It appeared that
Andrew threw in a surge in laps 2-3 which gapped the field nearly 20m, but
in reality he just didn't slow down (69 each). It was a move that will
eventually define Andrew as a distance runner. With his unimpressive
62.5s 400 speed, he is not going to blow anybody away in a footrace, so he
will have to learn to convert paces that other runners simply cannot or are
not willing to run. Andrew got caught by Watson from Lake Park in the
final 100m, but it was a breakout race for him nonetheless. His 4:35
is the fastest sophomore mile we have had since Sam Romanoski. Gerardo
quietly ran another PR 4:37 to place 3rd, despite not running a "great"
race. Everybody thought Andrew was bluffing in the middle laps,
including Gerardo, and he let Andrew get a little too far away to snag him
in the end. Nevertheless, these 2 make a very formidable twosome in
the Big Meet 3200s coming up, and finally they have their sub 4:40's 1600' s
to take the fear out of a sub 4:50 opening mile in the deuce.
Check out the Track Records, with
many recent additions added at all levels.
Libertyville Frosh/Soph Invitational - 4/16/08
We went into the meet hoping to win, and came home with a
2nd place plaque. We missed some key points in the throws, hurdles, and
vault, but in the end, Palatine had too much depth for us.
The race we wanted to win the most was the 4x1600.
Lake Forest has a very strong Sophomore class that won them our conference
in cross country, and Palatine is simply one of the top 3 distance programs
in the state. We knew the race wasn't going to be a cakewalk,
especially after we saw Palatine's Chano Bernardo in attendance. We
knew we couldn't match Bernardo stride for stride, but we felt we if we
could get a big enough lead before he got the baton, we could pull it out.
Tony P led off with a 5:01 racing in spikes for the first time. Tony P
didn't blow anybody away, but certainly kept us in striking distance of
Palatine. Cisco fought hard to catch us back up to Palatine, and as
Lake Forest fell back, it was clearly a 2-team race. Cisco ran a good
time of 4:51, and was 200m away from a great time. His base is still
lacking after his stress fracture, but when he gets it back, he will be able
to close the book like he should. Andrew Morrison ran 3rd for us, and
this was where the depth of our Sophomore Class shined. For most teams
who had a weaker runner running 3rd, we put a 1000 miler in the slot, and
he really opened up the race for us. Thanks to Palatine's 3rd leg
pacing him through a fast 800m, Andrew finished with a PR split of 4:45.
Jordan didn't ever look comfortable in his 4:49, and that's probably because
he heard Bernardo's footsteps the entire race. Nevertheless, he was
able to hold, giving us the 10 second victory.
The 4x800 group of Victor Delatorre, Joe Kim, Matt Fajnor,
and Shawn Picha showed their youth. While they all battled hard, they
found themselves in no-man's land at times and were running alone. I
was unable to get splits on this team because I was running the pole vault,
but in watching the race, this team found themselves in the dreaded no-man's
land, and was running alone in 4th place.
Zion Benton / Mundelein Dual - 4/14/08
Zion clearly showed they are the class of Lake County this
year, as our 2007 Co-Conference Champs won every event under the 800m.
It appears this year the fight is for 2nd.
We got some good work in, and ran a lot of PRs:
3200
Joe Kim - 11:47
Victor Delatorre - 11:28, making his first appearance on the
All-time Freshmen List
Francisco Soto - 10:44, moving into the All-time Sophomore
and Varsity Lists.
Jake Paulus - 10:39, making the All-time Varsity List
Jordan Pavlovich, 10:17, with a dominating finish to win the
race, making the All-time Varsity List and 2nd behind teammate Andrew
Morrison on the All-time Sophomore List.
1600
Colin Schofield - 5:25.0, a small PR.
Mike Tirrell - 5:18.0, a huge PR.
Tony Piecuch - 5:10.5, (in flats) inching towards the
All-time Sophomore List.
Andrew Morrison - 4:49.9, which will be his split in the
2-mile this year.
Gerardo Perez - 4:40.5, all alone, looking better than at
Patriot Relays.
800
Scotty Harbeck - 2:31, plenty of speed for the true distance
runner. With a couple more High Harrier off-seasons, Scott could be a
terrific distance runner.
Track Records are updated.
Stevenson Patriot Relays - 4/11/08
We finished 2nd to Barrington by 2 points, and did not win
the Patriot Relays for the 1st time in 4 years. Certainly we can point
to many different events we should have scored higher but the reality is
that we just did not get the job done as a team.
FS 4x800: We stacked our FS 4x800 in hopes of blowing
away the field, but it appeared that Barrington had the same idea. We
organized the lineup to get stronger through the race, and our lone
Freshman, Shawn Picha, was placed with the burden of leading off. It
was a tough race for Shawn, as he never seemed in the race from a
competitive standpoint. We have asked a lot out of Shawn recently,
after running the 2-mile on Monday, 2 races at Palatine on Wednesday, and
another 800 on Friday. Shawn has finally experienced his first
"distance runner's breakdown", with the flu. Shawn's 2:16 put us in
6th place. Cisco ran 2nd, and certainly turned some heads. At
least 2 coaches approached me about him, and for good reason too.
Cisco passed all 5 runners in front of him to a PR 2:07 split.
Morrison ran third to a PR 2:10.9. At this point, it was clearly a 2
team race, with Barrington steadily catching up to Morrison. Pav took
the final baton with a 3 or 4 second lead over Barrington. Within the
first lap, Barrington had closed the gap and it was going to be a sprint to
the finish. But in the end, Pav was simply too tough, and his even
split 63-63 gave us the victory.
Varsity 4x800. We had a chance to run some fast times
against good competition in this race, but we just didn't get into the race.
Andy McGuiness and Willie Blechschmidt both ran sub-2:20 splits, and we were
out of the race before Mike and Tom got the baton. Only Mike ran a
decent 2:16 split. The time capsule is closing for this group, and
they simply need to be more competitive in the few meets we have left.
Distance Medley: With most teams stacking the 4x800,
Mickey had an uncompetitive leadoff in his 800. He ran away from the
field with a 2:04, which was his fastest of the season. Chris Doust
and Pat Hannay ran decent 55 split to just hold our lead, and as always, the
race came down to the 1600 and Jake Paulus. Jake ran to a PR 4:54 and
held on for 2nd. He had a chance to win the race but failed to respond
when he got passed in lap 3. I had hoped that Jake would run low
4:40s, but I guess we will have to wait. Still, 2nd place in the race
was solid points for LZ.
1600: We wanted Mickey and Gerardo to get in a
competitive race, run some fast times, and score some points for us.
While the weather did not permit the ultra-fast times, the race was
competitive. I thought Gerry could run 4:35, which would soften the
blow of faster 2-miles in his future. He was in good position at the
half, but unlike last week at Thornridge, Gerry let the field get away from
him. He faded to a 4:42, which was still a PR, but is not
representative of what he can run. Mickey ran another solid race,
staying comfortable in the first half and making his move in the second
half. A solid 4:34 almost won him the race, but Warren's Karsen Green
showed his 1:57 800 speed to win the final kick.
Once again, the times of Pavlovich, Soto, Morrison,
and Perez are updated in the Track Records.
Palatine Freshmen Invite - 4/9/08
Our sprinters looked good, winning the 4x100 and 4x200, as
did John Grossi winning the 110 High Hurdles. We took 3rd place in the
meet, which is the highest we have ever placed. We took only 4
distance runners to the meet, but it only takes 4 to put together a
competitive lineup.
Picha, Fajnor, Selvais, and Delatorre ran hard to a 3rd
place finish in the 4x800, splitting 2:13, 2:25, 2:33, 2:25 to a 9:36.
Picha and Fajnor ran strong legs up front but failed to switch gears in the
final 150 to keep us in striking distance of 2nd place. Selvais and
Delatorre ran admirably to maintain our 3rd place, despite no other runners
within 50 meters of them.
In the open 800, Matt ran a beautiful race to win the slow
heat in a PR 2:25. His negative split 75,71 showed he has that special
something that could make him an excellent runner someday. Chris was
placed in the fast heat, and although he doesn't have the mileage base to
run with those runners yet, their fast start pulled him along to a 2:31 PR.
In the open mile, both Shawn and Vic were placed in the slow
heat, but competed well to a 1st and 3rd place finish. Shawn
discovered how to finish a race in the last 150, and his 5:11 was a big PR.
Shawn will get his chance to break 5:00 next week at the Wildcat Relays.
Vic also ran to a PR with a respectable 5:22, although he let the leaders
get away from him in the middle laps.
Interesting sidenote, I spoke to Deerfield's Scott
Friedlander at the meet, and he recalled running in this meet 4 years ago.
Four years ago, he ran the 800 in a respectable 2:35, but I can guarantee
that nobody at the track that day would have imagined he would turn out to
be a 9:20 2-miler. It was great insight about the sport of distance
running: It doesn't matter how good you are when you start, and there
is no such thing as a talent-less distance runner. Anybody can become
great at this sport. It just takes about 1000 consecutive days of
consistent and progressive high-level training. This truly is a sport
that rewards those that are willing to work hard.
Track records are updated from the Libertyville Dual and
Picha's mile at Palatine.
Libertyville Dual - 4/7/08
We edged Libertyville 74-72 on Monday behind a strong
distance team and spot points in the sprints and field events. It was
a relatively nice day, and we sported a lot of PRs because of it. Here
is a list of PRs:
2-Mile: Mickey Stott 10:15.1, Tony Piecuch 10:59.1 (first
time under 11), Joe Kim 11:49.3 (first time under 12), Vic Delatorre 11:49.8
(first ever 2-mile)
1-Mile: Jake Paulus 4:56.4 (first time under 5), Cisco Soto
4:59.5 (first time under 5), Adam Burke 5:28.2 (first time under 5:30), Matt
Fajnor 5:41.4 (first time under 6), Stefano Delacuesta 7:07
800: Matt Fajnor 2:25, Andrew Lulis 2:29, Chris Selvais
2:32, Andy McGuiness 2:15
Of course, I have to highlight the "Learning Experience of
the Day", as Andrew Morrison got DQ'ed for false starting in the 800.
Stand still!
Thornridge Blue Smoke Invitational - 4/5/08
For the first time in history, the outdoor season began with
some beautiful weather, and some fast times. We traveled to the south
side to compete in the Thornridge Blue Smoke Invite. The meet was
scheduled for our elite sprinters to get some much needed competition, but
with many key sprinters sitting at home, the responsibility to score points
lay on the shoulders of the distance runners.
FS 4x800: Cisco led off the relay, and the meet, and set the
tone for our entire distance squad. Cisco splitted 59, 67 to a 2:08
opening leg, showing off his speed, toughness, and huge potential.
This boy could become the best 800 runner at Lake Zurich since the legendary
Joe Kraft. You can always count on Freshman standout Shawn Picha to
give his best effort, and he did just that. Shawn PR'ed to a 2:12,
keeping us within striking distance of 2nd place. Tony P ran third,
and looked sluggish in his 2:21. While Tony's footspeed is still
developing, I expected a better showing out of a 23:20 4-miler. Joe
Kim subbed as the anchor, since Vic missed Friday's practice, but failed to
take advantage of the opportunity. Joe simply did not compete in the
race. His first 400 was nearly a 75, and while he did negative split
to a 2:26, he gave a trailing runner a glimmer of hope which cost us a
position in the end. Joe is going to have to learn to compete if he is
to be a viable option in big meets.
3200: From the beginning, it was clear it was a
4-person race between Gerardo, Morrison, and two strong runners from Normal
West. Gerardo led early, but the Normal runners took the lead in lap
2, with Gerardo and Andrew hanging on. Its hard to be disappointed
with Andrew, who ran a 20 second PR and the fastest Sophomore 3200 we have
ever had, but he definitely let this race get away. Andrew lost about
10 yards to the pack, and that ten yards was the difference the entire race.
Race experience will remedy this, and once Andrew get more comfortable with
splitting sub-5, he can become more aggressive in the middle of the race.
Gerardo, on the other hand, held the pack through the
critical 3rd, 4th, and 5th laps. Around lap 4, the Normal West runners
looked like they were going to break Gerry, but Gerry held tough, and it
paid off. Coach Beaver came over and asked me if Gerry was smiling
while he was running. I then proceeded to describe the real Gerry to
Coach Beaver, the Gerry we knew to be one of the elite distance runners in
the area prior to his ankle injury last year. Gerry won the race in
classic Gerardo fashion, out-sprinting the competition in the final 100m.
Gerardo's 9:56 and Andrew's 10:05 are the best deuce's since Steve Morrison
in 2005. It was the best event for LZ, going 1st and 4th for 14
points.
Varsity 4x800: Andy McGuiness led off, splitting 63,
73 to a 2:16. Wile Andy did fade in the last 200, he showed the
competitiveness you would expect from a Senior, in running a 4 second PR.
Willie Blechschmidt took the baton second, and fought for his 2:20.
His fitness is not quite to the level it needs to be, but after a couple
dozen 300s, we will see the Willie of old. Andrew Gebhardt earned the
3rd spot on the relay with his strong workouts over Spring Break, and I
thought he really took advantage of his opportunity. I felt this was
Andrew's best track race of his life, posting a PR 2:22. Tom Johnson
anchored a very average 2:23. Tom still does not have the base that he
had as a sophomore, which prevented him from putting a strong move into the
race. The team scored a point for us with a 6th place finish.
800: With Cisco already posting a 2:07, the pressure
was on Jordan and Jake to post some big PRs in the open 800. Jordan
was placed in the slow heat of the 800, and had a chance to win it, but made
a Sophomore error and went out too slow. His 63 put him behind too
many runners, and while he posted a PR of 2:08, he missed out on a chance to
win the race.
Jake was seeded in the fast heat, and ran a 2:06 to place
5th. I felt Jake could have got out of the blocks a bit faster, and while he
never found the final gear in the final 200m, he posted a PR and scored some
valuable points.
1600: Andrew Morrison begged me to run the 3200/1600
double at Buffalo Grove, so I gave him that chance at Thornridge. I
think we developed a greater respect for the athletes that can do it
successfully. Andrew broke 5:00 for the 3rd time in his life, but
clearly did not have the glycogen left to compete in the race.
Mickey, on the other hand, had a good old-fashioned
footrace. Mickey ran a smooth and even-splitted first half in 2:15,
before taking the lead on lap 3. The field faded except for a good
Thornridge runner. Mickey and the Thornridge runner traded positions 3
or 4 times in the last 400, and the meet ended in the most spirited finish
of the meet. The hometown athlete won, but carried Mickey to a PR
3:34.
We finished 6th in the meet behind strong distance events
and Frosh/Soph Relays.
Overall, we had 8 athletes make the Top
10 lists.
IPTT Meet Results - 3/29/08
Some of the best athletes in the state competed at the
Illinois Prep Top Times Meet at Illinois Wesleyan, the unofficial indoor state
meet. There were some great performances, including a 4:13 Mile from
Nick Holmes,
a 1:53 half from Mat Smoody, and a near 7 foot high jump from Mykhail
Chambers out of
Urbana. Scott Friedlander from Deerfield (a fellow Paavo camper)
looked good winning the slow heat of the 3200 in 9:27.
Mick, Jerry, Jake, and Pav competed in the Distance Medley.
My biggest fear was that we would come out overwhelmed by the other top
teams in the state, afraid that we were out of their league. Many of the
competition had run much faster times than us so far this indoor season, partly because
our short indoor schedule is not a favorable schedule for running fast
indoor times.
I have to give Mickey a lot of credit for setting the tone
right from the gun. He ran with the heart you would expect from a
Senior Captain. In the opening 1200, he put himself in great position
in the first lap, in 2nd or 3rd place through 200m. He smoothed out a
pair of 68s before hammering the final quarter with a 66. He handed
off the baton in about 5th place, with a solid 3:22.9. This 1200
showed that Mickey has a legitimate shot to break the 4:30 barrier come
outdoor, as well as Sam Romanoski's 4:28 school record.
Gerry ran the second leg, an 800. I felt his leg was
over as soon as it started. Gerry ran a 2:06.1, with 60, 66 splits.
This time was a PR for Gerry, and earned him the 9th position on the
All-Time List. Gerry was very close to turning this good race into a
great race. He had everything except the power finish, which had been
absent since before his injury. Gerry's finish will return to him, and
once he finds it, we can finally say that "Gerry's Back!" He has put
in almost 9 months of solid training since his injury, with steady mileage
up to 70mpw, so it is now just a matter of "when", not "if", he returns to
his elite status.
I felt the 400 was the toughest position to run. We
were truly fielding an all-distance team in this distance medley, while most
other schools put in their top sprinter in the 400 slot. Despite being
slightly out-talented by some of the speed around him, Jake ran hard and
competitively. His 55.4 split tied his PR from last year, but what was
most impressive was his 25.4 opening 200. He is faster and stronger
than he was last year, and he can even now grow some facial hair (which he
is most proud of)! He showed that he has the speed to run a sub-two 800.
Pav anchored the distance medley with the 1600. Pav
simply did everything you could ask of your anchor. He fought for
every position the entire race. He ran a steady 4:45.4, earning him
the second best sophomore mile in 5 years (after Mickey's 4:43), and the 6th
best overall mile. In a sophomore class that might be the best class
of distance runners this school has ever seen, Pav might be the cream of the
crop. He is strong. He is tough, both mentally and physically.
But most importantly, he has discovered how to train consistently and
continually.
The team finished the 2.5mile relay in 11:09, good for 10th
place, and 2 seconds out of a medal.
Track Records have been updated.
Outdoor Season Begins Soon! - 3/24/08
There has been some confusion about the Meets on 3/31 and
4/1. There is NO meet on Monday, 3/31, but there IS a
home meet on Tuesday, 4/1 (pending track conditions, weather, and if North
Chicago can field a team).
On Saturday, 3/28, Mickey, Pav, Jake, and Gerry will compete
in the Illinois Top Times Meet at the 200m Track at Illinois Wesleyan.
They will be competing in the Distance Medley Relay.
There have been some changes to the practice schedule over
Spring Break. Check the Forum for details.
Finally, we had some PR's in our timed mile last Wednesday.
In fact, all Freshmen and Sophomores ran PRs, as did Junior Jake Paulus.
Two athletes made the all time lists: including Freshman Shawn Picha's ran a
5:19, good for 9th on the Freshman List, and Sophomore Jordan Pavlovich
broke 5 for the first time (4:58), good for 6th on the Sophomore List.
A complete list can be found on the Records Page.
PPM Records Updated - 3/14/08
Buffalo Grove Dual - 3/5/08
All eligible athletes got the opportunity to compete in this
unscored meet. We kept things simple in the distance events, running
only the mile or the 800, as well as fielding 5 4x400s.
The highlight of the 800 was certainly Shawn Picha debuting
with a 2:20. Shawn won the spirited Frosh/Soph race against a BG
athlete with solid splits of 67-73. Freshman Victor Delatorre also
looked like a potential solid distance runner with his 3rd place finish in
2:30.
The most exciting race of the meet was the Varsity Mile.
Andrew Morrison battled against BG's 800m specialist the entire race.
Andrew followed through the 800, then made his move. He gapped the BG
runner by about 10 meters, but it was not enough. In a fantastic
finish, the BG runner nipped Morrison in the final 5 steps.
Nevertheless, Morrison set a personal PR of 4:52 in his 2nd-place effort.
Many athletes set personal records. Notably, Tony
Piecuch rebounded from a tough race on Saturday with a PR in the Mile,
winning the Frosh/Soph race with a 5:23. Sophomore Francisco Soto's
showed his speed in his first HS Track race, an 800 in 2:18.1.
Sophomore Jordan Pavlovich was not far behind with a 2:19.2, in his first of
many 800's this season. Senior Mike Tirrell set another PR with a
2:23.2, and Junior Stefano Delacuesta squeezed in a solid 3:19.2 before
fleeing to his ACT Prep Class.
Morrison, Soto, and Picha found their way onto the
Top 10 Lists.
Now we take a healthy 4 week hiatus from racing in
preparation for the outdoor season. A busy April looms on the horizon,
and before you know it, the Championship meets in May will be upon us.
Buffalo Grove Scarpino Invite Results - 3/1/08
LZ placed 10th out of 18 teams at the BG Scarpino Invite.
Many new faces toed the line for LZ, led by a handful of old faces. It
was a good experience for many of our young guys, and fun to watch them
compete on the tiny 12 lap track.
Joe Fanta showed he will be a big point scorer this year,
placing 3rd in the Highs and 4th in the Lows. Kyle Williams showed he
will transition smoothly to Varsity competition. Many Freshman and
Sophomores showed they have great potential, including Freshman Christian
Williams in the sprints and Sophomore Robbie Wilson in the jumps.
In the distance events:
3200m
Everybody was wondering what you can buy with 1001 miles as
a Winter Polar Bear, so sophomore Andrew Morrison showed us: an even spitted
10:24 to place 6th overall in the A class out of the slow heat, a PR, and
the 2nd fastest sophomore 3200 in the past 5 years (3 tenths of a second
behind Mike Greenwood).
Junior Gerardo Perez's race was not a fair representation of
the shape he is in. Gerardo made a tactical error in the opening lap
of the race. After tripping at the start and nearly falling, he felt
the need to make up lost ground right away, and surged from last to first in
about 30 yards. After opening up with about a 30s 200, Gerry struggled
to a 10:47, earning a 3rd place in the Class B flight.
Sophomore Tony Piecuch's Class C 3200 was similar to
Gerry's: an unimpressive time due to tactical errors. Tony also threw in a
surge in the first 400 of the race, only to realize there was 2800 meters
left, and finished with an 11:50.
800m
Seniors Mike Tirrell and Andy McGuiness ran competitively in
the B and C flights, with both posting 2:24 efforts, which was faster than
last year at this time. Mike's time was a career PR, putting him in
good position to run in the low teens come outdoor.
Jake Paulus challenged Morrison for "Race of the Day" title
with his Class A 800m. Jake ran a flawless race, pacing behind the
leaders for the first 4 laps, before making a strong move with 2 laps to go,
to win his heat. Jake came up just short of a medal in 7th, but showed
he will be a rock in the middle distance events.
1600m
Freshman Shawn Picha made his track debut in the Class C
1600, similar to Jordan Pavlovich last year. Last year, Jordan ran
5:23 in his first meet. This year Shawn ran 5:23 in his. Shawn
faded a little in the second half, but still showed a lot of heart in his
first race.
Sophomore Jordan Pavlovich is still seeking a sub-5 mile,
after running a 5:05 in the Class B. This is Jordan's 4th race under
5:05, and his PR remains at 5:02. Nevertheless, it was a decent race
for Pav, and he will be a Varsity contributor this year.
Senior Mickey Stott, recently committing his services to the
track and cross country programs of UW Stout, ran the Class A mile. It
was an unspectacular performance by the Senior Captain. A 4:54 earned
him a middle-of-the-pack finish in the slow heat. Fortunately, the
season is young and the kid is talented.
Track PR's were updated on the Records
Page.
Winter '07-08 High Harriers
It was the best winter on record for the LZXC
Polar Bears. Over 30 athletes joined the Polar Bears this winter, logging
over 7000 miles collectively. Highlighted by Sophomore Andrew Morrison's
1001 miles, there were 8 athletes earning High Harrier Honors: Morrison, along
with Senior Mickey Stott, Juniors Gerardo Perez and Jake Paulus, and Sophomores
Tony Piecuch, Paul Geimer, Scott Harbeck, and Francisco Soto. The 8 High
Harriers in '07-'08 is more High Harriers than the previous two winters
combined, and is the second best offseason, only to the '07 Summer when there
were 9 High Harriers. Harbeck and Piecuch earned their first 400 Club
shirts, while Morrison earned his first 1000 Club shirt, becoming only the 3rd
LZXC athlete to accomplish the feat, and the first sophomore. Check out
the complete High Harriers history on the
Records page.
2/11/08
Track Parent Night and Pledge Card
Signing
Monday February 11, 2008
7-8PM
Alumni Update: Dave Antczak
2007 Graduate, Dave Antczak, a freshman on the
Illinois State Track Team, ran a PR 2:04.0 800m at the Bob Keck Invitational on
Febraury 8th. Dave is overcoming a lingering hamstring injury that
developed during his senior season at Lake Zurich and reemerged this winter.
Dave aspires to make the Varsity squad on a Distance Relay team.
Are you an
LZXC Athlete, Parent, Alum, or Superfan? Join the LZXC
List-Serve! Periodic emails will be sent with information regarding summer
camps, practice schedules, meet schedules, and other events. To join,
email: LZXC@lz95.org
First Day of Track
Monday, February 4
Meet in the Fieldhouse
"LIFE IN THE FAST LANE"
