Neuqua Valley Men's Track & Field

Downers Grove South

matthewragusa — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 23:01:20 +0000

This past weekend our team traveled to Downers Grove South to face DGS and Carl Sandburg on a track with some pretty sharp turns. This meet granted us some great competition, and many of our athletes stepped up during competition.

On a track that had impossibly tight turns, many of our athletes ran “up,” choosing longer events to work on their race endurance. Our 4x800m relays were highlighted by Alekh Meka, Kevin Skrip, and Mike Baker who all ran under 2:10 on their relays. One of our sprinters, Jake Bender, ran the open 800m in a very comfortable 2:07.1. On the F/S sprint side, Zac Espinosa ran a very respectable 57.7 in the 400m. Sophomores James Sampson, Roland Dewgard, and Tobi Ijose ran under 7.0 in the 55m dash, blowing away the competition, while almost the entire varsity sprint crew ran under 7 seconds.

The field events saw some great performances against some very talented competition, and first up was our horizontal jumps. Some athletes new to the long and triple jump highlighted our performances. In the long jump Emery Barnes jumped 19-5.75, showing some potential as a competitor in the event. Sophomore Willie Anderson jumped 17-7 in the long jump and jumped an even more impressive 37-5.75 in the triple jump. Willie really has showed some

: Sophomore Roland Dewgard running in the 4x400m Relay

talent with virtually no practice in those events. In the shot put sophomore Erik Ehrman set a new PR with a throw of 30-2.5. Senior Zach McKibbin had a huge throw with a put of 43-3, which matches his personal best from outdoor last season. In the pole vault Josh Prescher continued his dominance by clearing 13-0, while newcomer Aidan Collins cleared 8-0 in his first pole vault competition.

Our most impressive performance of the night was by senior miler Drew Smith. Drew took control of the race and ran a very impressive 4:35. Watch out for this young man as he really has the ability to run with the best in the state for the mile. Junior Brendan O’Connor is another athlete to watch in the distance, running a very fast 4:39 in the mile this early in the season.

Morton Triangular – Season Opener

Coach Saul — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 23:22:31 +0000

Last night our track team returned to action at Morton High School for our traditional triangular meet with Morton and Mt. Carmel. It was nice to finally get onto a track to work block starts and relay exchanges – something that’s always an incredible challenge in our school’s carpeted hallways. This also meant that our horizontal jumpers saw a pit for the first time and our vaulters/high jumpers were in spikes. For the first time this season, we got a chance to come together as a team and compete.

The meet got started with a well-rounded effort by our frosh/soph 4X800 team, featuring Mike Baker’s 2:09 leg or the relay. The varsity 4X800 had the track to themselves, as neither of our opponents fielded a team, and Taylor Soltys took advantage of the open oval to post his first of two 2:04 800′s of the night. Our exchanges in our sprint relays were a little shaky at the frosh/soph level, but it was exciting to watch our varsity 4X160, which was led by veteran Eric Metoyer, take home our first sprinting win of the season. Emery Barnes, Eziekiel Olamola, and Marquise Jones were new to the event and held off a late charge by Mt. Carmel.

As news of sophomore Matt Hughes’ record-breaking 6-2 effort in the high jump made its way around the fieldhouse, some sprinters were making a statement on the track in the 55m dash. With two sprinters clocked under 6.5 (hand timed) , we were looking faster and stronger than last year. Then, Jordanian transfer student Joseph Yunis stepped onto the track in the last heat and blazed to a 6.3 finish. It will be exciting to watch this young man train with us this spring.

The middle of the meet featured some mid-distance excitement as a pair of sophomores, Mac Crockett and Mac Kiley, took the 400m, finishing only a second apart. But the 600m, a distance unique to indoor track and field running in Illinois, became the second event of the night to see a school record fall. This event is a great place to test a sprinter’s fitness. Jake Bender planned and ran a perfectly paced effort of 1:24.1, which was more than two seconds faster than standout Aryan Avant’s record (run on a 200m track). He was followed closely by Kevin Skrip and Julius Garcia, who both showed that they’re in great shape heading into the season.

In Pole Vault, after watching sophomore Adam Peterson clear a new PR at 11’6″, Josh Prescher and Andrew Peterson dueled at 13 feet 6 inches to tie for a first place finish. As Josh attempted 14′, the pole took a bad bend and shot out into the crowd. Needless to say, Josh was finished for the night after a bruised face and a bloody neck. Watch the video on our Facebook Page taken by Brandon Beck for the footage!

Overall, the night was a success because our older experienced athletes acted as outstanding mentors for our newer runners. It was great to see us functioning as a team and having fun. Thanks to the families and friends who came out to support us! We’re looking forward to a great season. Look for more updates to this post when results are finalized!

The Upcoming Season

Jake Bender — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 03:02:08 +0000

As the beginning of the 2012 season approaches, we all need to start off by doing the little things. I know all of us are ready to tear it up on the track this year and show the state what Neuqua’s got to offer, but we still have a long way. First off, make sure you are registered and try to get as many of your friends out as possible. This is going to be a great year and we want as many people as we can to experience it and to have the chance to make an impact. Also, with the season starting next week, we all need to start getting our 8 hours of sleep as well as eating right. Don’t be afraid to ice even after the first practice because it’s better to ice while your healthy than to ice because your hurt. Everyone prepare yourself for this season because its gonna be one to remember!

Sincerely,

Jake Bender

History In The Making…

Emery Barnes — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 02:55:13 +0000

Alright, since everybody is in the spirit of blogging i might as well throw one on too. Now I know I haven’t had much success my past two track seasons but this is the year that not only I believe that I can do something great, but as a team we can do something great as well. And the only way i believe we can do this is if we come together AS A TEAM. If we continue to push each other harder and work each other to our maximum ability, I believe without a doubt we will attain greatness. I know that we all have something to prove and I just want to see everybody shine in their own ways. Let’s go through hell, let’s turn those smiles off, let’s get to work because we’ve got something to prove and there’s no way I’m about to let my team suffer this year. Let’s make history baby…..

“Anybody who ain’t afraid to work greatness will chase them, most of the time they won’t have to chase it”- Ray Lewis

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lsSC2vx7zFQ&feature=related

Getting ready to get work done

Eric Metoyer — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 01:57:50 +0000

Dear fellow Neuqua Athletes and Coaches,

For now on I am going to start doing my blog posts like this hahaha. But anyways, as you all know season is coming faster than we realize it. For those of you who have been going to winter conditioning and getting in the swole chamber (weight room) I applaud your desires for wanting to better your self and overall better your team. I dont know about you all, but I have been busting more than my butt since last season and I can not wait to step back on that track. But before we start dustin’ buddies out there, we gotta make sure we are eating right and staying hydrated starting now! We need to make sure we stay as healthy as possible through out the season because believe it or not guys, we have a VERY VERY strong team who has a great chance of doing some big things this season in all kinds of events. To just share with you all a goal that I set for myself but more importantly for our team this season, is I want this team this year to mark Neuqua history. I want people to know and recognize that this team, the 2012 mens track and field team went HAM! I mean like take the Chicago Bulls “dream team” and times that by 2 and that will be us. I hope you all are on the same boat as I am!

So I gotta go type a 3 page paper right now so that will conclude todays post.

Sincerely,

Eric Metoyer #NVSOD