Just a few days removed from easily advancing to the state meet, Lincoln-Way East senior star Brett Gardner will not be competing in this weekend's state championship in Peoria. Gardner recently felt pain in his right leg. After a doctor's visit revealed that he had a stress reaction, it was recommended that he not compete on Saturday, and possibly shut down his post IHSA season as well.
Gardner had emerged as one of the elite distance runners in the state over the past several years up to the point that he clocked a personal best 14:14 for three-miles. Among his personal goals of competing alongside his teammates at the famed Detweiller Park, Gardner would have been a chief threat to dethrone defending 3A state champion senior Josh Methner of Hersey. His most notable performance was at the Richard Spring Invite in mid-September, where he ran with Methner for virtually the entire race before settling for the runner-up spot. If this is the end of Gardner's harrier career, we certainly wish him the best and a speedy recovery.