3200m-
2019 State Champion: Christopher Collet (Seneca) 9:36.99
Key Athletes: Miles Sheppard (So., Warsaw), Ty Barbre (Jr., Carmi-White-County), Layton Hall (Jr., Arthur-Lovington-Atwood-Hammond), Negus Bogard (Sr., Robinson), Cort Ross (Sr., Casey-Westfield), Chase Provost (So., Kankakee [McNamara]), Tristan Olpin (Sr., Rockford [Keith Country Day]), Matthew Olech (Jr., Elgin [Harvest Christian Academy]), Alfredo MacLaughlin (Sr., Chicago [DePaul College Prep]), Noah McIntyre (Sr., Athens), Aryan Lalwani (Jr., Urbana [University]), Luke Hoffmann (Jr., Elmwood), Nathanael Rivera (Sr., Chicago
Outlook: Entering this upcoming track season, things appear like a slam dunk with the likes of top returning Miles Sheppard leading the charge. But first, notable classification changes from the cross country season will move state champion Drew Rogers (So., Herscher), state runner-up Dawson Smith (Sr., Rock Falls), and standout Ryder James (So., Paxton-Buckley-Loda) to 2A which will create a slippery slope in determining who is who.
Miles Sheppard is a name that springs to mind. As the top state finalist returner along with an excellent cross country season, Sheppard might be coming into the fray with a strong sense of pride and confidence that he can race against the best on any given day. Who knows how fast he will roll on the track but getting under 9:20 is a good indicator.
Negus Bogard is on the other end of the spectrum as he enters the season with a chip on his shoulder. The Maroons star runner didn't have the ending to his cross-country season he was looking for, taking 42nd while being a little banged up. No one in the classification has gone faster than Bogard as he ran 9:34.12 to take home the Top Times 3200m title last year, can he go around 9:25 this year? He showed he is capable of great things going 9:48.29 out of the "slow heat" at state to gain all-state honors, hopefully, we will see him race with the top dogs this go around.
In indoor, Cort Ross threw himself deep into the
mix by running the 1A #1 3200 with a 9:35.29, almost matching Bogard's time from
last year. Sheppard has come the closest to Ross' time in 2020 (9:44), but
there is a drop-off after these two.
Don't count out Ty Barbe and Layton Hall who both garnered all-state honors and will look to throw their names in the pot this season. Noah McIntyre is a good choice to run fast here as well.
