The 2022 was incredibly exciting... 2023 is going to be even better!
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WATCH LIVE
Date: Saturday, January 21, 2023
Location: Dr. Conrad Worrill Track & Field Center (formerly Gately); Chicago IL
Time Schedule:
7:00am Facility Opens
8:00am Track Events Begin
8:15am Field Events Begin
--->> Full Schedule Here <<---
Live results: HERE
Quick thoughts: The CYUP Misfits invite represents a capstone event to end the pre-IHSA season in Illinois. All events will run middle school, then high school, Girls then Boys. The meet will include a national-caliber type competition field and is highlighted by the HOKA Mile and a stellar Boys' two-mile field.
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A string of fantastic offseason meets hosted at the still shiny-new Dr. Conrad Worrill Track & Field Center at Gately Park culminate this weekend with the Chicago Youth United Performance Misfits Invite, in its third year since mid-COVID inception.
The best has been saved for last, and the action both on the track as well as in the field events will garner national attention throughout the weekend. This also represents a marker for fans of Illinois teams to see where their athletes stack up entering another full IHSA season. Let's dive deeper into the more notable events for the event.
HOKA Mile --
Returning for a second year is the HOKA-sponsored Mile event. The champion performances from Wiley and Ince remained at or near state leads for the majority of the indoor season. Wiley has moved on to the University of North Carolina, and Ince will not compete due to her basketball season, so new champions will be crowned on both sides.
The boys' side is headlined first by senior Hunter Jones from Benzie Central MI. Jones set the LaVern Gibson all-time 5k cross country record in 14:22 in November and qualified for all national XC meets. He is in tremendous fitness after running 4:11.45 several weekends ago.
Another name to watch is Illinois' stud junior Gavin Genisio from Benton. Genisio won the 2022 Magis Miles HS title in 4:09.23 as a sophomore. He and Jones are favorites in the race.
Hobbs Campbell from Joplin, Missouri also joins the fray with a 4:10.83 Mile PR from the HOKA Festival of Miles, and DeKalb's Riley Newport makes it four entries under 4:12 for this race. The other Illinois entries are Owen Forberg (Richards), Camyn Viger (Plainfield South), Theodore Cunningham (Fremd), and Trey Sato (Grayslake Central).
The out-of-state competitors are TJ Hansen (Freeland, MI), Owen Bosley (Homestead, WI), Caleb Bost (Battle Creek, MI), and Tyler Heath (Clio, MI). Hansen has already posted a 4:18 Mile this indoor season so keep an eye on his prospects to break into that top pack.
The girls' race features the season opener for Tatum David (Olney (Richland County)). David has a limited track record running indoors and has actually never competed in January, so all eyes will be on Virginia's commitment. David's best Mile is 4:42 from the HOKA Festival of Miles win she garnered in June 2022.
Even though David is the favorite, it was not her but Grace Schager (Glenbard (North)) who turned in the most impressive XC season, and Schager's 4:53.47 joins the HOKA field as well. This is the first appearance for both athletes since they produced top-eight finishes at the Team Nationals XC race.
Scout Storms, Catie McCabe, and Brooke Berger represent Illinois athletes who have previously run sub-5 entering the HOKA field. Storms' season began with a 5:03 1600m win at Akinosun last weekend. The other Illinois entrants are Evelyn Hett, Sofia Arcuri, and Sarah Fischer.
The out-of-state entrants are Lily Kriegel (Whitefish Bay WI), Caroline Hood (PACE Academy GA), Mikaela Helling (Two Rivers, WI), and Cheyanne Stock (Valparaiso IN). Two athletes ran under 5:00 for the full Mile in 2022. There will almost certainly be more this year.
Boys' Two- Mile --
This race has one of the most superb collections of distance talent on the track at one time during this young indoor season. The first domino fell when sub-4 miler Connor Burns (North Boone, MO) committed to this event back in December. Burns is best known for his 3:58.83 Mile at HOKA in June, making him the second junior ever to break the mark after Jim Ryun. But just as impressive is his 8:45.52 2 Mile victory at the Brooks PR Invitational later in the month. Burns will be shooting for the 8:39.15 indoor 2 Mile record set by the legendary Edward Cheserek in 2013 at the Broadway Armory. Read more about Burns' pursuit here.
Burns will have some fantastic talent at his heels, however. Minnesota's Noah Breker, who was runner-up at the CHAMPS Sports (formerly Footlocker) national XC meet, and top-10 at XC Team Nationals, joins with an 8:54 2-Mile best. Additionally, Dowling Catholic IA's Jackson Heidesch, 5th at Team Nationals, has run 9:01 for 3200 indoors and 4:06 for the Mile. Any of the three could win of the other two falter due to the blistering pace that will be set to begin the race (4:16-4:17 for the first Mile). Some of Illinois' best in this field include Grayden Rill (Fenwick), Luca Arcuri (Maine South) and Mac Kittrell (DePaul Prep). Lastly, keep an eye on Kansas' Wyatt Haughton (Shawnee Mission East) as an X-factor in this race. His 3200 best is 9:17 but he has also run 1:56.9 and a 4:11 Full Mile.
Best of the Rest-- --
Girls 60- There are 12 prelim rounds to decide who will make the two section final. Claire Farrell (Norwalk IA), Emmi Scales (St. Viator IL, Naomi Bey-Osbourne, and Lola Kolawole (Whitefish Bay WI) all figure to make it through. Scales is primarily known as a hurdler, but she can sprint too. Farrell recently ran well at the U of Arkansas Invite. Kolawole is underrated and could win the whole thing.
Boys 60- Some firepower was taken out of this event due to illness and injury to several key speedsters. Still, the fans can look forward to seeing what Daniel Lacy (Champaign Central IL) and Jakoby Graves (Louisville KY) can do. Lacy has been hot in the early going and Graves is the best in Kentucky. Both have a shot to go under 6.90.
Girls' 2 Mile - David and Hood are also entered in the two-mile. David's 10:04 from the IHSA State meet in 2022 was the fastest 2 mile run by an Illinois athlete since Katelynne Hart ran sub-10:00 in 2019. Mia Kotler was fourth in that same race in 10:28, and is entered in the two- mile field. Her season began with a 5:06 1600 at Akinosun. With less than two hours between the Mile and two-mile for David and Hood, what will they have in the tank?
Girls' 1000 - Lulu Ton-That (Northside) and Hannah Diete (Taft) match up against Eliza Pfarr (WI) and Layla Jordan (MI) in a race that will brush 3:00.
Boys' 1000 - Gavin Borger leads a Plainfield South contingent in this event, joined by Owen O'Shea. They will race against DePaul's Charlie Richardson, WI's Parker Dewey, and Wolcott's Jason Gould. Borger has the fastest seed at 2:35.15
Girls 600 - The preferred fifth lane in the fastest heat will belong to Cedarburg WI's Charlize-Trinity McKenzie, who is familiar to the Illinois circuit during her dominating middle school days. She and Jordan enter seeds under 1:40.00, and the championship section also includes Ton-That, Diete, Maine South's Olivia DeLuca, and Grayslake Central's Bella Domier.
Boys 600 - The current national leader in the 800 and newly signed Tar Heel, Andrew Regnier from Wisconsin, will hold lane 5 with a 1:20.95 seed. In that section will also be Nathan Cumberbatch (WI), Bost, Reece Dusek (Dunlap), Michael Polizzi (Taft) and Evan Rainville (Payton).
Girls 300- The final three sections of 17 will have those in attendance happy they stayed for the meet's finish. Lola Kolawole will put pressure on from section 15 with a predicted sizzling time. Can the multi-talented Rylee Lydon (Crystal Lake Prairie Ridge) show them that she is just as good in another "off event?" But the finale #17 is where the betters will be lurking. Sophia Richter (Louisville KY), Brooklyn Sandvig (Milwaukee Speed Academy), and Delea Martins (Milwaukee Speed Academy) are great sprinters. Martins is the favorite and she loves competing in Chicago. Look for a time under 39.00.
Boys 300- Andrew Regnier was here just a week ago putting the blitz on the 800m field last weekend. He will attempt to do it again to close out the meet. Daniel Lacy has gone under 22 seconds in the 200m and will work hard to deter a sweep by Regnier.
Boys PV- One of the top events of the day that basically grew itself overnight. One name that will garner so much attention is Cody Johnston of Hobart IN. The U of I signee cleared an amazing 17-foot last outdoor season and is ready to do some dangerous feats inside of the field house. There is also the freshman sensation Isaiah Whitaker from Bloomington Central Catholic IL. He is the 8th grade WR holder at 16-2. He has already cleared 15 plus feet in his early season competition. Add in 2A state champion Paul Migas of Lakes IL and Cooper Schaad of Geneseo IL