Date/Time: Monday, March 6; 6:30pm
Location: North Central College Recreation Center; Naperville, IL
Meet history: All-Time performances
Opening thoughts: In January when the official starts, many of the coaches whose teams have the distinction of competing at the esteemed Mustang Relays, this is one event that is highlighted in bold print. The fact is the second Monday evening every March is something one meet that is circled on the calendar.
4x800-
[Girls]-
There are three sections and it will be the second one that will get things cooking. Keep an eye on the Prospect "B" unit which could be an all-out frosh-soph crew like the one that ran 9:48.40 at the York Girls Invite #2 over the weekend. Even if there is another lineup to place someone among the varsity unit, the unofficial "B team" record of 9:43.21 by Yorkville could be gone.
Section three is loaded as it usually is featuring the state's top distance quartets. All 12 teams are listed at 9:55 or faster including the current state leader Lyons Township who ran 9:37.17 on this track about a week ago. IL#2 Chicago St. Ignatius (9:42.26), Downers Grove North, and Yorkville are featured teams.
The team that is expected to get off and running is the Prospect "A" group. Perhaps mainstays Lily Ginsberg (Jr) and Hailey Erickson (Sr) will be racing but it's hard to say in what order. If all things are equal and just, we could see something special here. The Knights just missed the meet record by the hosts (9:20.49) with their 9:21.20. Consider that in August this group did an 800m time trial as a group and it added to sub 9:10. It's hard to not think the impossible but keep your thoughts on the big number.
[Boys]-
This is always an intriguing affair for the lads. It's a coming-out party for all of the big dogs. Let's start with defending champion Hinsdale Central. The Red Devils return 75% of their state and national championship line up which includes stars Dan Watcke (Sr) and Aden Bandukwala (Jr). They are expected to compete and lead the charge. The meet record of 7:45.80 by Sandburg is very fast but possibly within earshot. The squad would need herculean efforts as a whole to get it. If not, their mindset could be toward the upcoming New Balance Indoor Nationals.
The second section should populate the leaderboards nicely and be a great setup for the championship third section. Sandburg has had the most success of any team here since their inception. Although Coach John O'Malley has lost some horses, he is a master coach and the returners that he has will rise to the occasion.
The current group of chasers includes Plainfield South and Downers Grove North. Both teams competed at the Team Cross Nationals and look for that incredible distance and depth to take shape.
Minooka, Chicago Lane, Naperville Central, and Yorkville could be wildcards.
4x200-
[Girls]-
It's very safe to say that Lincoln-Way East's all-time meet record of 1:41.03 will last another year. In fact, it will be a challenge for any team among the cast to break into the 1:43 range. But on the positive side, we should see competitive action through each section leading up to the sixth section finale.
Sometimes the penultimate section surprises and takes the cake. It will be very interesting to see if anything shakes out before the big dance. Chicago Whitney Young is in section five and the Dolphins have done well here in the past. They have lost a ton of arsenal but are always a dangerous sprint corps. Downers Grove South and Lincoln-Way East could factor into the top six overall.
The finale will feature Batavia and Prospect which actually has the fastest time from this season at 1:44.89 and 1:46.99. They may be the favorites on paper but clean exchanges and transitions are crucial.
[Boys]-
The boys' arena is much different than the girls in this meet. For some reason, if you like comedy this is the right place for it. The expectation of bad transitions and horrid stick play is part of the fabric. Sometimes it seems like the guys are way too aggressive and it results in teams outside of the norm winning or placing high.
If all is well on Monday evening, section six will be the one to watch. Newcomer Chicago Kenwood has the fastest seed time of 1:31.80 but Minooka has a strong team and a powerful leg in Cael Hiser (Sr). Batavia and Chicago Lane will factor high as long as they can get the stick around the track clean. We could see a new state leader after tonight. Chicago Whitney Young could surprise as well.
4x400
[Girls]-
There are six sections here and things typically get interesting around the fourth stanza but let's fast forward to the showstopper. Plainfield North has the fastest seed time and time coming in. The 'Cats will be facing off against Batavia and Prospect for the gold medals.
[Boys]
There are six sections to end a wonderful evening. Section three has IL#4 Plainfield North. The Tigers will have to sit and wait to see where they end up. Look for section four to have someone dip into the 3:31 or 3:32 range. That would put them inside the top five in the state rankings. Minooka, Hinsdale Central, and Minooka are the candidates too.
Section five features some bosses! Kenwood is the team that everyone likes and they have some horses like Sidney Morris, Jahad Henderson, and Landan Gillespie- all seniors. They will be faced by Lane Tech, Yorkville, Naperville Central, and Downers North. Could we see a new state leading mark? Stay tuned!