The boys from Benton IL made some big noise in Beantown (David Nguyen photo)
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VIDEOS I PHOTOS
BOSTON, MA- After an opening that was fruitful for the contingent from the home state, day two of the 2024 New Balance Nationals Indoor hosted at the Reggie Lewis Track & Field Center on the campus of Boston University, it was time for more fireworks.
Like a church mouse creeping into the kitchen at night, few foes expected Benton to come onto the indoor track and field's biggest stage and shine.
Benton entered the Distance Medley Relay and was rewarded with the fast section four.
What would the outcome be?
Ridgefield, NJ, held off the previous national leader, Westfield, NJ, from 10:01.13 to 10:01.92.
The third-place team would be... Benton! This is a big deal because outside of the 4x800m relay, the DMR is the most popular distance relay and possibly one of the most team-oriented events, considering you have a mix of speed and long distance.
"Goob" Gabriel McLain (Jr) assumed the task of leading with the 1200m leg and immediately dropped a sizzling 3:08.94, putting his mates in the top five heading into the 400m portion of the race. Jack Bacon (Sr) ran 54.11 for his leg but kept things within reach for the third leg.
Cole Buchanan (Jr) navigated the 800m spot to set up the anchor leg with a 2:02.22 carry.
It has been no secret that Gavin Genisio (Sr) wanted to put on a show for his crew, and he did. Sitting in seventh place when he got the stick, Genisio took off like a rocket, hitting the first half of the 1600m leg in 2:02. More importantly, he brought his team into the bronze position with a 4:04.08 split and 10:09.33. The mark would be US#3 and an all-time best for an Illinois team.
Other items:
Eniece Danzy of Chicago is a 7th grader who continues to represent her Gately Athletic Club well in Boston. Although she did not make the middle school 60m final, she clocked a solid 8.05, which prepares her well for the future.
Karanveer Patil of the Palatine Pack TC won section three of the 800m in a fine 2:06.13. He missed All-American honors because section four produced the six fastest marks, including the meet record by Sean Reith of Ohio in 2:00.40. Kass Kurzynski of Palatine Pack ran a personal best 2:09.45.