The DGS Mustang Relays Put On A Spectacular Performance

Jam-packed action at the 21st Downers Grove South Mustang Relays (Laura Duffy photo)

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RESULTS I PHOTOS I VIDEOS

North Central College; Naperville, IL-

There is nothing like a track meet centered around relays. The athlete's and coaches' emotions are sky-high as the situation they are placed in is typically high stakes. It was a Monday evening full of action with the Broncos Relays hosted by Chicago Kenwood in the city and the 21st running of the Downers Grove South Mustang Relays at the Al Carius track barn.

Specifically, at NCC, the items were the 4x800, 4x200, and 4x400 in succession.

Girls-

Lockport kicked off section 1 with a season-best 9:44.02, foreshadowing a prosperous evening.

Prospect's "B" team turned the heat up in section two, which clocked a short-lived state-leading 9:38.39.

It was the main event and talk of possibly breaking 9:00, if not 9:10 and entering into the national spotlight. Chicago St. Ignatius did not get the memo that they were supposed to bow down to the three-time defending champs from Prospect. The Wolfpack's leadoff, freshman Allison Shutler, took charge at leadoff. It was a gaping lead with a lap to go, ultimately running a slick 2:13.10. 

The defending champs would take several more legs to capture the lead. It was the junior Meg Peterson in the lead on the anchor leg, but fellow junior Annika Swan quickly shadowed her. Peterson showed the resolve of a champion and did not waver. The pair traversed several more times around the oval before Peterson pulled away for her team's fourth straight win in 9:10.63. It was a big IL#1 and US#6 time. It is also the third fastest time in meet history. For St. Ignatius, it is a school record and IL#2/US#7. The leaderboards were injected with 12 new replacements and 18 of 20 performances.

The 4x200 had to share space and hype with the Broncos Relays, where Homewood-Flossmoor put up on the board a scorching IL#1 time: 1:39.99! Not to be outdone was the section five performance between Prospect and Plainfield North. The Knights appeared to bully the field with crisp exchanges heading into the final leg. However, Plainfield North's senior Lauren Dellangelo rolled up on Prospect near the final turn and was able to inch ahead for the win 1:40.63-1:40.79. Both broke the meet mark and are among the top 15 in the country. 

The final event was the day, and the onlookers were feigning for the first sub 4:00 of the season. Would it be Prospect, Plainfield North, or some other team? Section five was a string of 58s and 59-second leadoffs; Prospect was sitting in third. It would be the final time for the Knights trailed in the race. They produced 57.9, 59.7, and 59.1 legs that netted in a state-leading 3:55.77 winner. Plainfield North took second in 3:58.56 and was among the nation's top 45 rankings. Eight of the top ten times came from this meet.

Boys-

The muse of this side of the game has always been the 4x800 relay, and on this occasion, that did not waver. We all knew that fast times would abound, but how many, it was a wait-and-see moment.

Section two of three produced two teams under 8:10, with Aurora West defeating Tinley Park Andrew 8:08.22-8:09.88.

The excitement of the final race was immediately felt by a quick opening start by Chicago Whitney Young leadoff Silas Moody, who cleared the congestion in 56.xx. He would fade and give way to Cicero Morton, who led the first exchange at 1:57.43.

Downers Grove North would take over and never return after the first exchange. But Philip Cupial's third leg opened things up and challenged Hinsdale Central's meet record. He roared with a 1:53.87 leg, and it was clear sailing for the anchor Grant Schroder and his overpowering but easy 1:54.39 carry. The final verdict was a sizzling US#2 7:43.28. It would be a new meet and state best mark by over 14 seconds, credit to Plainfield North's 7:57.53 performance for second place. Five teams broke 8:00 and were among the top 50 in the country. Once again, this proves that the 4x8 event is the top event in Illinois.

The 4x200 appeared somewhat of a letdown, but it was still exciting. Naperville Central won section three in 1:31.15 and had to sit through two more sections for their final fate. Of course, there were a few collisions and dropped batons, which aided the overall experience of this NASCAR-like event. The final section winner, Glenbrook North, ran 1:31.25 but finished second overall, and third place came from section four- Plainfield South 1:31.55.

The final event of the evening was the 4x400, and section 5 was all Downers Grove North, who took charge with a commanding leg by second runner Thimotee Denou. The rest is history as they say, The Trojans clocked an IL#2 3:25.62.