Palatine Boys CC Home Page

Boys Track Schedule (home meets bold)
2-15	St. Charles Dual
2-23	Bolingbrook Dual
3-1	York Invite
3-7	Proviso Quad
3-8	F/S MSL Conference
3-15	Varsity MSL Invite
3-18	Glenbrook South Triangular
3-29	Top Times Invite
4-1	Hoffman Estates, Schaumburg Triangular
4-8	Hersey, Rolling Meadows Triangular
4-10	Barrington Freshman Invite
4-12	Five Team Invite @ TBD
4-15	Fremd, Wheeling Triangular
4-16	Libertyville F/S Relays
4-18	Wheaton South ABC Meet
4-21	MSL West Division Championship
4-26	75th Annual Palatine Relays
4-29	Hersey F/S Invite
5-2	Prospect, Viator, and Schaumburg JV Meet
5-3	Lisle Invite
5-9	Varsity and F/S MSL Meet @ Buffalo Grove
5-13	Naperville Central F/S ABC Meet
5-16	IHSA Sectional
5-23 5-24	IHSA State @ Eastern Illinois University

Recent News and Updates - E-mail cquick@d211.org

Sunday, April 20, 2008 - Boys Place 5th at WWS ABC Meet

After a ton of trouble with weather, we finally got to run in an outdoor invitational, and the team did rather well considering that we ran selected races rather than loading up for points. The MSL West division meet is tomorrow so we were saving the varsity a bit for that one since it counts in our conference standings. Hopefully, we can win tomorrow and then grab the full MSL title on May 9th. Performance Lists have been updated to reflect all recent performances.

We have a busy schedule this week which includes not only the MSL West division meet, but also the makeup triangular with Hersey and Rolling Meadows (Tuesday at home), Mat Smoody running the 1600 meter run Friday night at the Prospect Knights Invite, and the full team getting together to try and win the 76th annual Palatine Relays. I feel busy just typing all of that. In between we have the Palatine Relays pasta dinner on Thursday night with guest speaker Claudia Becque, who just ran 2:48 in the US Olympic Women's Marathon Trials today. To top it all off, Griff Graves (Abindon, VA - son of Illinois great Tom Graves) and Bobby Nicholls (CO - son of LT star Bob Nicholls) will be coming in to square off with Smoody in the 1600 meter run at the Palatine Relays. Both Griff and Bobby were Foot Locker National finalists who will be running the 3200 at Prospect and then the 1600 in our meet on Saturday. Even better, the mile record for our meet is 4:12.12 by Tom Graves. Are you excited yet? I can't wait for our kids to get after it this week.

Wheaton Warrenville South Grange Invite Results

We could have entered our lineup much differently in this meet to maximize our point totals, but our goal after having so many meets cancelled was to run some seed times for the MSL conference meet. Many of our athletes succeeded and a ton of new PRs were set as we finished fifth in the overall team standings and third in the class A standings. The highlights included:

	Mat Smoody faced a field that was just loaded with contenders hoping to stop him from defending his 800 meter state title. Randall Babb from WWS stayed out fresh for this one while Wheaton North's Kyle Farnsworth and Waubonsie Valley's Sean Wiggan came back after 4 x 800 legs. Collectively, I think those are four of the top five or six guys in the 800 meters this season, excepting only Lockport's Kyle Engnell and St. Charles North's Max Clink and Benet's Kyle Gasick. Of course someone else will come out of the woodwork. In the end, Mat escaped with a 1:53.31 FAT time (1:53.1 MT) that broke both the meet and the stadium record. He won by just over a second with splits of 26.5-55.0 (28.5)-1:23.6 (28.6)-1:53.1 (29.5) and will need to clean up the last 200 meters to run a truly great time.
	Nick Busch had a great night at the high jump. He cleared 6' 6" to win the meet and then narrowly missed at 6' 8" with good hip height over the bar but a weak finish. He just nipped it with his heal and looked great all competition long.
	Tim Williams had a busy night and started to look like he was nearing top form. He ran a 10.9 MT to finish 3rd in the A 100 meters, and also won the long jump (22' 8") and triple jump (44' 10). He lost the 100 meter title by under .1 of a second.
	We gave up a lot of points to run our best 4 x 400 for a sectional seed time, and it paid off in spades. Smoody ran his best lead-off leg ever in 49.7, got it in the lead to Norman (52.1) and Hutton (52.9), and then Mookie held off Evanston (49.8) to seal the deal and give us a clear win in 4:24.3.
	Alex Mourousias continued his recent great form with a dominating wire to wire win in the C 3200 meter run. His 10:02 was not as fast as it was on Tuesday, but he ran with authority and won by 40-50 meters. In the A and B, Chano (9:49.0) and O'Brien (9:51.6) ran nearly identical races to place fourth. Chano ran hard, but a tactical mistake early on cost him on a windy day. He needs to learn to get in the right running group early. OB fought really hard throughout and finally broke 10:00 for the first time in a track race. On to bigger and better things.
	The 1600 meter run was besmirched by a squall of driving rain and wind that landed for about 30 minutes during the 300 hurdles and the 1600. Bollman also made a tactical mistake by not covering an early move and twisted in the wind en route to a small PR that could have been much more in the right group. In the B and C, Bethke (4:39.9) and Kwak (4:46.1) both set lifetime bests.
	Matt Wiggen did not drop a ton of time in the 800, but he competed hard to place third and run near his best in 2:05.3. Luke Kierys placed 6th in the C, but finally had a big time drop down to 2:06.4.
	Our goals with our JV 4 x 800 were simple: break 8:40 and beat someone else's varsity. We did both to finish in 8:38.8. Splits were Novikov (2:11.1), Olson (2:07.4), Grobner (2:10.2), and Conley (2:10.3). Congrats to Olson for his return to form (almost on schedule for the big races at the end of the season).

Saturday Time Trial Results

Since we have not had a ton of outdoor meets, we have scheduled a ton of time trials for the JV and frosh-soph. It is important for everyone to get opportunities to race at peak season if we are going to meet our team depth goals. The most important one is 30 guys breaking 5:00 in the 1600 meter run. After Saturday, we are at 21 guys and counting with a number of sophs and juniors knocking on the door. It is plausible that we can get to 28 or 29, but then we will need a miracle. But think about it...who thought E-Rod could run 4:56? Anything seems possible in this group right now. The goods included:

	Smoody rabbited the 800 meter guys out in 64 seconds and that was a perfect pace for them. Erik Bethke and Larson got into a spirited dual that led to huge PRs for each: 2:10 for Erik and 2:11 for Jeff with Shaler (2:14) and McPherson (2:13) trailing closely behind. All four were lifetime bests.
	The 1600 pacing got a bit mangled, but it set up perfectly for most of the guys. Colin Morlock won in a near PR of 4:48, and it was sweet to see Tommy Laskowske continuing to return to form with a solid 4:51 PR. The real surprise though were our two freshmen. Sam Kwak has been racing tough lately, and he ran with great audacity in this one to record a 4:50. Lucas Roehrborn followed closely behind in 4:53. Matt Baran came back from injury to run 4:58, and both Blyth (4:56) and Rodriguez (4:56) also got under the mark in an earlier time trial. All told that gave us five new guys under 5:00 for the first time and Baran under the mark for the first time this year. Behind them, we had a ton of great PRs: McCauley (5:02), Wojdyla (5:03 with a great diving skid mark lean at the finish), Tirth (5:04), and Sund (5:16). OTher PRs included Kendall Cox (5:25), Jake Bogdanowicz (5:32), Tim Anderson (5:35), John Pasowicz (5:40), and Jake Alberti (5:43). Reuben Frey ran his first effort in 5:41 after returning from a broken leg.
	Since Blyth and E-Rod ran their sweet 1600s on Thursday, they elected to run the 3200 with a convoy of teammates helping. Blyth ran 10:42 to near his PR, but E-Rod again crushed his previous best, recording a stunning 10:47. The most amazing thing besides his great race was seeing the entire team, and I mean everyone, pacing Blyth and E-Rod on the last lap. Year after year we generate these special moments as a group, and that last lap is one I won't forget anytime soon. What an expression of group solidarity!

Tuesday, April 15, 2008 - Boys Win vs. Wheeling, Fremd

Well, you all have probably noticed the lack of updates lately. That's because it's April in Illinois and no one has been having track meets. Our last two meets have all been cancelled due to rain and cold. Unfortunately, we lost our 5 Team Invite that allows all of our distance kids to run, but our triangular versus Hersey and Rolling Meadows has been rescheduled for Tuesday, April 22. All athletes who are not competing in the MSL West Division meet will get to run on that date.

Wheeling, Fremd Triangular Results

Our boys were chomping at the bit to get some races in since we have only had one outdoor meet so far, and the results were impressive all around on a very windy day. Highlights:

	Alex Mourousias has been on fire lately in practice, and it showed in this meet. He ran 5 x 1600 last week in sub-5:05 pace with only a 4 minute jog rest in between, and we both knew he was fit. Despite the rough wind tonight, he delivered a resounding victory over Fremd's very game sophomore, Aaron Ferst. Ferst led through five laps before Alex pulled away to win in 9:58.4, an impressive near PR on such a windy day. A ton of our other guys ran sweet PRs: Eric Blyth (10:37 - probably his best race of his career so far), Shaler (10:41 - cross country anyone?), Roehrborn (10:51), Kwak (10:56), and McCauley (11:03).
	Smoody's workout goal for the day was to run two 2:00 800 meter runs and then finish it all off with a 54-55 quarter that would simulate opening 800 meter pace. He ran a solid 1:58.8 in the 4 x 800 and then led Alec Bollman through a 2:03.1 open 800. Alec is looking for a seed time in that event, and Mat did a lot to break the wind for him. Also in the 800, Chano Bernardo (2:06), Lewis Conley (2:08), and Vlad Novikov (2:09) did well to dip under 2:10 for the first time. Larson put up a good fight in the F/S to run 2:16, but got outkicked and finished third.
	In many ways, the F/S 1600 was the highlight of the distance meet. Bethke and Grobner ran in tandem to go 1-2 and run 4:53 and 4:56 while many of their teammates ran massive PRs despite the wind. The two most impressive efforts had to be Ryan Wojdyla (5:07) and Jake Bogdanowicz (5:36). Jake set a new PR by 22 seconds and basically had the race of his life. To see all of his teammates urging him on and celebrating his big race made me remember why this team can be so powerful at times. He might run last in most road runs, but Jake tries hard each day and proved that any guy on the roster can be an energy starter for the team.
	The varsity 1600 was slow but satisfying because we were able to sweep the scoring spots by going 1-2-3-4. OB went 4:52, Kierys 4:53, Kwak 4:55, and Laskowske 4:58.
	Mookie Williams returned to form after his recent ankle sprain to win the long jump (22-8), triple jump (43-1), 200 meter dash (21.9), and the 4 x 200 (22.0 split into the wind). Despite our botched 4 x 200 handoffs, Mookie simply walked the Wheeling anchor to get it done. That 21.9 puts him in the top 5 or 6 in the all-time 200 list.
	Gerald Hutton and Chris Norman gave game efforts in the 400 meter dash to finish 2nd and 3rd. Gerald ran a 52.3 PR to narrowly lose the line while Chris was 52.9 or so. With Telly's injury, Gerald just might be the guy to jump into that 4 x 400. We'll see on Friday night.
	Our discus throwers had a huge night. Sophomore Tyler Jones threw 144 feet out of the power position while senior Andrew Higgs threw 141 in his first meet of the season. Sophomore Chad Bobbit also threw 45 feet in the shot to equal his career best. These guys are really coming on and making some noise.
	Joe Schweikert had a nice night to show that he is ready to step up and help in Telly's absence. He ran 11.0 in the 100 meters, 23 low in the 200, and looked nice in both of the sprint relays.
	Matt Wiggen continued to show progress in the 800 meters, leading off our 4 x 800 in 2:04.2. Not bad for a sprint convert in his first outdoor 800 of the season.
	Overall, we won 14 of 18 events and looked really good. For the first time, we competed with our entire track team, and this win helped us build some momentum going into the meat of our regular season schedule. The MSL West meet is next Monday while we have key invites at Wheaton South this Friday and the Palatine Relays next Saturday.

Saturday, April 5, 2008 - First Tri Results, The Palatine

The Palatine - OB and Chano ran to record times today as the 3200 meter group attacked The Palatine with great vigor. Kevin tied Mat Smoody for the fastest legitimate (as in not cutting the course) time ever recorded. His 28:43 was a staggering piece of work and showed that OB is starting to gain confidence and form at the right time. Chano lowered his PR from 29:06 to 28:52 to establish a sophomore class record that will be hard to break. Check out the workout results, additions to the Top 50 and Best of the Rest, Career Bests, Senior Bests, Junior Bests, Sophomore Bests, and Freshmen Bests.

Mileage and History Updates - There are none yet! I'm still collecting spring break miles from people, and I should be grading the 15 essays I have left rather than updating this stupid web site at 9:18 pm on Sunday night. More later. I did update the 800 and 1600 meter all-time lists to reflect Smoody's recent accomplishments.

Friday, March 21, 2008 - Manderson Invite Results

Thousands of years of pent up anger and frustration were unleashed Thursday night as the Ku Kwak's Klan stormed its way to a huge victory in the 5th Annual Manderson Invite. Kwak took the overall title, and his fellow Klansmen won a resounding 32-50 victory over the nattily dressed Business Casual unit. Dead Men Running showed a little life in placing third with 61 points while the Firm Titans melted under the bright lights and the pressure, finishing last with 67 points.

Picture Updates - I created a brand new gallery of pictures taken during the race. Check out all of the water-wading action shots!

Manderson Results - Kwak and Krew Charge to Victory

Above: Ku Kwak's Klan poses after their victorious run.

I don't have time to do a full story since I am leaving soon for the Lewis meet, but I do have full results of the race. I'll see you guys again on Tuesday for the train trip. Enjoy the pictures.

Ku Kwak's Klan - Team Champions with 31 points

Business Casual - 2nd place

Dead Men Running - 3rd place

Firm Titans - 4th place

Wednesday, March 19, 2008 - Manderson Preview, Glenbrook Results

Glenbrook Results - I'll write an update on the meet later, but I did update the Performance Lists. We are now up to 15 guys under 5:00 with five more at 5:05 or better. The highlight of the night was simple: Tim Anderson won a race, running 5:37 and breaking his guy wide open with a powerful shift at about the 1000 meter mark. After coaching Tim for four years, that was a "forever moment" for me. I was so proud.

Manderson V

Well folks, it is that time of year again. Welcome to the preview for the 5th Annual Manderson Invite. This year's edition will feature four well-balanced and competitive teams, duking it out in nerdy costumes over a muddy and water-infested 2.5 mile course at Deer Grove East. The race will feature a 75-100 meter puddle that must be run through twice along with numerous other soggy and disgusting areas that only a true CC runner can love. The question is: which team has enough true cross country warriors to get the job done? And can they get the job done wearing a somewhat emasculating costume?

Manderson History - For those of you wondering about past Manderson Invites, check out these preview and result pages, complete with pictures.

	The 1st Annual Doylerson - Pictures \| Results
	The 2nd Annual Manderson - Pictures \| Results
	The 3rd Annual Manderson - Pictures \| Results
	The 4th Annual Manderson - Pictures \| Results

For anyone interested in watching, Manderson V will occur at 5:00 pm tomorrow at Deer Grove East no matter rain nor shine. The teams:

Death Row (Captains Mat Smoody, Alex Mourousias, and Luke Kierys)

My guess is that these fools will show up dressed in some combination of hard core rapper gear and haughty prison inmate decor. Maybe Dr. Dre can write them an anthem that will make the rest of the playas in this race fear the two freshman they took with their top picks. Apparently the prison food and promise of an imminent demise told them to put their fate in the hands of a second-generation Bethke, a younger Kwak who can't even play the cello, and a metal head like Smith who thinks Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg are brand names for carpet cleaner. At least they bring McPherson's audacity into their gang of homies, but one out of Tim "Meat Hands" Anderson, John "Straight Money" Pasowicz, and Kendall "No I'm Not Dating Barbie" Cox will have to step up and fill the fifth man role. The conventional wisdom says this crew will be headed back to the slammer, eating soggy food, studying electrical current and the finest advances in lethal injection, and pondering their utter and total cross country racing demise. It's time for that last appeal... Odds: 10-1.

Ku Kwak's Klan (Captains Paul Kwak, Alec Bollman, and Mike Grobner)

After being rudely passed over with the top pick, Captain Kwak went out and formed a vigilante group of racist assassins who love Koreans, short Jewish kids, and winning cross country races. The KKK has promised to don its hoodies, wrap themselves in bed sheets and bequeath vengeance on all the unfortunate souls who dare to denigrate running, cello playing, and the Korean way. Their hopes may rest on the faulty IT band of a hobbled, yet still spirited Jolson or the squeaky old man knees and flu-ridden body of one Brian Sund, but they also have two key freshman. Roehrborn has enough of a screw loose to go forth and take out his pseudo-Korean wrath on others while Alberti brings the spirited retribution of thousands of years of anti-Semitic sentiment to bear on his enemies. I hear that he punches people. All in all this mish-mosh of ethnic rage will be fronted by Blyth, who has achieved such great status that no one even remembers his first name. His name might as well be Thunder. This rage-filled unit may just hate its way all the way to the top of the Manderson heap. Odds: 4-1.

Business Casual (Captains Kevin O'Brien, Colin Morlock, and Adam Bethke)

These three brainiacs pulled out their calculators and applied the following formula for Manderson success: Over-analysis + mucho mileage - acquired brain damage * attention to detail / inability to find a date = Manderson gold. They studied...and pondered...and analyzed...and sacrificed their pathetic social lives to come up with a crew of cold, calculating men who could still look good in a hula shirt and loafers if the company ever gave them a day off. This crew plans on dressing up Tommy Lasko and Stink Larson in business gear, but it would be easier to feed a dog its own tail with mustard and relish than it would be to get these two wild animals under wraps. They emendated (look that up Death Row crew) their roster with a plenitude of cognitively-inclined good citizens such as Vlad and E-Rod, but we all know Vlad may be a toss-up. He could be playing WOW, filming a documentary film on spark plugs, pontificating on a variety of subjects he barely knows about, or seeking the best bus fare home from Pennsylvania rather than getting to the line on time. Dyla the Gorilla part two and Zach "Mercedes" Benzo will have to pick up the fifth man slack, especially if Bogdanowicz is helping his mama cash her check at the bank. All in all the calculators say that the brains are the best bet. Odds: 3.1415926535 to 1 (memorize it or face immediate expulsion)

Firm Titans (Captains Lewis Conley, Juan Perez, and Chano Bernardo)

Denzel Washington once told us all to Remember the Titans, but last time I checked Atlas was holding the world on his shoulders and a stinky looking vulture was eating Prometheus' liver each day. The only thing Firm about this crew is that they would make some great money on Wall Street if all their risky investments paid off. Unfortunately, unemployment is up, gasoline is nearing $4 a gallon, and this ship might run out of gas before it runs aground on the coast of broken dreams. Sure, Eddie Lo could be the pick of the day with his great CC creds, but King Lewis Yang will have to run a confident race. Even he didn't want to pick himself, though, so the real task of holding things up falls to Tirth Patel and Erich Kuerschner. I hear that Kuersch had an elliptical workout today that magically healed his aching IT, but my final question is: can Juan find the healing touch of Hippocrates to get Stars and Baran back into working condition? Is there even a cure for the black lung? Will Baran be left standing at the end with a trophy in one hand and his Staples Easy button in the other? Or will he be grasping his foot and calling for mama? Will Colish show up with his trident and part the seas of the great lake as he takes this band of Greek heroes straight to the top of Olympus? Or will this be one act that even Coach Colish can't pull off? My guess is that these boys get as close to Mt. Olympus as a one-armed and one-winged man with a club foot and an attitude problem. Odds: 15:1.