Aidan Wyzard’s big day leads Sycamore to first conference title since 2002

ROCHELLE – Aidan Wyzard won four events on Tuesday at the Interstate 8 Conference Meet, setting four personal records in doing so. He also set two school records.

The senior sprinter helped Sycamore dethrone Kaneland and win the Spartans their conference title in 23 years.

“Last year, they beat us pretty well,” Wyzard said of Kaneland. “They’ve beat us a lot of years. We had to make sure we came out and showed people why we deserve it.”

A late push by the Spartans in the 1,600-meter run and 200 helped them finish with 190.5 points. Kaneland finished in second with 188. Rochelle was third with 69 points and Morris fourth with 39 behind its winning 4x800. A pair of wins in the hurdles for Weston Averkamp helped Ottawa take fifth with 37.5. La Salle-Peru was sixth with 29 points.

Kaneland had won seven titles in a row going back to its time in the Northern Illinois Big 12. The Spartans last won a conference title in 2002 in the Suburban Prairie.

“It’s really exciting because all year long these guys know they have these goals for their own individual performances,” Sycamore coach Matt Kosecki said. “But then what’s really cool is you get to a meet like this and it becomes all about placing, scoring, beating the guy next to you. And that’s what these guys did today.”

Wyzard led the charge for the Spartans with personal records in the 100 (10.66 seconds), 200 (21.51) and long jump (7.37 meters). He was also on the 4x100 team that set its best mark at 41.82 seconds along with Vasilios Athos, Crewe Bartelt and Preston Picolotti. The long jump and 4x100 marks are new school records.

Wyzard and the Spartans were poised for a big showing at state last year, but he hurt himself in the prelims of the long jump. He couldn’t compete on any relays but still ended up second in the long jump despite not competing in the finals.

“We put in hard work every day for moments like this,” Wyzard said. “In the past, obviously we struggled with injuries last year but I made a promise to these guys and this team that we’re going to make it far as long as we put in the work.”

The 200 proved crucial for the Spartans. Kaneland led heading into it, the second-to-last race of the night. They needed Wyzard and Hodges to go 1-2, how they were seeded, but Kaneland sprinters Dylan Sanagustin and Luke Gadomski were seeded within 0.3 seconds of Hodges.

But Hodges finished with a 22.06, besting his seed time of 22.45 and holding off Sanagustin (22.51), who also set a PR.

Sanagustin didn’t win an event but was second in the long jump (6.68) and 100 (11.13). He was also on the second-place 4x100 relay team with Alex Moos, Benjamin Karl and Gadomski that finished in 43.02.

Moos, Karl, Brady Aversa and Nathan Hansen won the 4x200 in 1:30.31 for the Knights and Gavin Smith, Brady Brown, Moos and Tyler Rebacz won the 4x400 in 3:26.9.

Gavin Smith won the 800 (1:58.32) and Carson Kaiser won the 3,200 (9:54.54)

Even though the Knights had their streak snapped, coach Andy Drendel said he was pleased with how his team performed.

“We placed exactly where we were supposed to place at,” Drendel said. “We had some really great performances and we scored 188 points. You can’t be disappointed in that. ... I mean, you can’t win them all.”

Sycamore’s Corey Goff was seeded third behind a pair of Kaneland runners in the 1,600 but ended up winning it, picking up some key points for the Spartans with his PR of 4:22.8.

“Corey, he’s a senior, he’s been a captain for us,” Kosecki said. “He works his butt off and it literally meant a lot to him to win today.”

Hodges also won the 400 for the Spartans in 49.53, just ahead of Bartelt in second with a PR of 50.29.

Will Rosenow won the shot put (15.91m) and tied with teammate Dylan Weides in the discus (47.2m). Hodges won the triple jump (13.19).

Averkamp swept the hurdles for Ottawa - 15.12 in the 110 and 39.59 in the 300. He said he got some key state experience. The date of the I-8 meet was moved from Friday, and the Pirates had a meet on Monday as well. So Averkamp was able to run in competitive situations on back-to-back days.

“We ran yesterday to see what state would be like if I made it to the finals, and honestly I felt pretty good,” Averkamp said. “I wasn’t expecting to be as energetic on the curve [in the 300] but today it felt good.”

Everett Swanson, Nikita Hovious, Cuyler Swanson and Brodie Peterson won the 4x800 in 8:10.24, providing Morris with its only top-two finish on the day.

Griffin Hammers was second in the 800 (2:00.59), the only top-two finish for La Salle-Peru.

https://www.shawlocal.com/daily-chronicle/sports/2025/05/14/aidan-wyzards-big-day-leads-sycamore-to-first-conference-title-since-2002/