Boys track and field: 2023-2024 Kane County Chronicle All-Area team

Headlined by four 3,200-meter runners and three pole vaulters, here is the Kane County Chronicle All-Area Boys Track and Field team:

Ryan Anderson, Marmion, senior: Despite facing multiple injuries in his final season with the Cadets, Anderson cleared 4.45 meters (14 feet, 7.25 inches) to finish tied for third in the Class 2A pole vault state championship.

Ayodele Bateye, St. Charles North, senior: The speedy senior ran a 10.76 in the Metea Valley Sectional for the second-fastest 100 dash in St. Charles North history and qualified for state. He helped the North Stars’ 4x200 qualify for state with a time of 1:29.87.

Francesco Benelli, Batavia, junior: Benelli made a giant leap in the 3,200 during his junior season. After finishing his sophomore year with a personal-best 9:56.11, Benelli shaved more than 40 seconds off his time to finish the season with a 9:13.40 for 11th place at the state championships and second all-time in the event for the Bulldogs.

Warren Cooper, Geneva, senior: After finishing his junior year clearing 3.41 meters in the pole vault, Cooper made a huge leap during his senior season, finishing with an outdoor personal-best of 4.46 meters (14-7.5) for second at the Metea Valley Sectionals before finishing 13th at the state meet.

Greyson Ellensohn, St. Charles East, junior: One of the leaders on a distance-centric Saints team, Ellensohn finished the season with personal-bests in the 1,600 (4:18.48) and 3,200 (9:14.02), taking 16th at state in the latter event.

Freddy Hassan, Kaneland, senior: Despite only jumping for the Knights for about six weeks, Hassan managed to clear 1.95 meters (6-4.75) in the high jump to secure a tie for seventh place at the Class 3A state championships.

Nathan McLoughlin, St. Charles North, junior: After clearing the 15-foot mark for the first time at a meet during the indoor season, McLoughlin tore through the competition throughout the outdoor season, finishing outside first place only once with a fourth-place finish at state and a school record of 4.8 meters (15-9).

Evan Nosek, Kaneland, junior: Nosek finished his junior season with top-three marks in school history in both the 1,600 (4:21.20, third) and 3,200 (9:12.54, second) and a ninth-place finish for All-State honors in the 3,200.

Dimitri Rosales, St. Charles North, junior: Rosales made his vaults count down the stretch this season. After entering the Class 3A state championships with a personal-best 4.32 meters (14-2), the junior cleared 4.6 meters (15-1) for seventh place and All-State honors in the pole vault.

David Valkanov, Kaneland, senior: Valkanov finished his high school career with the school record in the 3,200 after running a 9:10.76 at the state championships for eighth place and All-State honors. He ran a 4:21.47 in the 1,600.

Jed Wilson, St. Charles East, senior: A leader of the Saints’ distance squad, the Drake commit finished his final high school season with a 20th-place finish at the state meet in the 3,200 and personal-best times of 4:21.80 in the 1,600 and 9:17.95 in the 3,200.

Thomas Woodard, Batavia, junior: Woodard won the 300 hurdles at the Metea Valley Sectional and finished 19th in the event at the state meet with a personal-best time of 40.47. He also was a main part of the 4x100 and 4x400 relays throughout the season.

Batavia’s 4x200, 4x400 and 4x800 relay teams: The Bulldogs finished with the top times among local teams in three of the four relay events this year, with all of their top results coming at the state meet. The 4x200 team of Joe Reid, Nathan Whitwell, Brett Berggren and Cole Howland finished with a 1:29.73 for 23rd at state, the 4x400 group of Whitwell, Berggren, Howland and Woodard was 18th at state with a 3:24.79 and the team of Colin Knowles, Edward Polaski, Felipe Wickler and David Bednarek just missed out on the finals with a 14th-place finish in the 4x800 with a time of 7:55.89.