Track and Field notes: Glenbard West’s Sean Hopkins starts season fast with state’s No. 1.-ranked 100 time

Glenbard West senior Sean Hopkins traveled often to Chicago’s new outstanding Gately Park indoor facility and even to Indiana, seeking pre-season track and field meets.

“I kind of stayed motivated but it was a little tough getting real (live) competition,” Hopkins said.

The ultimate destination – his first Class 3A state meet – appears hopeful after a great opener April 14 at Willowbrook.

Hopkins ran a personal-best 10.99 fully-automatic seconds in the 100-meter dash – the state’s No. 1 electronically posted time and under the 11.00 3A state-qualifying standard.

“I couldn’t believe it. It’s nice to make it under that state mark, especially being the first meet, so it was a good feeling,” said Hopkins, who added a top-five ranked triple jump (44 feet-2 3/4 inches).

Senior Matthew Travers cleared 6-4 1/2 in high jump, ranked No. 3 and above the 6-3 3A qualifying standard. His previous best 6-1 from 2019 set the sophomore school record.

“I’ve been hitting the gym pretty hard this last year and a half and I really think I’m getting pretty strong,” Travers said. “I was very surprised. I got 6-2 and then 3 and then 4 (on first attempts). I don’t know what it was, but something was good that day.”

NO. 1 TOO: In Monday’s boys triangular at York, the Dukes’ Garrett Schwan, Jackson Geiger, Colin Hill and Mickey Vreeland ran the state’s fastest 3,200 relay (8:06.66).

Hopkins, Travers, Owen Mirka and Ishan Malhan delivered the No. 2-ranked 400 relay (43.52). The Hilltoppers’ Pierce Cousins (1,600 in 4:23.15) and the 1,600 relay (Cousins, Luke Kaslewicz, Andrew Dauksas, Ben McGrath in 3:35.42) also achieved top-five times.

Also No. 2 are Wheaton North’s Ryan Schreiner (boys 800 in 1:57.30), Downers Grove North’s Kenna Cinotte (school-record 39-7 1/2 in girls triple jump) and Wheaton Warrenville South’s girls 800 relay of Madeleine Litvan, Hannah Hartnett, Nora Fieweger and Eve Hull (1:47.63).

Other top-five posted girls performances include WW South’s 400 relay (Celia Huelskoetter, Carlin Wach, Mikaela Cooper, Grace Macabobby in 50.85)and Sam Poglitsch (1,600 in 5:08.59), Glenbard East’s Lauren Huber (800 in 2:18.60) and Keeli Dunaway (37-11 in triple jump), Huber and Lyons Township’s Kira Krzemkowski (5-4 1/4 in high jump), Cinotte (19-1 1/2 in long jump) and Downers North’s Mia Bowers (11-0 in pole vault).

Other non-posted girls 800 standout performances include Lyons Township’s Kate Dickman (2:15.6), Downers Grove South’s Sophia McInerney (2:15.8) and Glenbard West’s Audrey Allman (2:20).

RUN FOR JUSTICE: Wheaton North seniors and four-year runners Henry Frye and Sam Walhout spent last summer training and creating the first Wheaton Run for Justice, a virtual 5k race with proceeds going to the NAACP Legal Defense Fund.

The hope was to raise at least $1,000. With more than 100 people participating or purchasing event T-shirts, the total was $2,656.

“(The Wheaton Run for Justice) made perfect sense to combine our impulse for social justice with our passion for running,” Walhout said. “It wasn’t the biggest fundraiser in the world, but it didn’t need to be either. We achieved our goal of starting a conversation in the community.”

The Falcons were inspired by demonstrations and peaceful protests locally and nationwide. They added Wheaton to their Run forJustice event after discovering several unaffiliated virtual races nationally used the same name. Frye said one local business offered to sponsor the event.

“The most rewarding part was seeing the community come together to participate, seeing people I wouldn’t have expected to participate reach out and thank us for putting the event on and the personal satisfaction of knowing that I actively did something to create a positive change in my community and raise awareness for a pressing issue facing the entire country,” Frye said.

Frye enters the Naval Academy in late June. Walhout will attend Brown.

“Quite a few people that I had engaged with about views that I respectfully disagreed with came out of the woodwork to tell me they thought I was doing good work,” Walhout said. “It really showed me that it’s not us versus them at all. If you put forth a little bit of effort toward something you believe in, people will recognize it, even if they don’t agree with you 100 percent.”