The Times 2025 boys track and field preview capsules

Here are previews of boys track and field teams from around the Times coverage area.

Ottawa

Coach: Trent Swords

Top returning athletes: Weston Averkamp, sr., hurdles; Archer Cechowicz, jr., hurdles/4x400 relay; Joey Liebhart, jr., hurdles/4x400 relay; Stephon Patrick, jr., throws

Worth noting: Averkamp, the 2024 Times Boys Track and Field Athlete of the Year, captured a Class 3A sectional championship in the 300 hurdles and also earned a sixth-place medal at the state finals with a clocking of 39.11 seconds. He was also a sectional runner-up and qualified for state in the 100 hurdles but fell 0.26 seconds short of a berth in the finals.

“We are looking forward to competing in a very challenging season, Swords said. ”We are excited to get on the track and see the results of the offseason training. We are also looking forward to seeing our new track athletes start their journey. After the first meet we will work with each athlete to set their short term and long-term goals for the season, and we will celebrate the successes of each."

Streator

Coach: Kyle Lowman

Top returning athletes: Isaiah Brown, sr., long jump/sprints; Garritt Benstine, jr., triple jump/sprints; Jon Davis, jr., sprints; Luke Gebhardt, jr., throws; Chase Lane, jr., distance; Kameron Magana, jr., long jump/throws/sprints; LayZeric Moton, jr., jumps/hurdles; Riley Stevens, jr., high jump/sprints; Andrew Warwick, jr., pole vault/long jump/sprints; TJ Horton, so., triple jump/hurdles/sprints; Trenton Studnicki, so., hurdles/distance

Top new athletes: Ted Neuman, so., pole/vault/distance/relays; JJ Rzasa, fr., hurdles/distance/relays

Worth noting: For first-year coach Lowman, he feels his squad boasts promising talent across various events, led by Brown, Stevens and Warwick.

“Brown qualified for the IHSA state meet in the 4x200 relay in 2023 and individually in the 200-meter dash last year, clocking a personal best of 22.18 seconds,” Lowman said. “Stevens has emerged as a high jump contender, soaring to a personal best of 6 feet, 3½ inches during the indoor season, placing him among the state’s top 15 and earning him a spot at the prestigious 2025 Illinois Top Times meet. Warwick has demonstrated excellence in sprints and jumps, with his pole-vaulting skills positioning him as a strong contender for a state berth this year.”

Marquette

Coach: Ken Carlson

Top returning athletes: Jimmy Lawsha, sr., sprints; Charlie McGrath, sr., sprints; Jacob Siena, sr., sprints; Adrian Schaefer, sr., throws; Joe Amicon, jr., sprints; Jacoby Gooden, so., sprints; MacKinnley Thompson, so.; distance; Alex Schaefer, so., throws; Caden Shreve, so., throws; Shea Conner, so., sprints

Top new athletes: Marcus Baker, jr., sprints; Kenny Carlson, fr., sprints; Jesse Cooke, fr., sprints; Hunter Demink, fr., sprints; Logan Leskanich, fr., distance; Xayden Ruestman, fr., sprints; Nehemiyah Thomas, fr., sprints; Parker Poundstone, fr., sprints

Worth noting: Lawsha and McGrath will be counted on in the sprints, while Gooden had a great freshman season and has shown to be the Crusaders fastest sprinter early on this season. Baker is new to track but has done a great job early on according to Carlson and will be important in the sprints. Adrian and Alex Schaefer, along with Shreve will be the top guys in the throws, while Thompson will be the top guy in the distance races.

“We are very young, but we definitely have some talent,” Carlson said. “It will be fun to watch these kids develop and grow during the season and see what we can accomplish as we get to the sectionals in mid-May.”

Seneca

Coach: Terry Maxwell

Top returning athletes: Kevin Einhaus, sr., sprints/hurdles; Colton Pumphrey, sr., sprints/hurdles; Travis Barr, sr., sprints; Sebastian Deering, sr., distance; Connor Pabian, sr., distance; Matt Stach, jr., sprints/long jump; Sean Sigler, jr., pole vault; Gunner Varland, jr., sprints; Zebadiah Maxwell, jr., throws; Jaxson Finch, jr., distance; Jesus Govea, so., throws; James Zydron, so., distance

Top new athletes: Brayden Simek, jr., sprints/jumps; Callum Wright, fr., distance; Cooper Thorson, so., sprints/jumps; Chase Rod, fr., sprints/jumps; Miles LeRoy, fr., sprints/jumps; Trent Powell, fr., pole vault

Worth noting: Over 40 boys have come out for the Fighting Irish squad this season and consists of a good blend of newcomers and veterans. Sigler returns in pole vault as the lone returning medalist for Seneca. Barr qualified for the Illinois Top Times in the 200-meter dash, while Pumphrey should have a solid season in the hurdles after showing off personal-best times indoor this season. Zebadiah Maxwell looks to take big leaps in shot and disc this year from a solid sophomore season and should be among the area’s best throwers. Simek has shown a lot of promise this indoor season in the jumps and will be a factor in deciding whether or not the Irish compete for a sectional title for a second year in a row.

Sandwich

Coach: Michael Lee

Top returning athletes: Simeion Harris, sr., sprints/jumps; Nate Hill, sr., sprints/jumps; Jackson Heilemeier, sr., throws; Keegan Herren, sr., throws; Peter Popp, sr., throws; Kayden Page, sr., sprints/jumps; Nolan Mindard, jr., distance; Jacob Ross, so., sprints/vaults

Top new athletes: Luis Murillo, jr., throws; Seth Skillin, fr., throws; Kai Pon, sr., sprints/jumps; Devin Adams, so., sprints/jumps

Worth noting: The Indians had six state-qualifying athletes in four different events last season. Harris took seventh at state in the 400, and Harris and Page return from the state-qualifying 4x400 relay. Popp is a returning state qualifier in the shot put and Ross a returning qualifier in the pole vault. Sandwich has 11 seniors, nine juniors and 17 sophomores with varsity experience.

“We have a smaller freshman group this year [only eight], but each one has a major role to play individually and in relays this season, and they will be filling in spots that were either left open after last season or never been filled before, so we are looking forward to what they can achieve as the outdoor meets begin,” Lee said. “This group has already had a successful season in our new conference last year, and we are looking to improve and build upon that as the new season begins. Look for our results this season as all of our coaches truly believe we have something special to work with as a team, and there could be some outliers that come into the mix.”

Fieldcrest

Coaches: Michael Hamer and David Vasquez

Top returning athletes: Caleb Krischel, sr., mid-distance/distance; Michael Beckett, jr., triple jump

Worth noting: Krischel was a Class 1A state qualifier in the 800 last year and won the title of the 3,200 Heart of Illinois Conference indoor meet earlier this spring at Illinois State University. Beckett claimed the title in the triple jump at the HOIC indoor and placed seventh recently at the Indoor Top Times meet.

Earlville-Serena co-op

Coaches: Brennan Sweeney and Alyssa Allison

Top returning athletes: Michael Clemens, sr., sprints/throws; Alvin Herandez, so., sprints; Chase Congdon, so., throws; Jeff Peterson, so., distance; Jared Dormer, so., distance/sprints; Thomas Peverill, so., distance

Top new athletes: Logan May, so., jumps; Ryker Brown, fr., throws

Worth noting: The Red Raiders have a young team, but one that has a lot of potential and talent, the coaching staff said. With a solid roster, the co-op is looking forward to having athletes in the majority of the events.

Newark

Coach: Nina Sittler

Top returning athletes: Reggie Chapman, jr., sprints/long jump/relays; Cody Kulbartz, jr., mid-distance/discus/relays; Evan Sittler, so., high jump/hurdles/relays

Top new athletes: Kellen Westerfield, fr., 400/relays/long jump

Worth noting: “Although this year we have a young boys team, preseason has shown great determination and hard work,” coach Sittler said. “We are excited to see the season unfold and watch our runners gain strength and speed, projecting this boys team into a very competitive season.”

Somonauk

Coach: Sarah Ness

Top returning athletes: Landin Stillwell, jr., distance/relays; Jackson Brockway, jr., relays; Gunner Swenson, jr., relays; Caden Hamer, so., distance/relays

Top new athletes: Jeremiah Rhea, sr., throws; Gunner Nelson, sr., high jump; Landon Sweigert, so., throws

Worth noting: Stillwell was a Class 1A state qualifier in the 3,200 last season and this past fall was a medalist at the state cross country meet. Hamer qualified for state in the 1,600 a season ago and was part of the 4x800 state relay team, along with Stillwell, Brockway and Swenson, that did as well.

“The boys distance runners have been ‘competing’ in practice, they had a taste at state last year and want to get there again,” Ness said. “They have been actively pushing one another during practice while putting outside work in as well. We are excited to see what this motivated group of hardworking, competitive kids will do this spring.”

Flanagan-Cornell

Coach: Luke Mays

Top returning athletes: Connor Reed, sr., sprints/relays; Riley Wallace, jr., sprints/long jump/relays; Noah Schneider, so., sprints; Preston Brown, so., mid-distance/distance

Worth noting: At the HOIC Indoor meet earlier this spring, Reed was fourth in the 200, Wallace seventh in the 200 and 12th in the long jump, Schneider sixth in the 400 and Brown ninth in the 800 and 19th in the 1,600.