Go west, young man.
Some members of the York boys track and field team did just that recently, competing in the prestigious Oregon Relays.
York coach Charlie Kern explained select boys and girls from the Dukes’ track programs traveled to Eugene, Oregon. The programs split 30 entries and then competed against other invited teams.
After combining the scores, the combined York teams finished tied for 17th out of 81 teams.
In the freshman two-mile run, Jacob McKillop finished second overall and is now the fifth-fastest freshman in school history.
“Jacob ran a very smart race against athletes he never met before,” Kern noted. “His pace judgement was fantastic and he continually moved up during the race.”
McKillop went from 12th after 400 meters all the way up to second by the time he crossed the finish line.
In the distance medley relay (1,200, 400, 800, 1,600 meters), York was one of 16 teams that qualified for the event.
“This event is the highlight of the final night,” Kern said. “Athletes compete under the lights with a laser show, music and fans lining the backstretch, final curve and the homestretch.”
Carter Olsen led the team, running 1,200 meters (3 laps of the outdoor track) and finishing eighth with a very good time of 3:11.68, Kern pointed out.
Jack Ostendorf maintained York’s eighth place while running 400 meters in 49.96.
“Jack ran one of the greatest races of his life,” Kern said.
Ostendorf gave the baton to Dylan Golomb who covered 800 meters in a new personal best of 1:59.96 and moved York into seventh place.
Patrick Hill was the York anchor, running 1,600 meters alongside some of the finest milers in the country.
“In order to stay with the teams near him, he had to run his opening 400 meters much faster than planned,” Kern explained.
Hill ran 58.8 in his first 400 meters, which is a sub-4-minute mile pace, Kern added.
Hill finished with a time of 4:19, crossing the line in sixth place.
“Patrick settled in after the first lap and battled with athletes near him,” Kern said. “It was a fantastic way to close out the meet.”
York placed fifth in the 1,600 relay with Justin Canale, Noah Zmrhal, Golomb and Jack Ostendorf running that race.
The Dukes also were fifth in the short sprint medley (100, 100, 200 and 400 meters) with Henry Duda, Justin Cello, Zmrhal and Canale.
In other recent action, York was third at the Bud Mohn invitational with 80 points. Lake Park won the meet with 122 points and Lincoln-Way West was second, two points ahead of York with 82.
Cello won the 100 dash title in 10.94, while Hill won the 1,600 run in 4:27.34. Cello was second in the 200 at 22.57.
York’s 800 relay was second with Ostendorf, Golomb, Ruben Delgado and Hill running 3:29.20. The Dukes also were second in the 3,200 elay with Kasen Kramer, Thomas Gonzalez, Harrison Manternach and Anders Dochoff running 8:23.70.
York was third in the 400 relay with Eliseo Alevarares-Johnson, Cello, Zmrhal and John Lestina running 43.55.
George Knott was third in the 3,200 at 9:40.10, while Milo Oyasu was third in pole vault with a mark of 13-6.
York’s sophomores also were third at Bud Mohn. York finished with 86.33 points. Lake Park won it with 112 points and Hinsdale Central was second with 90 points.
The Dukes won the 3,200 relay with McKillop, Harrison Cahill, Jamie Lower and Jackson Bohlin running 8:35.63. The Dukes won the 4,00 relay with Joey Cica, Casey Bradley, Jayden Nguyen and Noach Chumbley running 44.93.
Bohlin won the 1,600 in 4:41.06, while McKillop was second in the 800 at 2:06.60.
Mateo Rivera was third in the 110 high hurdles with a time of 17.07. York took third in the 800 relay with Devin Maniar, Bradley, Sica and Chumbley running 1:35.18. MJ Pfleeger was third in the high jump with a mark of 5-5.
Kern praised the work of Lestina, a senior, who anchored York’s 400 relay during a recent two-invite stretch, as well as Chumbley, who anchored the 400 and 800 relays at the Bud Mohn invitational.
Kern also likes what Cello is doing in the sprints, noting his winning time in the 100 and runner-up time in the 200 at Bud Mohn “and running great relay legs all year,” he said.
Kern added Hill has risen to a new level in winning his first invitational 1,600 at Bud Mohn. “Patrick’s finishing kick over the last lap was a confidence booster and helps him to know he can race with the top guys in a tactical race,” he said.
Hill also ran his first 400-meter relay split under the 52-second barrier and is now a candidate for the 1,600 relay A team, Kern pointed out.
Additionally, McKillop is now on the top 15 all-time York freshman list in the 800 run (No. 5), 1600 run (No. 12) and 3,200 run (No. 5). “We still have most of the outdoor season remaining,” Kern said of the impressive freshman.
Kern added the Dukes are excited to have Alevarares-Johnson back form an injury. He led off the 400 relay at Bud Mohn “and looked very fast,” he said.
