Aurora Central CatholicCoach: Troy Kerber
Conference: Metro Suburban
Top returning athletes: Matt Mendoza (jr., middle distance), Josh Jerwers (jr., middle distance), Griffin Zajac (jr., sprints), Henry Feldhaus (jr., distance), Sam Pawlowski (jr., distance), Christian Marchis (sr., throws), Caleb Minx (jr., hurdles), McKimmon Englehardt (so., hurdles/sprints), Sam Vinson (jr., sprints), Jared Kennedy (sr., sprints), Jonathan Mattes (so., sprints/jumps), Patrick McNulty (jr., distance/jumps), Brandon Warren (jr., sprints), Jon Montelongo (jr., middle distance ), Alex Wilkins (jr., middle distance), Daniel McCully (so., distance), Victor Ramos (jr., sprints)
Top newcomers: Kennedy Cross (fr., distance), Brandt Krpan (jr., throws), Donavan Reid (jr., sprints), Tony Cepeda (fr., distance), Hunter Pawlik (fr., sprints), Jacob Montelongo (fr., distance)
Season outlook: Mendoza, Jerwers and Zajac are all returning state qualifiers for ACC, who placed fifth at the Class 2A Fenwick sectional. The Chargers have two specific, detail-oriented goals this spring. They want to place in the top two at the conference meet, and they want to finish top five at the Glenbard South sectional. After that it's all about extending their streak of state qualifying either individuals or relays for the 24th straight year. "We are predominantly a junior-sophomore varsity team, but we have loads of talent and are forming," coach Troy Kerber said. "By the end of the season we could be pretty tough, and follow in the tradition of other Charger teams."
Aurora ChristianCoach: Ron Arb
Conference: Northeastern Athletic
2015 finish: graduated Josh Schien (tied for 4th at state in pole vault).
Top returning athletes: Andrew Hasulube (so., high jump/hurdles/middle distance), Antoni Campbell (so., sprints), Tanner Chada (jr., distance), Zach Williams (sr., throws)
Top newcomers: Colton Schutt (fr.), Jack Ramey (fr.), Jeremiah Wright (sr., sprints), Kyle Small (sr., sprints/shot put), Max Williams (fr.), Owen Helmick (fr.), Stephen Kersey (fr.), Steve Hall (sr., sprints/jumps), Dylan Leschewski (jr.)
Season outlook: Arb, the jumps and hurdles coach for the past three years, takes over as head coach. He coached former Eagles Jonathan Harrell, Grant Schweisthal and Noah Roberts at state in the horizontal jumps and sprints during Arb's tenure. Chada ran a 4:30 in the 1,600 m as a freshman. "Early in his career he battled a few injuries and since then, he has taken great care of his body and is training hard to compete with the best in the state this outdoor season. Leader by example," Arb said of Chada who is being recruited by several top D1 running schools for cross country and track and field. Campbell just missing state qualification in the 100 and 200 as a freshman. Wright, a starting guard on the Eagles' Elite Eight basketball team, an All-Area member of the football team, brings "tremendous quickness and acceleration," according to Arb. Williams is looking to reach 51 feet in the shot and 150 in the discus. Arb called Hasulube a possible decathlon participant in college based on his variety of skills. "As our team knows, it is not about the number of athletes on the team, it is about the quality and heart of the athletes on the team," Arb said. "We are in a new conference this year, which contains several talented schools and athletes. These NAC schools, along with competing against some 2A and even a 3A school or two will provide outstanding competition. Our boys and girls teams both won 1A state in 2014 and this year's team will need to rely on the upperclassman's leadership, each athlete's dedication to their individual and team goals, and overall team unity to achieve accomplishments similar to the 2014 season."
BartlettCoach: Eric Kramer
Conference: Upstate Eight Valley Division
2015 finish: 4th place UEC Valley, 7th overall UEC
Top returning athletes: Nolan Bernat (sr., sprints, relays), AJ Santori (sr., sprints, relays), Justin Sowinski (sr., sprints, relays), Tre Stagen (sr., sprints, relays), Will Rajewski (sr., sprints, relays), Jake Hasenstein (sr., throws), Lucas Isla (sr., middle distance), Justin Isla (sr., distance), Dylan Rathnau (sr., middle distance)
Top newcomers: Malik Whithead (fr., sprints, relays), Angelo Peters (fr., middle distance, distance)
Season outlook: Bartlett returns six athletes who competed in the state meet last year in the form of Bernat, Santori, Ross, Sowinski, Stagen and Rajewski (alternate in 400 and 800 relays). Bernat, Santori and Ross were part of the Bartlett 400 relay team that medaled at state. Bernat and Santori also ran on the 800 state team with Sowinski and Stagen. Bernat and Santori have competed in the 400 and 800 relays at state since their sophomore years. Pat Karys is another strong talent for the Hawks. He ran 7.94 in the 55 high hurdles at indoor conference earlier this month, while Hasenstein set lifetime personal records in the shot put indoors. He'll add discus to his routine outside. "We're excited about Jake's progression throughout the indoor season," said Kramer. "Outdoors we are hoping for him to get close to or break the 50-0 mark in the shot and be over 140 feet in the discus."Lucas Isla and Rathnau are looking to break 2:00 in the 800 outdoors. "The strength of this team is its ability to be coached," said Kramer. "Since the group arrived as freshmen we have introduced new ideas of training yearly to improve each athlete's performance. Athletes' attention to detail to help their teammates has been a luxury for us as coaches. It has helped friendships grow stronger and influence more athletes to join the program." Kramer said the squad has its sights set on a high conference finish. "We are looking forward to seeing how well we can do in the outdoor division conference meet," he said. "With the some of the teams in the Valley leaving for the DuPage Valley Conference, it leaves an opening at the top. Our program wants to place in the top two spots of the Valley Division. Experience in the sprint relays gives us an opportunity to make a trip to state and possibly be back on the medal stand. Our program always stresses athletes to be giving their best effort throughout the week to make the correct choices for them to set personal records when they perform."
BataviaCoach: Dennis Piron (17th year)
Conference: Upstate Eight River
2015 finish: UEC River champions; Kane Co. champions; sectional champions
Top returning athletes: Nick Stuttle (sr., jumps/hurdles), Zach Choffin (sr., distance), Shea Bastian (sr., distance), Nick Krella (jr. pole vault), Jay Hunt (jr., jumps/sprints), Peter Rudelich (jr., jumps)
Top newcomers: Will Akers (jr. jumps/hurdles), Michael Stanley (jr., relays), Blake Bakkum (jr., pole vault), Ross Berggren (jr., throws), Reggie Phillips (so., sprints), Sam Conger (so., hurdles), Shane Knanishu (so., distance), Sean Adams (so., distance)
Season outlook: Batavia did graduate five state qualifiers from last year's sectional titlist, but still has a host of talent on the roster, led by returning state high-jump medalist Hunt. "We should be a very balanced team that can score in all events," said Piron. "We should be especially strong in the hurdles, long jump, high jump and relays this season. We believe we should have some very strong state-level athletes this year such as Jay Hunt and Nick Stuttle and potentially our sprint relays. This is a very balanced team that will score in every event at most invites." Hunt has already gone 6-7 indoors in the high jump. "Jay also is a top-quality sprinter, can long jump and won the King of the Combine award at Batavia," said Piron. "He's a great athlete and a very humble kid." Piron also is looking for big things from Stuttle. "Nick is one of the best hurdlers/long jumpers in the county and is a potential medalist in both events," he said. Batavia graduate and high jump coach Brooke Bernardoni takes over pole vault duties this season from Kate Hillman. Piron labeled Hillman's efforts with the program as "outstanding."
Burlington CentralCoach: Mike Schmidt
Conference: Big Northern
2015 finish: BNC champions
Top returning athletes: Dionte Smith (jumps), Jared Trupp (pole vault), Keegan Whitmer (pole vault), Nick Harvey (middle distance), Drew Kries (sprints), Jason Berango (sprints), Brad Sorensen (sprints), Tim Goehrke (jumps/sprints), Tate Hendrickson (distance), Jared Walsh (throws), Matt Peterson (throws), Aakansh Sharma (hurdles), Michael Kalusa (jumps, sprints), Josh Teets (middle distance), Ryan Coursey (sprints)
Top newcomers: Adam Kries (middle distance), Connor Wagner (hurdles), Logan Anderson (distance), Patrick Mayfield (high jump), Jimmy Badillo (sprints), Victor Rodriguez (middle distance), Enrique Martinez (middle distance)
Season outlook: Central won the Big Northern for the fifth year in a row last season and has picked up where it left off, qualifying five individuals for indoor state. That group includes Smith (triple jump), Trupp and Whitmer in the pole vault, Harvey in the 800 and Kries in the 400. Trupp took third in the state in the pole vault last year as a sophomore, while Smith was ninth in the triple jump as a 10th grader. Harvey and Kries were part of Central's state runner-up 1,600 relay. "We have good talent in all the events," said Schmidt. "We have a very strong and young distance group, solid sprinters and good field events with a few outstanding contributors. This is a group with a great work ethic that is very coachable. We have a lot of young talent." Berango is coming off an injury-plagued junior year. "Jason looks ready to do some big things in the sprints," Schmidt. The coach also is high on Harvey in the 800 and Kries in the 400. "We are very young in a lot of key areas, but have enough upperclassmen with state experience to mentor the young group," he said. "This is the most talented freshman and sophomore group I've had in my 21 years. It may take a little time, but if this group stays together another trophy run may be coming in a year or two."
Crystal Lake SouthCoach: Nick Willhoit (1st year)
Conference: Fox Valley (Valley)
2015 finish: 6th place FVC Valley; 8th overall FVC
Top returning athletes: Jimmy Collins (sr., jumps), Scott Coughlin (sr., jumps), Nathan Columbia (sr., middle distance), Skyler Pentico (sr., hurdles), Jon Prus (jr., distance/middle distance), Nathan Meador (jr., throws), Sam Peschke (jr., pole vault), Jack Becker (so., distance)
Top newcomers: Drew Murtaugh (sr., sprints, jumps), Connor Buckner (jr., middle distance), Will Lawrence (fr., sprints), Mario Ochoa (fr., sprints), Nathan Langley (fr., jumps)
Season outlook: Willhoit takes over for longtime coach Rich Eschmann after serving as he distance coach the last four years. "Our team's main goal is to develop the young talent and build a strong frosh-soph team that also can compete well at the varsity level come May," said Willhoit. "We have a few athletes on the bubble to qualify for state as well, so the focus will be to get them competing at Eastern Illinois University (site of the state meet) at the end of May." Willhoit sees Huntley as a favorite in the conference. "Huntley should be the favorite, but our conference is very talented," he said.
Dundee-CrownCoach: Mike Richardson (3rd year)
Conference: Fox Valley (Valley)
2015 finish: 5th FVC
Top returning athletes: Freddy Martinez (sprints), Ace Aclaro (jumps), Logan Hayes (distance), Zach Bromund (throws)
Top newcomers: Freshmen Meante Foster (sprints), Dylan Becker (sprints/jumps), Mark Jensen (distance)
Season outlook: Richardson noted the team lost a number of talented seniors to graduation. "We did lose some really outstanding sprinters and jumpers to graduation so we are hoping for some other athletes to step up and become point scorers in those areas," he said. "As a team we want to continue to be competitive in the FVC and it always is a goal for us to get athletes down to the state meet." Richardson also is excited for his freshman class. "We have a strong freshman class this year with really solid numbers," he said. "I expect several of those athletes to see some time on the varsity level." Richardson pegged Huntley, Grayslake Central and Jacobs as top-tier possibilities in the FVC. "Huntley, Grayslake Central and Jacobs likely will continue to have success from what I have seen so far."
East AuroraCoach: Shane Gillespie
Conference: Upstate Eight Valley
2015 finish: 8th place UEC Valley
Top returning athletes: David Galvan (sr., distance), Jose Alvarado (sr., distance), Ricardo Del Toro (jr., distance), Rudy Vera (jr., distance)
Top newcomers: Jon Juarez (jr., distance), Juan Ramos (jr., sprints), Miguel Gonzalez (jr., distance), Edgar Perez (jr., distance)
Season outlook: The distance division is a big strength for the Tomcats this spring. "We have a very strong and deep distance group this year that should fare quite well," said Gillespie. "The depth we have, particularly in the 400-3,200 range is a luxury we have that makes creating a lineup a unique challenge, but a great one to have. We are hoping to score enough points on the track, particularly in the distances, to keep us competitive in most of our invites as well as the conference meet." Gillespie also has high hopes for the young talent in the field events and sprints. "They could end up contributing on the varsity level by the end of the season," he said.
ElginCoach: Drew Smith
Conference: Upstate Eight River
2015 finish: 11th overall UEC
Top returning athletes: Brandon Copeland (sr., distance), Tyreese Riley (sr., sprints), Danny Geary (sr., sprints), Fernando Vargas (sr., throws), Shareick Morris (jr., sprints)
Top newcomer: Noah Williamson (jr., jumps)
Season outlook: Smith said Copeland has looked strong during the indoor season in distance events, while the 800 relay team of Riley, Morris Marlon Ong and Geary placed third at indoor conference. "Our seniors have been with me now for three years and they have grown in many ways," said Smith. "Their buy-in has been solid since 2015 and I am excited to see the payoff this year. I believe we have state-qualifying opportunity in all four disciplines this year. We had a strong indoor season and put a lot of work in. If we can maintain what we're doing, we'll be headed back to Charleston for a second year in a row. Since I started in 2015, this is the group I've been most focused on because I knew we had time to build them up. I love these guys because they have trusted the process and have been consistent for three years. We are further along now than we have ever been at the conclusion of the indoor season, so I believe we're approaching what could be our best outdoor season yet." Smith said hard work has helped the likes of seniors Copeland, Vargas, Geary and Riley. "They all are seniors who are hungry for next-level competition," he said. "They have had big goals for three years." Morris will help the team in a variety of events. "I'm fired up," said Smith. "I believe in this group of guys and can't wait to see how they deliver in May."
Elgin Academy Coach: Adrian Ayala
Conference: Independent School League
2015 finish: 6th place ISL
Top returning athletes: Armin Ward (sr., throws/jumps/middle distance), Devin Uner (sr., distance)
Top newcomers: Sophomores Hy Chau (sprints, jumps), Tommy Cain (middle distance, jumps)
Season outlook: Ayala said the Hilltoppers have a strong group of 800 runners, "giving us a solid 4-by-8 relay team." Uner is coming off a cross-country season where he qualified for sectionals. "Devin hopes to build on that success," said Ayala. Roster numbers are a little thinner this year for the Hilltoppers, but that's not deterring Ayala. "The team energy has never been higher," said Ayala.
Geneva
Coach: Gayle Gross
Conference: Upstate Eight River
2015 finish: 2nd UEC River; 6th overall UEC
Top returning athletes: Zeke Buck (sr., sprints, pole vault), Justin Taormina (sr., sprints, jumps), Donny Friedel (sr., sprints), Ryan Skibinski (sr., sprints), Tyler Dau (jr., middle distance), Brian Kuehl (jr., middle distance)
Top newcomers: John Boenzi (sr., throws), Danny Capobianco (sr., throws), Jack Krieger (so., sprints), Bobby Murray (so., sprints/jumps), Josh Rodgers (fr., distance)
Season outlook: Taormina (long jump, 400 relay), Skibinski (400 relay) and Friedel (400 relay) all qualified for the state meet last year. "I believe we will have the most balance on this team that we have seen in a long time," said Gross. "If I have to say a strength, it would be in the sprints." Senior leadership also will be a key for the Vikings. "This group is senior-dominated and we have some seniors out who have not participated in track and field before this year," said Gross. "The leadership should be strong and I am looking for a mature, competitive group." Gross noted Boenzi had an "outstanding" indoor season in the shot put, while Buck, who is headed to Missouri Tech as a decathlon competitor, will help Geneva in a variety of events. Gross is looking forward to seeing Taormina, Skibinski and Friedel progress this spring. "Our returning state qualifiers should be fun to watch as we are not really known as a strong sprint program," said Gross. "It will be interesting how this team gels together with the many seniors we have. West Aurora and Batavia will be the teams to beat in conference so we will see if we are up to the challenge. I also am looking for some of our frosh-soph athletes to fill in gaps that we have to make us competitive. It will be interesting to see how they respond." Geneva's frosh-soph team won the UEC indoor invitational.
HampshireCoach: Joe Watzlawick
Conference: Fox Valley (Fox)
2015 finish: 10th place FVC
Top returning athletes: Jake Oury (jr., distance), Douglas Stuehler (jr., jumps), Will Matushek (jr., distance)
Top newcomer: Anthony Poett (fr., sprints)
Season outlook: Oury and Stuehler are returning athletes with state-meet experience. Oury qualified last year in the 3,200, while Stuehler made it in the long jump. "Our strength is our distance runners and jumpers," said Watzlawick. The coach said he would like to see the state bus have an additional occupant this year. "Our goal is to get Jake, Douglas and Will to state," said Watzlawick, who pegged Huntley and Cary-Grove as top FVC contenders.
Harvest ChristianCoach: Steven Bland
Conference: Northeastern Athletic Conference
2015 finish: 4th place Northeastern Athletic
Top returning athletes: Brett Cramer (sr., jumps), Michael Sisko (jr., distance), Andrew Cojocarescu (jr., sprints, jumps), Andrew Dobrescu (so., middle distance)
Top newcomers: Noah Varvara (jr., sprints), Mark Davila (so., middle distance)
Season outlook: Harvest has its largest team in program history with 32 boys, which includes individuals who turned in strong performances a year ago at the conference and sectional meets. "We are well-rounded with solid distance, mid-distance, sprinters, jumpers and hurdlers," said Bland. "Our primary goal is to win conference, after that, but equally important, is the development of our athletes so they can advance to the state meet. As a small school it is hard for us to compete against the larger Class 1A schools, but getting individual athletes to state is a win for us." Bland sees a competitive NAC again this season. "Rockford Christian Life won the boys title last season so they are the team with the target on their backs," he said. "Mooseheart always has been a solid contender or winner every year since we've been in the conference. The surprise team may be Aurora Christian, which just joined the conference this year. Two years ago, both their boys and girls teams won IHSA state titles."
HuntleyCoach: Jim Rolando (11th year)
Conference: Fox Valley (Valley)
2015 finish: FVC champions, McHenry Co. champions, sectional champions
Top returning athletes: Keagan Smith (sr., middle distance/distance), Seth Conroy (sr., middle distance/distance), Tim McCloyn sr., (throws/sprints), Dominic Swanson (sr., throws), Mike Grocholski (sr., middle distance/distance), Brendan O'Donnell (sr., sprints), Jeremie Allen (sr., sprints), Trevor Dell'Aquilla (sr., sprints), Ben Marsh (sr., sprints), Sean Patel (sr., jumps)
Top newcomers: Max Trinski (sr., jumps), Raf Rivera (jr., pole vault), Jacob Riese (jr., pole vault), Ben Stevens (jr., sprints), Sam Pitrone (jr., hurdles/jumps), Brian Bala (jr., hurdles), Dubem Anikamadu (so., sprints)
Season outlook: Huntley is coming off a masterful 2015 season where it qualified individuals in eight different events at state and earned four state medals. Smith earned a medal at state in the 1,600. "We look to improve as the season goes along," said Rolando. "It will be difficult to repeat some of the individual and team performances that helped us win some bigger meets last year. Getting the younger guys ready to compete will be a priority for us and that is both a strength and a weakness. They can become like last year's group that competed at the varsity level and stepped up many times, but they also are pretty young right now and aren't quite ready to compete day in and day out at the varsity level. Rolando said the FVC Valley has numerous teams that could excel this season. "I look for Jacobs to be good," he said. "They had a solid core of mid-distance guys every year and always find some good sprinters or jumpers. McHenry should be strong and deep like always and last year's young team from Cary-Grove was impressive. They might still be a year away from peaking in the sprints, but they definitely had the most complete group of young sprinters last season. Honestly, I think the FVC will be pretty even again this year." Huntley has 50 frosh-soph athletes out for the sport this year.
JacobsCoach: Jason Borhart (14th year)
Conference: Fox Valley (Valley)
Top returning athletes: Dylan Rogers (sr., sprints/relays), Patrick Shannon (sr., jumps/sprints/relays), Kyle Ross (sr., middle distance/relays), James Hennessy (sr., middle distance/relays), Danny Madoch (sr., middle distance/relays), Garrett Brenizer (jr., distance), Conrad Beech (jr., sprints/relays), Colin Yoon (jr., hurdles)
Top newcomers: Austin Albrecht (sr., middle distance/relays), Steven Bellefontaine (jr., sprints/relays), Zach Albrecht (fr., middle distance/relays), Cam Reedy (distance)
Season outlook: Borhart has his squad focused on improvement over the long haul. "Hopefully we will be able to put together some strong events by the end of the year," he said. Borhart said Huntley is the team to beat in the area. He added distance events in the area "are ridiculously strong."
KanelandCoach: Eric Baron
Conference: Northern Illinois Big 12
2015 finish: Tied for 1st NIB-12
Top returning athletes: Danny Walker (pole vault), Austin Kintz (distance/relays), Tanner Robertsen (hurdles/sprints/relays), Matt Richtman (distance/relays), Sean Spaetzel (middle distance/relays), Drew Franklin (middle distance/relays), Mike Rinella (pole vault), Brandon Cruz (sprints/relays), John Delach (sprints/relays)
Season outlook: Kaneland is loaded with returning state qualifiers. Walker is the defending Class 2A state pole vault champion, while Kintz took fifth in the 1,600. Robertsen qualified in the 300 hurdles, while Richtman qualified in the 1,600. He also was part of the 3,200 relay state team with Spaetzel, Franklin and Kintz. Cruz and Robertsen are back from the 800 relay team that made state, while Cruz and Delach ran on the 400 relay state team. The Knights qualified their 3,200 and 800 relay teams, Rinella in the vault and Cruz in the 60 dash for the indoor state meet. "We have overall depth and a very large group of seniors. We should be a team that contends for a Top 3 finish in most of our meets," said Baron. "We should have very strong relays this season." Newcomers Tyler Paulson and Matt Noel are new to the program this season but already have contributed indoors. "They both should be big parts in what we have at the end of the season," said Baron.
LarkinCoach: Nate Williams
Conference: Upstate Eight River
Top returning athletes: D'Montrelle Mardis (sr., sprints/relays), Roosevelt Hopkins (sr., middle distance), David Hibbler (jr., sprints/relays), Eduardo Baltazar (jr., middle distance/relays), Nathaniel Kohler (jr., jumps, relays)
Top newcomers: James Garner (sr., jumps), Jose Lara (fr., sprint relays)
Season outlook: Hibler and Martis are back from Larkin's all-conference 800 relay team. While the Royals do have upper class contributors, youth still is prevalent overall. "For the second year in a row we will field a relatively young team, heavy on freshmen and sophomores," said Williams. "How quickly some of our retuning upperclassmen get into shape will dictate if we can field a couple relays that can return to state. Early on, jumps and young sprinters appear to be our strength." Williams pegs Batavia and St. Charles East as top contenders in the UEC River.
MarmionCoach: Dan Thorpe
Conference: Chicago Catholic League
2015 finish: Conference champions
Top returning athletes: Austin Auchstetter (sr., sprints/relays), Isaiah Brown (sr., jumps/sprints/relays), Andrew Burroughs (sr., distance), Joe Duffield (sr., sprints/relays), Dan Heineman (sr., distance), Chris Hossfeld (sr., sprints/jumps/relays), Dolan Hunt (sr., middle distance), Jerin Martin (sr., throws), Adam Miller (sr., throws), D'Angelo Romero-Whitaker (sr., distance), Jack Saloga (sr., sprints/relays), Christian Surtz (sr., distance), Gyovai Tena (sr., distance), Stephen Woodcock (sr., throws), Matt Woodcock (sr., high jump), Nick Auriemma (jr., throws), Brandon Currie (jr., hurdles), David Farrell (jr., distance), Benji Garcia (jr., sprints/relays), Anthony Giometti (jr., distance), Quinn Gratz (jr., middle distance), Jett Haas (jr., sprints/relays), Jacob Heineman (jr., pole vault), Anthony Hernandez (jr., throws), Andrew Lifka (jr., distance), Jimmy Miller (jr., distance), Zach Moore (jr., sprints/relays), Dominic Quartetti (jr., middle distance), Freddy Quevedo (jr., throws), Nick Sevenich (jr., hurdles), Charlie Zimmer (jr., distance), Anthony Zolfo (jr., jumps), Sean Galle (so., distance), Seth Groom (so., jumps), Brandon Hamling (so., sprints/relays), Calvin McDonald (so., throws), Michael Ronzone (so., distance)
Season outlook: Marmion won a conference title for the 11th year in a row last spring and is fresh off a second-place Chicago Catholic League indoor finish, 10 points behind Loyola. Brown already has long-jumped 21-1 and gone 43-1 in the triple. He qualified for indoor state in the triple, long, 400 and as a member of the 1,600 relay. Burroughs qualified for indoor state in the 3,200 (9:43.54), as did Zimmer. Ronzone (4:28.24) and Zimmer (4:32.7) also qualified in the 1,600 along with the 1,600 relay team of Gratz, Duffield, Brown and Ronzone. Thorp has 85 kids in the program. "Our goal is to win the Chicago Catholic League meet and the sectional title," said Thorp. "It will be very difficult, but it's doable if we get some points in all the events. We can do that because of our numbers and the great work ethic of our kids." Burroughs has accepted preferred walk-on status for cross country and track at the University of Pittsburgh. Thorpe lauded the contributions of assistant coaches Dan Klatt (distance), Mike Garofalo (high jump), Charlie Brown (long jump/triple jump), John Cornish (pole vault) and Ed DeGreeter (throws).
St. Charles East Coach: Chris Bosworth
Conference: Upstate Eight River
2015 finish: 4th place overall UEC
Top returning athletes: Devon Kelly (sr., sprints, relays), Michael Gerkin (sr., distance), Jake Rzepecki (sr., middle distance), Brett Izzo (sr., middle distance/distance), Evan Patel (sr., distance), Marco Loleng (sr., jumps), Colton Weber (jr., pole vault), JB Sandlund (jr., middle distance), Nick Kane (jr., throws), Jake Schweizer (jr., sprints)
Top newcomer: John Carroll (jr., jumps)
Season outlook: Kelly (400, 1,600 relay), Weber (pole vault) and 3,200 relay members Rzepecki and Sandlund all are returning state qualifiers. Rzepecki (1:56) and Sandlund (1:58) have gone under 2:00 in the 800 indoors. Gerkin (9:43) and Jake Beno (9:52) have looked strong in the 3,200, while Kelly has gone 52.19 in the 400 indoors, Weber 13-7 in the vault and Loleng and John Carrol 41-2 each in the triple jump. "We are much more well-rounded this year," said Bosworth. "We are scoring points in the field events, which is new for us. We also are strong in almost all the track events. We should double-score in most track events this year." St. Charles East has 130 kids in the program, way up from last year's 85 total. "We have more football players adding to the mix," the coach said. "This team is working toward a common goal of becoming the best track team we can be. There are a lot of unselfish kids on the team." Bosworth said the team has goals that all point toward the month of May. "We want to be our best in May at conference, sectional and state," he said. "We want more state qualifiers than last year and then more state finalists than last year."
St. Charles NorthCoach: Kevin Harrington
Conference: Upstate Eight River
2015 finish: 4th place UEC River; 4th place UEC overall
Top returning athletes: Joey Fiandaca (sr., pole vault), Tyler Tomich (sr., distance), Joey Rangel (sr., distance), Michael Boone (sr., distance)
Top newcomers: Olu Elegbede (sr., sprints), Eric Lins (jr., sprints), Sam Ambrogio (jr., throws), Luke Zanis (jr., sprints), Luke Sutherland (jr., sprints), Colton Tisdall (jr., sprints), Hank Zimmer (jr., pole vault), Riley Smith (jr., hurdles/sprints), Cam Wright (jr., jumps/pole vault), Grayson Reed (jr., high jump), Mitchell Davis (jr., jumps)
Season outlook: North recently placed fifth at the UEC indoor conference meet. "We are a young team so our fifth-place performance at indoor conference will be a good marker for how much better we will get," said Harrington. "The juniors of this group won frosh-soph conference, so there is a good amount of talent to work with. This group is a lot of fun and has shown a tremendous capacity to work." Fiandaca, a returning state qualifier, recently won the UEC indoor pole vault title with a leap of 14-0. "Fourteen feet is pretty high for this early in the season," said Harrington. "With his state experience he will have a great opportunity to continue the tradition of pole-vaulting excellence here." Smith, a junior, is looking strong in the hurdles and sprints. "Riley ran cross country last summer and fall to increase his running economy and endurance," said Harrington. "This has paid off well with several quality runs early in the season. He is on track to break our school records." Sutherland, another junior, also took up cross country. "Luke ran cross country to improve his endurance and efficiency," said Harrington. "He has run under 54 seconds repeatedly during indoor and has a lot more to show." Harrington said the program has been on a three-year rebuilding journey. "While we have some excellent senior athletes, we lack depth at the varsity level," he said. "The depth and strength of our juniors is a great sign of the direction this program is headed. We are going to get significantly better each week of the season. Only time will tell where that puts us during championship season in May."
South ElginCoach: Anthony LaRue (6th year)
Conference: Upstate Eight Valley
Top returning athletes: Shawn Griffin (sprints, relays), Jaurice Thomas (sprints, relays), Larnell Brown (jumps), Nico Woods (sprints, relays), Kyle Mastrangeli, Isaiah Carpenter.
Top newcomer: Derek Kumerow
Season outlook: South Elgin returns a number of key components from last year's squad. Griffin went to state in the 100 and set a new personal record of 10.86. Griffin, Thomas and Woods are back from the team's state-qualifying 800 relay. "We continue to set new heights here," LaRue said. "The strength of this program is in the excitement I see in the team as a whole. Every event group is energized for competition. That excitement is great to see and as coaches we need to both control and let that flam burn hot." One of LaRue's key goals is to get his squad ready for championship season in May. "That requires we fine-tune the skills we teach in practice," he said. "Our goals are to teach kids and get good kids to the top levels whether that is striving to get into the conference meet, the state meet or beyond. We want our athletes to love our sport just as we do. We will continue to work and develop skills that allow our athletes to continue to perform at a state-meet-level all year. We have some great returning seniors who have shown they can compete at the top levels in the state."
StreamwoodCoach: Dylan Lau
Conference: Upstate Eight River
Top returning athletes: Robert Douglas (sr., distance), Nino Atkins (sr., sprints/jumps), Jacob McGlone (sr., sprints)
Top newcomer: Marcos Villarreal (fr., distance)
Season outlook: The Sabres feature a roster filled with promising young athletes. "We have a lot of good, young talent that will develop and get better throughout the season," said Lau. "The strength of this team is its ability to want to get better. Our young guys who are new to the team have something to prove and they are working hard each day in practice to achieve it. One weakness of this team due to its youth is its inexperience, but that will change as soon as they get more reps in the meets." Injuries are something Lau is keeping an eye on. "One obstacle for us is to stay healthy and injury-free this season," he said. "We have already had some injuries to some of our key athletes, so we look to minimize injuries throughout the rest of the season." Lau said the UEC again is filled with top-quality programs. "I think our conference is one of the tougher ones in the state," he said. "Each year any one of the different team can pop off and take home the conference championship. We are looking to try and stay competitive in the conference."
West AuroraCoach: Cortney Lamb
Conference: Upstate Eight Valley
2015 finish: 3rd place UEC Valley; 3rd overall UEC
Top returning athletes: Connor McCue (sr., middle distance/distance), Chris Walker (sr., jumps), Alex DeBolt (sr., throws), Drake Spears (sr., sprints), Nick Thompson (sr., pole vault), Leo Colon (sr., throws), DaVion Cross (jr., jumps, relays), DaQuan Cross (jr., jumps, relays), Michael Pryor (jr., sprints), Chandler Berhens (jr., sprints), David Castillo (jr., distance)
Top newcomer: Camron Donatlan (so., high jump)
Season outlook: West Aurora won the UEC indoor meet earlier this month behind conference champions McCue (800, 1,600), DaVion Cross (triple jump), DeBolt (shot put) and the 800 relay team of Pryor, Berhens, Spears and DaQuan Cross. Walker is the defending 3A champion in the triple jump, while DaVion Cross took second at state in that event last year. McCue (800) and DaQuan Cross (high jump) are returning state qualifiers. "This team is well-balanced, experienced and led by all-state-caliber athletes," said Lamb, who enjoys the competitiveness and coachability of the group. "Connor, Chris and DaVion are returning state qualifiers and state leaders in their events and will be counted on for big points in big meets. This team has the talent and potential to have a very successful 2016 season. The team and coaching staff have set lofty goals and they are attainable with hard work and perseverance."
-- John Lemon contributed to this report
Cary-Grove, Westminster Christian and St. Edward did not respond to requests for information.