Spartan 800, 1600 and pole vaulter lead at Rantoul Invitational

By Fred Kroner

The same runners enabled the St. Joseph-Ogden boys’ track and field team to win the 800-meter relay and take second in the varsity 1,600-meter relay on Saturday (April 6) in the 14-school Rantoul Invitational.

The foursome of Tim Blackburn-Kelley, Jackson Greer, Logan Smith and Colin Wayland had a composite time of 1:33.79 to win the 800 relay by .31 seconds.

In the 1,600 relay, they were timed in 3:37.22.

The Spartans had one other runner-up placer. Pole vaulter Charlie Schmitz was second at 12 feet, a personal-best.

Danville was the meet champion in the varsity division with 101 points. SJ-O was sixth with 57 points.

Carson Maroon took third in the 800 meters for the Spartans (2:02.06).

Also placing third was the 400-meter relay foursome of Tyler Burch, Wayland, Smith and Greer. Their final time was 44.31 seconds.

SJ-O hurdlers also accounted for three top-six performances. Wyatt Wertz was fourth in the 300 hurdles (personal-best 45.04 seconds) and fifth in the 110-meter hurdles (personal-best 18.36 seconds). In the 300 hurdles, Kyler Swanson ended sixth in 46.20.

Three other Spartans achieved lifetime bests: Jack Fisher (eighth in the 3,200 meters in 10:52.77), Wayland (seventh in the high jump at 5-7) and Drew Thurman (eighth in the shot put at 38 feet, 2 inches).

Seven other SJ-O participants placed between seventh and ninth.

Taking home a seventh-place finish was Spencer Wilson (54.74 in the 400 meters).

Winding up in eighth place was Aden Armstrong (56.09 in the 400 meters).

The ninth-place performers included Burch in both the 100 meters (11.52) and the 200 meters (23.24).

Other Spartans in ninth place were Holden Jones (4:57.34 in the 1,600 meters), Brennan Oleynichak (103 feet, 10 inches in the discus) and Garrett Siems (who tied for ninth in the high jump at 5 feet, 5 inches).

In the junior varsity portion of the meet, SJ-O finished fourth among 12 teams with 38 points. Pleasant Plains (45 points) captured the JV title.

SJ-O’s 1,600-meter relay took home a first-place finish. Sharing the baton were Wertz, Swanson, Mason Guido and Joe Griebat. Their composite time was 3:50.77. They won by 3:50.

The Spartans fared well in the throws.

Jackson Ennis was second in the discus (117 feet, 3 inches) and third in the shot put (40 feet, 2 inches). Carson Sarnecki was fourth in the discus (106 feet, 4 inches).

Other high-placing JV relays were the 400- and 800-meter foursomes.

The 400 relay featured Grant Smith, Carter Turner, Wertz and Swanson. They crossed the finish line in fifth place 48.68 seconds.

The 800 unit came in seventh. The relay runners were Smith, Turner, Schmitz and Lance Retz. Their time was 1:44.11.

In individual running events, two SJ-O athletes secured places among the top nine.

Guido was sixth in the 400 meters (56.27 seconds) and Blackburn-Kelley was ninth in the 100 meters (personal-best 11.93 seconds).

SJ-O returns to action on Tuesday (April 11) in a triangular meet at Rantoul.