2026 DGS Mustang Relays and Kenwood Bronco Relays Preview

Today is the day that many track & field fans wait for all year as its the Mustang Relays and Bronco Relays that occur today. Todays two meets are sure to rewrite the top relay marks in the state today and provide us some great state caliber matchups. We break down every event from both meets here in this article!

Mustang Relays

Boys 4x800m

The Mustang Relays 4x8 produced nationwide attention last year with a US #1 time from DGN, we could very well see the same thing this year. The top two ranked 4x8s in Illinois will be facing off in their relay debut, it will be Sandburg versus Downers Grove North. Sandburg was the narrow preseason favorite over DGN, mainly due to their depth. They ran 7:46 last year to take 5th at the 3A state meet, and they return 3 of the 4 from that relay. The one senior that they graduated could be replaced by a number of guys who can split a 1:58 with ease. Their depth isn’t their only strength though, as they have Mateo Ramiro Garcia at anchor. Ramiro Garcia was all-state last year in the open 800 with a blistering mark of 1:53.14. He is one of the top returning 800 runners this year, and he’ll be a huge help to this Sandburg 4x8. Downers North might lack the depth that Sandburg has, but they make up for it with their dynamic duo of Phillip Cupial and Will Surratt. Cupial is the top returning distance runner from last season and his time of 1:50 from Nike Nationals instantly propels the Trojans into 4x8 state title contention. Surratt split a huge PR of 1:51 last year at Nike Nationals to help DGN take home the national title, and if you combine him with Cupial, you get a pretty nasty 4x8. Their 3rd and 4th legs are largely up for grabs, but you can expect Dylan Wood to fill one of those spots. Wood has run 2:00 in a dual meet so far this year, so he could be able to run a little faster if he’s given the chance at Mustang. These two teams are both capable of breaking the 7:50 border this week, it should be an exciting race between them.

There are several other 4x8s to keep an eye on here at Mustang Relays. Plainfield North will likely lead the chase pack, as they have a good shot at the low 7:50s. Led by Thomas Czerwinski and Aiden Connors, the Tigers have the depth to post a steaming hot time. Plainfield South will look to close down on their cross-town rivals, they certainly have the pieces to do it. Having Dylan Buturisis will be a big help to the Cougars, as he is one of the fastest 800 runners in the field. Hinsdale Central has rebuilt their 4x8 to its old grandeur, they will be looking to break 8 minutes for the first time this season. Henry Miller has put up a great mile time so far this season, and they have several guys that are ready to break 2:00 for the first time. Naperville Central is overflowing with 800 runners, they should be able to put together a squad that will challenge 8 minutes. Lane Tech and St. Charles North have all the individual pieces in place for a sub 8 4x8, they just need to put it in action. The Northstars of SCN with Sam Hill on their 4x8 will be a largely underrated team coming into this meet. There’s a good chance they walk away with a spot in the top 5 if everything goes to plan for them. Palatine and Berwyn Cicero Morton are two teams that have 3 fantastic legs, but are looking for a fourth. Their success will hinge upon whether or not they are able to secure a fourth leg, but they should still be a part of this top group. 

Boys 4x200m

The 4x2 won’t see quite the talent that the other events have, but there should still be some explosive marks regardless. Plainfield East is the one favorite coming into the meet. Joe Owusu has caught fire throughout the indoor season. They do not have Nasir Robinson listed on the relay card, but have a great squad regardless. Bolingbrook has the pieces in place to run a solid 4x2. Edmond Ankomah is more than capable of stepping down from the 400 and running a scorcher in the 200. Hinsdale Central has run one of the fastest flat 200 4x2s so far this season with a 1:32.25 from Clash. Their success is largely due to their superstar Dominic Tresslar, who has been getting better and better as the season progresses. With a guy like Tresslar on this relay, they instantly become a contender in this field. Minooka has seen huge success in their star Max Smith, but he is not listed on the relay card for this one. They still have the depth to place well here. Naperville Central has a strong core of sprinters that will allow them to challenge the 1:30 border. Chad Earl and Eron Kennedy are both having great indoor seasons and will both be the driving force behind this Redhawk 4x2. Yorkville is the top seed in this one and can form a great team around young star Jayden Ruth. 

Boys 4x400m

We should see some electric performances from the 4x4, let’s meet the field. Yorkville and Naperville Central are the two main teams to keep your eye on here. The Foxes have a stud with Owen Horeni, as he’s one of the best 800 runners in the state. His split from last spring was around a 48.5, so he should be more than capable to lead this team to victory. Aiden Kolkmeyer has looked strong in the open 400 lately, he should be a huge factor for this Yorkville team as well. Naperville Central has finally developed their young talent into strong runners, and it’s resulted in a powerhouse sprint program. Chad Earl just recently broke the 50 second border in a split for the first time, splitting 49.6 at the Cabin Fever invite. Eron Kennedy, Lukas Probst and Kyle Clark are all capable of splitting in the low 50 seconds, which means this team has a very good chance at running under 3:25. Both Naperville Central and Yorkville will be gunning for that 3:25 barrier, both of them should be able to break it. After Edmond Ankomah broke 50 seconds in the 400 at the Art Pahl invite, Bolingbrook has now been propelled into the 4x4 conversation. They have guys that can run 52 seconds or faster, so with a stud like Ankomah on anchor, Bolingbrook should be able to run a crazy time here. Hinsdale Central is another team that has looked fantastic as of late. They have run in the low 3:30s on several occasions, they should be on the verge of a breakout here. Braden Tingler and Sammy Mourad are both capable of splitting in the low 50s, which is what keeps the Red Devils in this race. Downers Grove North is another team that can do some damage. They are led by both Phil Cupial and Will Surratt in this one. 

Girls 4x800m

The girls 4x8 is going to showcase some of the deepest fields in the state, and will likely preview what the state meet could look like in May. This will be the first time some of these teams fully load their relays, so expect to see some fast times in Naperville. The returning state champions Prospect  come in as the favorite, but all of these teams could go for the win. So far this season, Meg Peterson has already dropped a 2:15 800, and it will be interesting to see how their young team performs. They will have two freshmen in the lineup with Juliana Mihalopoulos and Caitlin Resac. Both have run 2:27 this season, but Prospect is known for having massive breakouts here at Mustang Relays. Another team that could make a big statement are returning DGS second place finishers St. Ignatius. Led by Annika Swan the wolfpack girls have the capabilities to make some noise. Swan split 2:12 last year, so watch out for them towards the front of the pack if Swan leads off. There is no Ally Shutler on this relay this week for the Wolfpack. They will rely on Elle Sheaffer, Greta Sheaffer, and Gabby Duque for this one. The favorite in this one looks to be Lane Tech. Led by Ainsley Carter, who ran 2:16 and 5:00 this season, already has 2 girls at 2:19 and another at 2:20. If the Champions stay up front, they could come away with a win. St. Charles North is expected to have a strong race. They can contend for the win in this one. Julia Rodney and Gwen Hobson are on a terror this season, running 2:16 for each. With a healthy Kara Glenn back on their roster, they could make some big moves on Monday. They return all 4 members of an all-state relay from 2025. Plainfield North should also be up near the front pack, led by Marlie Czarniewski and Tessa Russo. Czarniewski has had a great start to her indoor season, running 5:02 for 1600 and 10:32 for 3200. If this momentum translates to her 800, their relay could be very exciting. Tessa Russo also has looked great as she has run 59.63 in the 400m this indoor season. Huntley will also put together a quality 4x8, with three girls at 2:21 and another at 2:24. If the field can push them further, they have the potential to have a big breakthrough race. York has not raced to their full potential yet and will be in Section 2 in this one, but with a strong 800 runner in Sophia Galiano Sanchez, who has run 2:17 indoors this season, and Karlin Janowski, they could run something big. They need to load up the other two spots in order to have a chance at the win. Yorkville will be led by Athena Triner, who ran 2:21, so she will be at the front of the pack. In order to stay upfront, however, the rest of their pack will need to push. Minooka will be led by Natalie Nahs and Paige Joachim, who have both run 2:20. Expect Minooka to have a strong race, Melinda Torres and Caroline Jorge have had some big indoor campaigns thus far. If the field could push them, they could have a breakthrough race. 

Girls 4x200m

The 4x2 will feature a great level of talent, with Plainfield East and Prospect leading the way. Plainfield East has shown throughout the indoor season that they can compete with the best of the best. Their season best of 1:40.80 is IL #2 behind none other than Homewood Flossmoor, and they trail by one hundredth of a second. The addition of Cam Cargo has done numbers for the Bengals short sprint squad, and they are looking stronger than ever coming into Mustang Relays. Prospect returns a bulk of their depth from last year, with a core of three powering this 4x2. Dajana Skolimowska, Samantha Skowronski, and Nikki Niebrugge all return from the 4x2 that took 3rd at last year’s state meet, all three will look to keep Prospect’s streak of sprint success alive. Skowronski is not listed on this relay card here so their last two legs look to be Elyse Freeman and Charlotte Connor. Prospect will also be running in Section 4 for this one. Huntley will look to make an appearance here in the 4x2. So far this season, they have a season best of 1:46.25 from their home invite, but their top lineup is largely in the air. Addison Busam is their strongest 200 runner, who just set her PR in the open 200 at 26.22. They have three other girls who have broken 27 that will be key runners for this relay. Lincoln Way East has three strong legs with Alaina Steele, Grace Murphy, and Nora Keane. Steele and Keane are both returning from LWE’s 4x4 that took 2nd last spring at the 3A state meet, Steele being the ace of that squad with her devious split of 53.70. Steele has the top end speed to be elite in this race, all LWE needs is a fourth leg to make this 4x2 happen. York should be another team to watch in this race. York has a season best of 1:46.29, but they have blue chip sprinters like Jillian Booth and Morgan Navarre, who have both broken 26 seconds in the open this season. Both of these two will help push York into contention with Huntley and LWE, it should be a close race for third. Don't count out the defending State Champions Plainfield North in this one to be a top 4 finish.  

Girls 4x400m

Prospect will look to capture a win over this loaded field. The Knights return 3 girls from their 4th place 4x4 from last year, all 3 girls are capable of splitting sub minute this week. Samantha Skowronski and Dajana Skolimowska are the two core 400 runners that will propel this team to victory. Meg Peterson will also be featured on this great team. Plainfield East narrowly leads the chase pack, as they have looked incredible throughout the indoor season in the 4x4. Briyah Beatty is the main source of power to this Tiger 4x4, as she is a returning all-stater in the open 400. The freshman addition of Cam Cargo has led to a full squad with Beatty, Cargo, Brisline and Lankah. This squad ran 4:02 at the Cabin Fever invite, they will look to challenge the 4 minute border here. Lane Tech and Minooka will be right on Plainfield East’s tail, as both squads are ready to release their top squads. Lane has benefitted from the banked track in Chicago more than any other team in the field, as they already have two girls under a minute in the open 400. With two more girls at 1:00, they should be a contending squad here. Minooka has not gotten their chance on the banked track yet, but they have run fast times regardless. Their 800 runners are actually the driving force of their 4x4, with both Natalie Nahs and Paige Joachim at 1:00 on a flat 200. This distance heavy 4x4 will look to compete for a sub four minute mark as well. Teams like Lincoln-Way East, St. Charles North, and Plainfield North can also compete for a top 3 finish in this one. 

Bronco Relays

Boys 4x200m

The favorite is St. Laurence with their blazing 1:30.20. In order to win this race, it will come down to the team with the cleaner handoff exchanges. Expect to see Andrew Delgado, Matthew Williams, Jacob Diaz, and Joey Philip for this squad. Kankakee and Lincoln Way West also can potentially take the win here in this one. Kankakee has opened this season so far with an electric 1:31.66, and they only have one individual under 23 seconds! However, LWW’s 4x200m season best of 1:31.79 is right next to Kankakees, which should lead to a great race between these two. Neither team has yet to experience the banked track this season, so they should both see significant time improvement here. Another team to watch is Zion Benton, with Ramir Morris, Jamere French, Karon Stewart, and Jayceon Henley. Their season best of 1:32.81 will certainly stand up in a field like this. They are not in contention for the title but a possible chance for the battle of the fourth place spot. Keep your eyes on Simeon, Kenwood, and Lake Park as well in this one as potential teams that could take as high as 2nd in this one. 

Boys 4x400m

This 4x400m relay section from the Boys Bronco Relays is near unmatched. Lincoln Way West is looking to get not only on the podium, but take back the gold to New Lenox. With their #1 time of 3:23.72 they will be the clear cut champions as one of the best 400m runners in the state, Zaven Johnson, will be kicking it off and having Hunter Spee, Anthony Lusciatti, and Brandon Wolf finishing it. After their current season’s best performance, LWW is eyeing down the fiery sub 3:23 to retain the current title. Teams like Kenwood, Lake Park, and Bloom will be looking to break out in this one to take 2nd place here. 

Boys 4x800m

The boys 4x8 will have Deerfield. The Warriors have built an exceptional distance program within the last year or two, they will look to show their strength here at Bronco Relays. Jamie Chandler and Andrew Calderon have been the dynamic duo for Deerfield throughout the cross country season, but now Sam Chaban has had his chance to show off his speed. Calderon is capable of splitting under 2 minutes, but Chaban is the only one who has actually broken two so far this season. With these two up front, it will be a hard group for any team to take them down. Their 3rd leg will go to Logan Luo, who ran 2:02 at the Cabin Fever invite. Jamie Chandler has been the top distance runner for this squad during the indoor season, but is not listed on the relay card. Noelan Tossing it seems will take his place instead for this one. Lincoln-Way West is filled with talent in this one. They are led by Anthony Lusciatti who has already ran 49.20 in the open 400m this indoor season. He split 1:55 in the 4x800m indoors last year. He will be joined by Hunter Spee who has also been experiencing a breakout indoor campaign. He has a season's best of 1:56.19 and those two will provide some major firepower. Nicholas Dul had a breakout cross country season and has PRs of 4:29 and 9:34 already this indoor season in the 1600m and 3200m. This will be his first 800m of the season, if he can get a 2:00 split then that will set this team up for something special. Teams like Lake Park, Kenwood, and Lane’s B Team will look to break out here with a 3rd place finish. 

Girls 4x200m

The girls 4x2 at Bronco relays is likely going to be the event of the day, as we’ll get to see a highly anticipated matchup between Homewood Flossmoor and Kankakee. HF has been nothing short of dominant in the sprints this season, as they have run their 4x2 in the low 1:40s several times. With the fully loaded lineup, it’s highly likely that this team is the first squad under 1:40 this season. With that being said, Kankakee has blown away all expectations so far, with their season best of 1:41.79 coming from a flat 200. Kankakee returns almost everyone from their relay squad last year, with Essence Bell and DaMarianna Tooles making up the core of this 4x2. Bell and Tooles are capable of running in the low 25s, which immediately puts Kankakee in range of HF. Behind these two powerhouse programs, you’ll see St. Laurence and North Chicago duke it out for second. St. Laurence has a squad made up entirely of freshmen, and it has served them well so far. They’ve run a season best of 1:44.51, and there definitely could be more in the tank for the Vikings. North Chicago is returning one of the best 2A 4x2s from last year, which is fueled by star sprinter Rege Cooper Smith. Cooper Smith is the returning 2A state champ in the 100 and 200, she will put the Redhawks into the conversation here at Bronco Relays. 

Girls 4x400m

The Bronco Relays 4x4 will be a three-way race between Homewood Flossmoor, Kankakee, and Whitney Young. Homewood Flossmoor has several girls that are capable of splitting 1:00 or faster, all they need is a girl who can anchor home this team in a 55. Funnily enough, Mariyah Robinson has a PR of 53.55 which should be more than good enough to get the Vikings in for a win. Kankakee has all the pieces they need to break 4 minutes, but they’ll need a pretty good day as they are not in the fast section. Trinity Noble has broken a minute in the open 400 this season, and she has yet to get on the banked track in Chicago. With the banked track under their legs, the Kays will see a huge time drop in their 4x4, they should be able to break 4 minutes. Whitney Young has two girls that can run under a minute, but they’ll need to bring up their 3rd and 4th legs if they want to compete for the win. Kayla Riepe has been excellent so far this season, with a season best of 57.69 from the Worrill Invite. Phoenix Higginsbottom had a great open 400 at Cabin Fever, where she ran 59.84 for a big indoor PR. These two will be the strong points of the Dolphins relay, all they need are two more girls who can step up to the challenge. Kenwood also has the pieces in this to break 4:00 here and take 2nd overall. They will be led by Kamdyn Redway who ran 58.97 at Gately this past week at the Cabin Fever Invite. Shamari Palmer ran 1:00.88 and Carly Wiggins ran 1:01.69 both at Cabin Fever last week. The last leg will be Jamiylah Jones who has run 43.23 at their pre-season time trial. 

Girls 4x800m

The girls 4x8 will be a great event for emerging athletes in this one. St. Ignatius will run their A team at Mustang Relays, but their B Team is the top seed here. They will be led by Rory Steinhofer, Molly Malloy, Gabby Wrobel, and Olivia Brophy. This team can definitely dip under 10:00 here. Whitney Young has already dipped under 10:00 this year and could be in contention for the win here as well. Don’t count out Payton in this one with names like Kate Murray and Macy Ferschinger on this relay card.