The Lakes Clash at the Colosseum invite is perennially one of the fastest indoor season meets, and this year is no different. An unfortunate scheduling conflict led to several major teams dropping from the lineup, however, the field of athletes is still elite. Here is our preview of some of the events that will produce the best results.
3200m
The Lakes 3200m always produces elite results, and this year will be no different. Ben Crane of New Trier will lead the field with a 3200 of 8:57, and after such a dominant Cross Country season, it's his race to lose. That being said, the athletes following Crane are no pushovers. Evan Parker of Niles North and Evan Nosek of Kaneland will spearhead the chase pack. Expect Simon Lane of Chicago University and Ellery Shutt of Woodstock to be right behind them as well, both had stellar cross-country seasons and Lane has already run 9:24 this year for the full 2 miles. The freshman phenom, Carson Kaiser from Kaneland, will also look to be a part of that pack. Sam Froum of Evanston was in the low 15s during Cross this year, he may be in the range of the leaders. Luke Robinson and Finley Moss were strong runners for Prospect this year, I wouldn’t be shocked if they ran something crazy either. With 6 all-state athletes in the field, this might be the most loaded field of two milers we’ll see until the state meet. This event will have a multitude of ranked times by the end of the race.
800m
Last year, the facility record for the 800 was set by Aden Bandukwala in a mind-bending 1:53.67. Possibly even more mind-bending than that, this record is in danger. Owen Horeni of Yorkville has been on a tear this indoor season. He had 2 fantastic races at the Misfits Invite, and his 600 time of 1:21 converts to 1:53, which is easily Illinois #1 right now. He is joined by Dylan Maloney of Plainfield South running an off-event 800, who will put up a good fight against Horeni. Jackson Summy of Lakes will be hot on Maloney’s heels, he ran a solid mile at Misfits and will give him someone to race. Deshawn Preister of Evanston is moving up an event after running the 600m in a wicked 1:24, he is seeded at 1:57 and will compete with the top athletes. Jameson Tenopir is one of the top 800 runners in the state, he ran 1:55 last year at state and will also push up with Maloney and Summy. Glenbard North has 1 representative in Royce Krush, he will compete with the chase pack. Max Haas of Grant is entered at 1:58, he could make some noise as well. New Trier has Jordan Kreiner and Evan Shu both floating around the 2-minute barrier, they will put up some competition. I'm super excited about this event, I think some fast times will come.
60 Hurdles
A three-way showdown between three elite hurdlers, the 60mH will be a fun race to watch. Cooper McGinnis of Neuqua Valley, William Landwer of New Trier, and Thomas Simmons of Stevenson are all within .05 seconds of each other in the 60mH, anyone of them could walk away with the victory. McGinnis will take the top seed, he has already run 7.67 in the 55mH (8.36 for 60mH converted). Closely following McGinnis will be Landwer, with an indoor PR of 8.38 in the 60mH. Thomas Simmons makes it a three-way race, he has an indoor 60mH PR of 8.41. All three are sub-15-second 110 hurdlers outdoors, although Simmons did finish the highest at state last year, taking 6th (McGinnis was 7th, Landwer was 12th). This is an experienced field, watch out for some fast times.
High Jump
In the deepest field event this weekend, several jumpers will walk away with top ten marks in Illinois. There are 3 guys over 6’4” coming into this weekend, including last year's reigning champ, Taelor Clements from Yorkville. Clements leaped an incredible 6’6.75” at last year's Clash at the Colleseum to take the win. He is joined by Kyle Brents of Dundee-Crown, who is currently Illinois #1 in the high jump with a mark of 6’4”. New Trier has two jumpers in Charles Hayes and Michael Gorelick, both of whom could make some noise. Hayes jumped 6’5” over the summer and Gorelick has improved massively from last year, he currently sits at 6’2” which is Illinois #4. Khristos Oludimo of Jacobs High School has jumped 6’4”, he could compete for the title as well. A loaded field for sure, definitely expect some high marks from these athletes.
200m
There is some all-star talent in the 200 this weekend. William Landwer of New Trier is going to double back from the 60mH to take the top seed in the 200. He will be joined by the junior high state champ from Yorkville, Jayden Ruth. He sports a PR in the 200 of 22.50, this is his high school debut. Daniel Robinson takes the 3 spot with a mark of 22.69. Robinson is currently undefeated in the 60m so far, don’t be surprised if he snipes the title. Norman Tillery of Grant, Dylan Nemerovski of New Trier, and Shamar Wilson of Highland Park are all seeded under 23 seconds as well. All have the potential to surprise the masses!
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