CHICAGO MARIST TRACK AND FIELD

 On Monday, March 24, 2008, Northside Senior Alyssa Sockol traveled to Whitney Young High School for the 2008 CPS Indoor Pole Vault Championships. The Northside College Prep School record for Pole Vault is 6'0, and is held by Natalie Hanigan. The 2008 CPS Indoor Pole Vault Championships started at the opening height of 4'6.

 Northside Senior Alyssa Sockol started the competition by clearing 4'6 on her first attempt. Whitney Young's Jola Szkodon also cleared 4'6 on her first attempt. The crossbar was then raised to 5'0.

 Northside Senior Alyssa Sockol cleared 5'0 on her first attempt. Whitney Young's Jola Szkodon cleared 5'0 on her third attempt. Whitney Young's Hannah Watson came into the competition at 5'0, and cleared 5'0 on her second attempt. The crossbar was then raised to 5'6.

 Northside Senior Alyssa Sockol cleared 5'6 on her second attempt. Whitney Young's Hannah Watson also cleared 5'6 on her second attempt. Whitney Young's Jola Szkodon made three outstanding attempts at 5'6, but was unable to clear it. The crossbar was then raised to 6'0.

 Northside Senior Alyssa Sockol missed on her first two attempts at 6'0. On her third attempt, Alyssa Sockol was over 6'0, but accidently hit the bar with her hand as she was pushing the pole away. Whitney Young's Hannah Watson also made three outstanding attempts at 6'0, but was unable to clear it.

 The bar was then raised to 6'6, and Whitney Young's Doneri Mayhay, and Whitney Young's Ivory Mills entered the competition, and both athletes cleared it on their first attempt.

 The bar was then raised to 7'0, and Whitney Young's Doneri Mayhay cleared it on her second attempt, and Whitney Young's Ivory Mills cleared it on her third attempt.

 The bar was then raised to 7'6, and Whitney Young's Ivory Mills cleared it on her second attempt. Whitney Young's Doneri Mayhay was unable to clear it after three outstanding attempts at 7'6.

 The bar was then raised to 8'0, and Whitney Young's Ivory Mills was unable to clear it after three outstanding attempts at 8'0.

  Whitney Young's Ivory Mills was awarded a Medal for placing first overall. Whitney Young's Doneri Mayhay was awarded a Medal for placing second overall. Northside Senior Alyssa Sockol was awarded a Medal for placing third overall.

   The Mustangs first Outdoor season meet with Pole Vault, will take place on Thursday, March 27, 2008 at Lane Tech.

  On Friday morning, March 24, 2008, Northside College Prep announced the purchase of thousands of dollars of Pole Vault equipment, and the purchase of new discus, and outdoor Shot Put equipment. A special thanks to Northside Principal Barry Rodgers, and Northside Athletic Director Daisy Simbulan for their continued commitment to excellence in Track & Field, and helping Northside Athletes work towards their ultimate goal of bringing the State Championship Title to Northside College Prep.

  On Friday evening, March 24, 2008, Northside Senior Vinh Nguyen traveled to Whitney Young for the 2008 CPS Indoor Pole Vault Championships. Medals were awarded to the Top three vaulters. 

  Vinh Nguyen spent spring break in Japan, and arrived in Chicago at 4 am, with very little sleep, but was ready to do his best for the Mustangs.

  It was the most intense and exciting Pole Vault competition in the history of the CPS. Spectators were visible on the main floor of the Gym, as well as in the upper deck stands.

  The opening height for the 2008 CPS Indoor Pole Vault Championships was 6'0. The spectators in the upper deck cheered loudly throughout the competition as each vaulter cleared a new height. Whitney Young's Richard cleared it on his second attempt. Northside Senior Vinh Nguyen cleared it on his first attempt. The crossbar was then raised to 6'6.

   Whitney Young's Richard cleared 6'6 on his first attempt. Whitney Young Freshman David Rogers came into the competition, and also cleared 6'6 on his first attempt. In addition to Pole Vaulting, Freshman David Rogers also runs Cross Country in the Fall for the Whitney Young Dolphins. After a brief nap, Northside Senior Vinh Nguyen awakened, but failed to clear 6'6 on his first attempt. Vinh Nguyen then responded by immediately clearing 6'6 on his second attempt. The crossbar was then raised to 7'0.

   Whitney Young's Richard cleared 7'0 on his first attempt, with an amazing helicoptor kick in mid-air, and the crowd cheered as he cleared 7'0. Whitney Young Freshman David Rogers then cleared 7'0 on his first attempt. Northside Senior Vinh Nguyen also cleared 7'0 on his first attempt. The crossbar was then raised to 7'6.

    Whitney Young's Richard cleared 7'6 on his third attempt. Whitney Young Freshman David Rogers cleared 7'6 on his second attempt. Whitney Young Sophomore Max Davis came into the competition, and cleared 7'6 on his first attempt. In addition to Pole Vaulting, Sophomore Max Davis is a multi-sport athlete, and also runs Cross Country in the Fall for the Whitney Young Dolphins. Northside Senior Vinh Nguyen also cleared 7'6 on his first attempt.

     The crossbar was then raised to 8'0, and the final rounds of the competition were the most exciting in CPS Pole Vault history. Spectators climbed down from the upper deck stands to the main floor to witness history being made. Four outstanding Vaulters remained, with three Medals, and the CPS Indoor Title at stake.

     Whitney Young's Richard failed to clear 8'0 on his first attempt. Whitney Young Freshman David Rogers failed to clear 8'0 on his first attempt. Whitney Young Sophomore Max Davis failed to clear 8'0 on his first attempt. Northside Senior Vinh Nguyen failed to clear 8'0 on his first attempt.

     Whitney Young's Richard failed to clear 8'0 on his second attempt. Whitney Young Freshman David Rogers vaulted a personal best 8'0 on his second attempt! Whitney Young Sophomore Max Davis failed to clear 8'0 on his second attempt. Northside Senior Vinh Nguyen cleared 8'0 on his second attempt!

     An athlete is out of the competition, once they have three misses at any height. The crowd was initially silent, as they knew this could be the final vault for Whitney Young's Richard and Whitney Young's Max Davis. On Whitney Young Richard's third attempt, he vaulted a personal best of 8'0!!! The entire stadium then began to clap in support of Max Davis as he approached the runway for his final attempt at 8'0. As Max Davis ran down the runway with his pole, the entire crowd was standing on their feet, and clapping. Whitney Young Sophomore Max Davis responded with an awesome vault to clear 8'0!!!.

     The cross bar was then raised to 8'6, and all four vaulters still remained in the competition, with three Medals, and the CPS Indoor Title on the line. All four athletes failed to clear 8'6 on all three attempts, despite each athlete coming very close to clearing it on every attempt.

     Total misses were tallied to break the initial four-way tie for first place, before a Vault off for the CPS Title would begin. Whitney Young's Richard had 8 misses during the competition and was awarded fourth place. Whitney Young Sophomore Max Davis, Whitney Young Freshman David Rogers, and Northside Senior Vinh Nguyen each had 5 misses during the competition. Whitney Young Sophomore Max Davis was awarded third place because he had two misses at 8'0, while David Rogers and Vinh Nguyen had only one miss at 8'0. Whitney Young Sophomore Max Davis was awarded a Medal for placing third overall.

      The cross bar was then set again at 8'6, and David Rogers and Vinh Nguyen were each given one more attempt (fourth attempt) to break the tie for first place. Whitney Young's David Rogers came very close, but was not able to clear 8'6. Northside Senior Vinh Nguyen also came very close, but was not able to clear 8'6.

      The cross bar was then lowered to 8'0. If both athletes clear 8'0, the bar would then be raised to 8'3. If only one athlete clears it, then the tie would be broken. Whitney Young Freshman David Rogers missed on his first attempt. Northside Senior Vinh Nguyen then missed on his first attempt. Whitney Young Freshman Dave Rogers missed on his second attempt. Northside Senior Vinh Nguyen then cleared 8'0 to win the 2008 CPS Indoor Pole Vault Championships. Northside Senior Vinh Nguyen was awarded a Medal for placing first overall. Whitney Young Freshman Dave Rogers was also awarded a Medal for placing second overall.

      If you missed the opportunity to see Richard, Max, David, and Vinh Vault for the CPS Indoor Pole Vault Championships, all of the above outstanding athletes will be vaulting again, this Thursday, at Len Jareczek Relays at Lane Tech at 2501 W. Addison Street in Chicago, Illinois in the first Outdoor Track meet of the season. The meet will start at 2:45 pm, and the Pole Vault competition will start at approximately 3:30 pm. 

 The Bronco Invitational has been canceled due to the condition of the Field Event areas and Eckersall Stadium. Although, it turned out to be a beautiful day by 9 am, Kenwood Academy had to make the decision based on the conditions at 6:55 am this morning, and the wind shield factor, included 15-20 mph winds before sunrise. At this time, the meet has been re-scheduleded for Saturday, March 29, 2008. The Northside Varsity Men and Women Track Team will be leaving at 7:30 am for the Bronco Invitational on Saturday, March 29, 2008. 

 The Northside Sophomore-Freshman Boys Track Team will be leaving at 2:00 pm on Wednesday, March 26, 2008 for the Urban Prep Relays at the University of Chicago Ted Haydon Outdoor Stadium. All athletes and/or guardians must sign a waiver of liability to compete in the meet. However, Northside Athletes are covered by the CPS insurance policy at all times. If you can't make this meet for any reason, notify Northside Head Coach Jon Gordon at jongordon9@aol.com immediately. Thanks. 

  The Northside Varsity Men and Women Track Team will be leaving at 2:10 pm on Thursday, March 27, 2008 for the Len Jareczek Relays at Lane Tech's state of the art, brand new 6-lane rubber Outdoor track, which is complete with a discus cage, two shot put rings, two long jump pits, pole vault pit, and a high jump area. This meet will require an early dismissal from classes. If you can't make this meet for any reason, notify Northside Head Coach Jon Gordon at jongordon9@aol.com immediately. Thanks.  

  Illinois Prep Top Times (Indoor State) Qualifiers, Eric Nelson (High Jump, 400m leg of DMR), Simon Vecchioni (800m leg of DMR), Charlie Mesimore (1200m leg of DMR), Cuitlahuac Pineda Youniss (1600m leg of DMR), Adaora Achufusi (400m leg of DMR),  Anna Parks (800m leg of DMR), Ani Zotti (1200m leg of DMR), and Rachel Kittaka (1600m leg of DMR) will leave at 3:45 pm sharp on Friday, March 28, 2008 for Bloomington, Illinois. Athletes will be staying in luxury Suites, and after the Team checks into the hotel, the Team will leave for Dinner, and then return to the hotel. On Saturday, March 29, 2008, after breakfast, the Team will leave for Illinois Wesleyan University for the Indoor Championships! All permission slips will be provided on Monday, March 24, 2008, and must be signed and returned by Tuesday, March 25, 2008. Thanks. If any questions, contact Northside Head Coach Jon Gordon at Jongordon9@aol.com or 773-935-1617.

  On Tuesday, March 18, 2008, the Northside College Prep Sophomore-Freshman Boys traveled to Bensenville, Illinois to take on Buffalo Grove, Fenton, Lake Park, Niles North, St.Joseph, West Chicago, and Brooks College Prep in the 30th Annual Emil Ostberg Sophomore-Freshman Indoor Championships.

 The Email Ostberg Sophomore-Freshman Indoor Championships is named after two former Fenton athletes, who earned All-American honors during their collegiate careers. Jim Nichols (All-American in the 800m run) and Emil Ostberg (All-American in the 200m Dash). To earn All-American honors, a collegiate athlete has to place in the Top 8 in the Country at the NCAA National Track & Field Championships. Plaques were awarded to the Top 5 individual finishers and the Top 4 Relays in every event. Individual Events and Relays were scored 10-8-6-4-2-1.

 In the Long Jump, Freshman Miles Austrevich jumped a personal best 15'1.

 In the Shot Put, Sophomore Andrew Czyszczon threw 29'9.5.

 In the 50 Yard High Hurdles prelims, Sophomore Andrew Czyszczon ran a time of 8.90.

 In the 50 Yard Dash prelims, Freshman Noel Lopez ran a personal best time of 6.70.

 In the 50 Yard Int. Hurdles prelims, Sophomore Andrew Czyszczon ran a time of 9.30.

 In the 4x800m Relay, Freshman Wesley Laytham ran a 2:16.53 800m split on the first leg of the relay to put the Mustangs in the lead, and made a nice exchange to Cooper Eben. Sophomore Cooper Eben maintained the lead with a 2:19.53 800m split on the second leg of the relay, and made a nice exchange to Sophomore Andrew Czyszczon. Andrew Czyszczon ran an outstanding 2:32.37 800m split to keep pace with Lake Park, Fenton, and Buffalo Grove. Freshman Miles Austrevich ran an oustanding 2:25.87 800m split to pass Buffalo Grove, and anchor the Mustangs to Third place overall, with an outstanding time of 9:34.30. Wesley Laytham, Cooper Eben, Andrew Czyszczon, and Miles Austrevich were awarded plaques for finishing third overall.

 In the 4x135 Yards Relay, unknown to the officials, sand had drifted from the long jump pit to the outside lanes. On the first leg of the Relay, Sophomore Forrest Cortes fell hard when he ran over a patch of sand near the long jump pit, but he immediately got back up, and ran an outstanding 21.58 split on the first leg of the relay. Sophomore Sam Olver ran a 21.50 split on the second leg of the relay, and made a nice exchange to Sophomore Peter Wilk. Peter Wilk ran a 17.19 split on the third leg of the relay, and made a nice exchange to anchor Noel Lopez. Freshman Noel Lopez anchored the Mustangs to fourth in their heat with a 17.30 split, for a total time of 1:16.67.

  In the Two Mile Run, Northside Freshman Charlie Mesimore WON it with an outstanding time of 11:02. Mesimore ran the first Mile in 5:31, and ran an even split of 5:31 on the second mile, for a total time of 11:02 to WIN the 2008 Ostberg Sophomore-Freshman Two Mile Run! Charlie Mesimore was awarded a plaque for finishing first place overall. West Chicago's DJ Muzzy finished in second place with a time of 11:11. Buffalo Grove's Tyler Berman finished in third place with a time of 11:22. Buffalo Grove's Eric Schiller finished in fourth place with a time of 11:25. Lake Park's Trevor Murphy finished in fifth place with a time of 11:26. Lake Park's Pat Dimpsey finished in sixth place with a time of 11:29 to complete the scoring.

  In the 800m run, Freshman Wesley Laytham ran an outstanding time of 2:21.30. Sophomore Forrest Cortes ran an outstanding time of 2:39.81.

  In the 4x270 Yards Relay, the Mustangs finished in sixth place with an outstanding time of 2:30.15. Sophomore Sam Olver ran a 38.56 270 Yard split on the first leg of the relay, and made a nice exchange to Peter Wilk. Sophomore Peter Wilk ran a 36.15 270 Yard split on the second leg of the relay, and made a nice exchange to Sophomore Cooper Eben. Cooper Eben ran a 38.41 270 Yard split on the third leg of the relay, and made a nice exchange to Freshman Noel Lopez. Noel Lopez ran a 37.03 270 Yard split, to anchor the Mustangs to sixth place overall, with a total time of 2:30.15.

  In the 400m run, Freshman Wesley Laytham finished in sixth overall with an outstanding time of 60.10. Sophomore Neal Capapas finished in seventh overall with an outstanding time of 62.80.

  In the Mile, Buffalo Grove's Mike Galla won it with an outstanding time of 4:50. Lake Park Luke Nally finished in second with a time of 4:51.5. Lake Park's Abraham Pedraza finished in third place with a time of 5:01.2. Fenton's Eric Hermansen finished in fourth place with a time of 5:01.6. Northside Freshman Charlie Mesimore finished in fifth place with an outstanding time of 5:01.7. Buffalo Grove's Ryan Poter completed the scoring by finishing in sixth place with an outstanding time of 5:03.3. Northside Freshman Charlie Mesimore was awarded a plaque for finishing fifth overall. Charlie Mesimore earned plaques in both the 2 Mile and Mile run.

  In the 200m Dash, Sophomore Peter Wilk ran an outstanding time of 28.70. Sophomore Sam Oliver ran an outstanding time of 29.70.

  In the 4x405 Yards Relay, the Mustangs were seeded in the slow heat (1st heat), and it is rare that a relay in the slow heat, will over take the times of the Teams in the fast heat. The Mustangs new that had to win their heat to have any chance of going home with plaques in the 4x405 Yards Relay. On the first leg of the relay in the first heat, the Mustangs quickly found themselves in second place, behind West Chicago, despite Neal Capapas running a 57.22 405 Yards split on the first leg of the relay. West Chicago had a 40 yard lead, and it looked like they were uncatchable. On the next 3 legs of the Relay, the heart and determination of the Mustangs prevailed. Sophomore Cooper Eben ran an outstanding 59.06 405 Yards split on the second leg of the relay, to stay within 40 yards of West Chicago. Freshman Miles Austrevich ran a 58.06 405 Yards split on the third leg of the relay, to close within 35 yards of West Chicago. Freshman Wesley Laythan anchored the Mustangs with a 55.66 405 Yards split for dramatic upset victory (3:50.00) over West Chicago (3:50.90) to WIN the first heat of 4x405 Yards Relay!!

 Plaques are awarded to the Top 4 Relays in the Fenton Ostberg Sophomore-Freshman Championships. The Mustangs now had to wait to see if their time would place them in the top 4 of the fast heat. In the second heat of the 405 Yards Relay, Niles North won it with an outstanding time of 3:36.3. Buffalo Grove finished in second with an outstanding time of 3:41.3. Fenton finished in third place with a time of 3:49.9. Lake Park finished in fourth place to tie the Mustangs with a time of 3:50.00. As a result of the tie, the points were split between Lake Park, and Northside College Prep, and each Team was awarded 3 points for fourth place. However, there was only 4 plaques for fourth place, so the Head Coach from Lake Park and Northside were called to the scorers table for a coin toss to determine who goes home with the plaques. The Mustangs informed Northside Head Coach Jon Gordon that they wanted to go with "Tails" in the coin toss. Northside Head Coach Jon Gordon called "Tails" in the air, and the Mustangs won the coin toss!, and were awarded the plaques for fourth place overall!

 The Northside Mustangs will be going to Eckersall Stadium on Saturday, March 22, 2008, to take on 25 Teams in the Bronco Invitational!

 On Sunday, March 16, 2008, the CPS Varsity Indoor Meet took place at the Unviersity of Chicago's historic Henry Crown Field House.

  The final 19 athletes in the High Jump included, Bogan's Kelvin Clark, Phillips Jeremy Chandler, Fenger's Willie Haynes, Clark's Pearson Darnell, Corliss Blake Ferguson, Harlan's Leeaundry Woolfolk, Urban Prep's Andre Young, Uplift's Sened Tesfay, Curie's Kenneth Woods, Lane Tech's Nic Anderson, Dunbar's Devante Shanklin, Kenwood's Jordan Speller, Harper's Jason Johnson, Steinmetz's Brandon Warrent, South Shore's Devin Glasper, Payton's Leroy Gordon, North Lawndale's Mark Hill, Simeon's Jack Ramsey, and Northside College Prep's Eric Nelson. The level of sportsmanship throughout the competition was outstanding. All 19 athletes cheered for each other, as each athlete cleared a height. 

  The High Jump competition started at 4'8, and then progressed to 5'0, 5'2, 5'4, 5'6, 5'8, 5'10, and when the bar was raised to 6'0, only four athletes remained, including, Northside College Prep's Eric Nelson, Simeon's Jack Ramsey, Currie's Kenneth Woods, and Walter Payton's Leroy Gordon. Northside College Prep Junior Eric Nelson and Currie's Kenneth Woods both cleared 6'0. Simeon's Jack Ramsey and Walter Payton's Leroy Gordon made three outstanding attempts at 6'0. The cross bar was then raised to 6'2 with only two jumpers remaining in the competition. Curie's Kenneth Woods made three outstanding attempts to clear 6'2. Northside Captain Eric Nelson cleared 6'2 on his first attempt to WIN the 2008 CPS Varsity Indoor High Jump Title!!!  

  The bar was then raised to 6'3.5 to attempt a new school record. On his first attempt, Eric Nelson jumped a personal best and new SCHOOL RECORD of 6'3.5!