CHICAGO MARIST TRACK AND FIELD

On Saturday, June 2, 2007, the Mustangs Mens and Womens Track & Field Team was honored at Northside College Prep in the school gymnasium with a Team Dinner, which included Chicken Penne Pasta, Spinach Ravioli, Salad, Bread, and assorted beverages. Following the Team Dinner, all of the Freshman were awarded graduating class numerals. Sophmores and Junior Varsity athletes were awarded a medium size letter N. Varsity athletes were awarded a large size letter N. Athletes that have earned multiple letters were given a Northside Track and Field pin to represent the number of years the athlete has earned a Varsity letter. To qualify for a Varisty letter, an athlete must have scored a point in a Varsity Meet or competed in the IHSA Sectional Championships, and completed the season as a member of the Team. Senior athletes were also honored with Varsity letter blankets in school colors, along with each athlete's name, and sport embrodied on it. The blankets had a silver star on it for each year the athlete earned a Varsity letter in Cross Country, white star on it for each year the athlete earned a Varsity letter in Track, and a gold star on it for each year the athlete was a Team Captain in Track & Field. In 2007, the Northside Women broke 17 school records and tied one. The Northside Men broke 18 school records. This dramatic improvement was a reflected by a six way tie for the 2007 Most Improved Award. AWARD WINNERS: VARSITY AWARDS Outstanding Athletic Achievement Award: Eric Nelson, Geoff Edwards, Jonathan Kittaka Outstanding Athletic Achievement Award: Kelly Varney, Anna Parks, Rachel Kittaka Mustang Award: Preston Buehrer Mustang Award: Kaitlin Renkosiak Most Improved: Preston Buehrer, Geoff Edwards, Simon Vecchioni, Eric Nelson, Vinh Nguyen, Jonathan Kittaka Most Improved: Maria Torres, Kaitlin Renkosiak, Jennifer Friedmann, Natalie Hanigan, Julie Bujnowski, Adaora Achufusi Outstanding Freshman Award: Hunter Speese, Cuitlahuac Pineda Outstanding Freshman Award: Karen Li, Bessie Nolan Sportsmanship Award: Geoff Edwards Sportsmanship Award: Jaye Gardiner Academic Achievement Award: Harold Jaffe Academic Achievement Award: Jessica Galang Senior Leadership Award: Patrick O'Connor Senior Leadership Award: Natalie Hanigan Most Varsity Points Scored by a Freshman: Cuitlahuac Pineda, Bessie Nolan Most Varsity Points Scored by a Sophomore: Jonathan Kittaka, Anna Parks Most Varsity Points Scored by a Junior: Preston Buehrer, Kelly Varney Most Varsity Points Scored by a Senior: Geoff Edwards, Julie Bujnowski Cal Ripken, Jr. Award: Vinh Nguyen, Santino Merino Cal Ripken, Jr. Award: Adaora Achufusi, Kaitlin Renkosiak 2008 Team Captains: Preston Buehrer, Eric Nelson, Simon Vecchioni, Jonathan Kittaka, Santino Merino 2008 Team Captains: Kelly Varney, Rachel Kittaka, Maria Torres, Anna Parks, Kaitlin Renkosiak SOPHOMORE/FRESHMAN AWARDS Outstanding Athletic Achievement Award: Jiasong Yang Outstanding Athletic Achievement Award: Carmen Abelson Mustang Award: Andrew Czyszczon Mustang Award: Monica Laytham Academic Achievement Award: Simon Vecchioni Academic Achievement Award: Jennifer Friedmann The coaching staff would like to thank the athletes for there very generous gift certificates, Watermelons, and especially the Cards. Mustangs in 2008! -Head Coach Jon Gordon -Associate Coach David Diaz -Assistant Coach Jose Nebrida -Jumps/Hurdles Coach Adrian Hunter

In 2007, the Northside College Prep Womens Track Team broke 17 school records and tied one school record. The Northside College Prep Womens Track Team WON the De La Salle President's Day Invitational, UC Invitational, Lane Tech Relays, and sent five athletes to Bloomington for the Illinois Prep Top Times Inviational (Indoor State). In 2007, the Northside College Prep Mens Track Team broke 18 school records. The Northside College Prep Mens Track Team placed 2nd at the Ed Key Invitational, and New Trier Invitational, and sent four athletes to Bloomington for the Illinois Prep Top Times Invitational (Indoor State). On Saturday, June 2, 2007, the Northside College Prep Men and Women Track & Field Team will attend a banquet held in their honor at the school gymnasium from 6pm - 9pm. It will be the largest Track & Field banquet in the history of Northside College Prep. Awards include: Freshman Numerals, Sophomore letters, JV Letters, Varsity Letters, Most Improved Award, Outstanding Freshman Award, Cal Ripken Jr. Award (Best Attendance), Most Varsity points scored by a Freshman, Most Varsity points scored by a Sophomore, Most Varsity points scored by a Junior, Most Varsity points scored by a Senior, Sportsmanship Award, Senior leadership Award, Mustang Award (Work Ethic, Mental toughness), Outstanding Athletic Achievement Award (MVP), and Senior Varsity letter blankets honoring each Senior's entire athletic career at Northside. Chicken Penne Pasta and Spinach Ravioli will be served, along with salad, bread, water, and varity of soft drinks.

On Saturday, May 26, 2007, at the IHSA State Championships in Charleston, Illinois, Loyola's Tom Robbins upset defending State Champion Evan Jager to win the State title in the Mile. Loyola Senior Tom Robbins is a unique individual, in the fact that he enjoys training more than racing. Robbins doesn't mind missing a Track meet, but he can't live without attending practice everyday. He loves to train, and doesn't miss a day of running or strength training, and actually enjoys training more than racing. It's that philosophy that propelled him to an unexpected State Title in 2007. A week earlier, Tom Robbins won the Mustangs IHSA Sectional in the Mile, with an outstanding time of 4:21 to qualify for the IHSA State Championships. At State, the field included defending State Champion Jacobs Senior Evan Jager, who qualified for the finals with a time of 4:13. Jager anchored his high school 4x800m Relay to the State Title in 2006, and won the Mile as well. Although Jager's 4:13 mile is well known, it is not well know that he started out as a 6:12 miler. Evan Jager ran a 6:12 Mile PR in the seventh grade, and his Father told him that if he ever ran a 5:00 Mile, he would buy him a car. At age 13, Evan Jager ran a 5:00 Mile PR in the 8th grade. His father knew he had to honor the bet. He searched Ebay for a car from the year (1989) his son was born and found a 1989 Mustang Convertible for only $3,000.00. He purchased the car, and placed it in the family garage, but there was still one problem. His son wasn't old enough to drive it. So, the car sat in the garage until Evan Jager earned his learner permit. The next hurdle for Jager was whether to run Cross Country or Soccer. Jager was one of the top soccer players in the area, as well as one of the only athletes to run a 5 minute mile in the 8th grade. His father told him running would take him farther in life than soccer. Evan Jager's choice of Cross Country over soccer paid off last fall, he won the 2006 Cross Country State Title, and earned an Athletic Scholarship to the University of Wisconsin. "He's a very special athlete," Jacobs Head Coach Jason Borhart said. "And as good of an athlete as he is, he's a better kid. He's so gracious and so humble. He's probably the best teammate you can ask for. He'll be at the finish line cheering someone else and encouraging others." Senior Evan Jager was a big favorite to win the Mile, after winning the State Title in the 3200m run earlier in the meet, he looked unbeatable. Loyola Senior Tom Robbins pulled off the upset and won the race in 4 minutes 10.46 seconds, almost two seconds ahead of Jager's personal best time of 4:12.35, to become the first Track State Champion in the history of Loyola.

2007 NORTHSIDE COLLEGE PREP MENS AND WOMENS TRACK & FIELD BANQUET Saturday, JUNE 2, 2007, 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM, GYM On Saturday, June 2, 2007, the 2007 Northside Mens and Womens Track & Field Team will be honored with a Team Dinner and Awards Banquet. All of the Freshman Athletes will be awarded graduating class numerals. Sophomores and Junior Varsity athletes will be awarded a medium size letter N. Varsity athletes will be awarded a large size letter N. Athletes that have earned multiple letters will be given a silver bar and a certificate to represent the number of years the athlete has participated at the Varsity level. Seniors that COMPLETED the season will be awarded a VARSITY letter blanket, with a star on it for each Varsity letter the athlete earned during his/her entire athletic career at Northside. Track & Field is the only sport at Northside that has a Senior Varsity Letter Blanket Ceremony. To qualify for a Varsity letter, an athlete must score a point in a meet against Varsity competition or be chosen for our IHSA State Series Roster and COMPLETE the season. All uniforms must be turned in prior to the banquet. 6:00 PM Buffet Style Dinner (School Gymnasium) 6:45 PM Track and Field Banquet -Freshman-Sophomore, J.V. Letter Awards Announced -Varsity Letter Awards Announced -Team Awards Announced -2008 Team Captains Announced -SENIOR VARSITY LETTER BLANKETS The 2007 Track and Field Banquet is 100% funded from the purchase of Banquet Tickets and donations from the Coaching staff. The cost for tickets is $10.00 for Athletes. The cost for tickets for Parents and/or Guests is $15.00. Please indicate the number of Banquet Tickets needed and make a check payable to Northside College Prep Track & Field, and Mail it to: Coach Jon Gordon, C/O Track & Field Banquet, 655 W. Irving Park Rd., #1510, Chicago, IL 60613. Name ___________________________________ Address __________________________________ City, Zip ___________________________________ Phone # ____________________________________ # of Athletes ($10.00 per ticket) _______________ # of Parents/Guests ($15.00 per ticket) _______________ Total enclosed ________________ Please Mail Banquet Ticket(s) Order Form on or before May 19, 2007. Thanks. The following athletes have purchased Banquet Tickets as of May 25, 2007: Abelson (3) Achufusi (3) Buehrer (4) Bujnowski (2) Capapas (1) Czyszczon (2) Eben (3) Edwards (3) Flores (1) Friedmann (2) Galang (1) Gardiner (1) Haider (1) Hanigan (2) Holler (1) Jaffe (2) Kane (4) Kittaka (4) Hernandez (1) Laytham (1) Li (1) Melto (3) Mensah (1) Merino (1) Michaelson (3) Nelson (3) Nguyen (1) Nolan (1) OConnor (2) Olver (1) Parks (5) Perez (1) Pineda (2) Renkosiak (3) Satam (1) Speese (4) Thatcher (1) Varney (3) Vecchioni (3) Wilk (1) Yang (1) Zdunek (3)

On Friday, May 18, 2007, the Northside College Prep Varsity Men traveled to Loyola Academy for the 2007 IHSA Sectional Championships. The meet featured: Amundsen, CICS, Lake View, Mather, Senn, Sullivan, Von Steuben, Deerfield, Evanston, Glenbrook South, Highland Park, Notre Dame, Ridgewood, Glenbrook North, Maine East, Niles North, Niles West, Loyola Academy, New Trier, and Northside College Prep. The top two athletes or relays in each event qualified for the 2007 State Championships.

In the Shot Put, Northside Captain Eric Nelson threw a personal best and NEW SCHOOL RECORD of 38'2!!! The record was 37'0, and was previously set by Chris Zysko at the 2006 Lane Tech Relays. Senior Darrel Johnson was scratched from the meet.

In the Discus, Sophomore Eric Nelson threw a personal best 97'07! Senior Robert Garcia in his final meet of his high school career threw a personal best 85'09. Robert Garcia will attend the University of Illinois in the fall.

In the Triple Jump, Eric Nelson won his flight with a jump of 38'2.50. Albert Lin was scratched from the meet.

In the Long Jump, Albert Lin and Wemi Jemine were both scratched from the meet.

In the Pole Vault, Glenbrook North Junior Matt Johnson, Loyola Academy Junior Alex Schual, Loyola Academy Junior Chris Szurgot were eliminated from the competition after not clearing 10'9. Northside Junior Vinh Nguyen came into the competition at 10'9, and switched to a 140 lbs pole, and made three quality attempts at 10'9. Nguyen ended the season as CPS Pole Vault City Champion and is one of the most improved athletes on the Team. Sophomore Simon Vecchioni also came into the competition at 10'9, and after two attempts, moved up his grip from 9'0 to 10'0 on the pole, and had a dramatic increase in height, but came up short. Vecchioni ended the season as the school record holder in Pole Vault, and is also one of the most improved athletes on the Team.

In the High Jump, Niles West Brent Carducci, Deerfield Blake Davis, Loyola Darius Crawford, Loyola John Spekerman, and Glenbrook North's Kosmo Kwiatkowski cleared 5'7, but were eliminated from the competition after three quality attempts at 5'9. Highland Park Adam Pines, Niles North Rendell Smith, and Highland Park Yoshi Teshikawara cleared 5'9, and were eliminated from the competition when the cross bar was raised to 5'11. A year ago, 5'11 qualified for the State meet. Northside Sophomore Eric Nelson cleared 5'11 with no misses, and Glenbrook South Senior Rupesh Manam also cleared 5'11. Niles North Senior Martell Wilson, and Glenbrook South Junior Ryan Hindes were also remaining in the competition. The bar was raised to 6'1. Glenbrook South Senior Rupesh Manam did not clear it, and was elminated from the competition. Northside Sophomore Eric Nelson had the height on his second attempt, but hit the cross bar on the way down. Nelson made some adjustments and had an outstanding final attempt at 6'1, but did not clear it. Eric Nelson received applause from the spectators for an outstanding meet, and was congratulated by the Northside Coaching staff for an outstanding season. Glenbrook South Junior Ryan Hindes qualified for State by placing second with a personal best 6'3. Niles North Senior Martell Wilson won it with a personal best 6'6. Northside Sophomore Eric Nelson ended the season holding three Northside College Prep school records, including High Jump (6'2), Shot Put (38'2), and 300m Hurdles (48). In 2007, Eric Nelson scored the most points on the Team in post-season meets, and was second in scoring on the Team for the entire season, despite not competing in the first half of the season due to injury. Eric Nelson was one of the most impressive Sophomore athletes at the IHSA Sectional Championships and will be one of the favorites to qualify for the State Championships in 2008.

In the 100m Dash, Hunter Speese did not arrive in time for the race, and Jose Choto did not show up to the meet.

In the 110m Hurdles, Albert Lin was scratched. Freshman Andrew Czyszczon ran an outstanding time of 21.51 in his first IHSA Sectional appearance.

In the first heat of the 3200m run, Lake View Junior Alex Agafonov ran an outstanding time of 10:53.61, and Glenbrook North Junior Jon Ahtou also ran an outstanding time of 11:03.09. Northside Freshman Cuitlahuac Pineda ran an outstanding time of 11:33.65 (5:37/5:56.65), and gained valuable experience in his first IHSA Sectional meet of his career.

In the 200m Dash Preliminaries, Senior Geoff Edwards broke the SCHOOL RECORD with a personal best time of 24.17. However, Edwards twisted his ankle at the finish, and had to be scratched from the remainder of the meet. Geoff Edwards finished his high school athletic career holding the school record in the 100m, 200m, 400m, and Distance Medley Relay. Geoff Edwards will attend Columbia College in the Fall.

In the 4x800m Relay, the Mustangs gained valuable IHSA Sectional experience for their outstanding Freshman. Freshman Jaisong Yang ran a personal best 2:18.74 800m split on the first leg of the relay. Freshman Nick Ruff ran an outstanding time of 2:28.35 on the second leg of the relay, and made a nice exchange to Junior Santino Merino. Santino Merino ran a personal best 2:24 800m split, and made a nice exchange to Junior Erik Flores. Erik Flores ran a 2:24 800m split, to anchor the Mustangs to 9:35.27. Mather Senior Marcus Jabir, Junior Jorge Casiano, Senior Carlos Hernandez, and Sophomore Ivan Coronel qualified for State by placing second in the 4x800m Relay, and New Trier Senior Colin Gazley, Senior Lucas Konopka, Junior Bryan Wolfe, and Senior Bradley Dsida qualified for State by winning the 4x800m Relay.

In the 4x100m Relay, Freshman Hunter Speese did not arrive in time for the relay, Senior Geoff Edwards was scratched from the rest of the meet after injuring his ankle in the 200m Dash, Alternate Wemi Jemine did not show up to the meet, and Alternate Joey Paquette was at the Discus cage during the relay. Sophomore Brian Chhun and Freshman Peter Wilk were the only alternates prepared to race, and both came through BIG for the Mustangs. Sophomore Brian Chhun ran a personal best 12.05 100m split on the first leg of the 4x100m relay, and made a nice exchange to Captain Preston Buehrer. Junior Preston Buehrer ran a personal best 11.54 100m split on the second leg of the 4x100m relay. Freshman Neal Capapas ran a 12.70 100m split on the third leg of the 4x100m relay. Freshman Peter Wilk ran a personal best 12.92 100m split on the anchor leg of the relay, for an outstanding total time of 49.17. The Mustangs came within 0.42 of the school record!

In the 3200m run finals, Deerfield Junior Scott Friedlander won it with an impressive finish in a personal best time of 9:42.47. Friedlander collapsed at the finish line, and the second place finisher, Notre Dame Junior Thomas Baran (9:44.77) showed great sportsmanship by helping Friedlander up, and helped him walk over to the fence. Friedlander could barely stand, and also showed great sportsmanship by refusing to leave the Track until he shook hands with every competitor in the 3200m final. New Trier Senior Bradley Williams (9:51.59), Loyola Senior Matt Heinz (9:58.35), Niles West Senior Ryan Leyba (10:00.39), New Trier Senior Patrick Quirke (10:00.74), Loyola Senior Eddie O'Connor (10:08.86), Glenbrook South Senior (10:09.50), and Maine East Senior Irving Cruz (10:22.96) all ran personal best times in their final high school race of their athletic careers. Northside Sophomore Jonathan Kittaka ran one of his best races of the season. Kittaka went through a mile in 5:11, and finished with an outstanding time of 10:35.57, and held off Glenbrook North Junior Brendan Boyer (10:47). Jonathan Kittaka finished the 2007 season as the Mustangs top points scorer, and is one of the most improved athletes on the Team, and will be one of the favorites to qualify in the 3200m run in 2008.

In the 800m run, Senior John Holler ran an outstanding time of 2:07.85 (60.00/67.85) in one of his final races of his high school athletic career. John Holler holds the school record in the 800m run, 4x400m relay, and the Distance Medley Relay. John Holler also earned four Varsity letters in Soccer during his athletic career. Sophomore Simon Vecchioni ran a personal best time of 2:15.87 (65.00/70.87) and was one of the top sophomores in the 800m run. Simon Vecchioni had an outstanding season.

In the 4x200m Relay, Freshman Hunter Speese arrived to the meet in time for his best race of the season. Hunter Speese ran a personal best 23.80 200m split, and made a nice exchange to Junior Santino Merino. Santino Merino ran a 26.14 200m split on the second leg of the relay. Freshman Neal Capapas ran a personal best 25.05 200m split on the third leg of the relay. Sophomore Brian Chhun anchored the Mustangs with a 27.19 200m split, for a NEW SCHOOL RECORD of 1:42.18.

In the 400m Dash, Junior Erik Flores ran an outstanding time of 57.93.

In the 300m Hurdles, Junior Santino Merino ran a personal best time of 50.12. Freshman Andrew Czyszczon had an impressive finish for a personal best time of 50.98. Andrew Czyszczon dropped 3 seconds from CPS Sophomore-Freshman City Championships, and has been one of the most impressive Freshman on the Team.

In the Mile, Northside Captain Preston Buehrer was the Mustangs only entry due to an injury to Senior Patrick O'Connor. Junior Preston Buehrer has also been recovering from a foot injury from City Championships, and in preparation for IHSA Sectionals, had been doing all of his running in the Northside swimming pool for the last two weeks, including invervals, in 12'0 of deep water with a west vest. After two weeks of training in the pool, Buehrer became so strong in the pool, that he was able to do his entire running workout in 12'0 of deep water without a wet vest. At IHSA Sectionals, Preston Buehrer ran a 68 for the first 400 meters, and was at 2:26 for 800m, and 3:44 for 1200m, and outkicked Glenbrook North's Matt ricco and Lake View's Alex Agafonov to finish with a personal best time of 4:58. (68/78/78/74). In 2007, Preston Buehrer had an outstanding season, and was one of the Mustangs top athletes in every event from 100m to 3200m, and in Discus and Shot Put as well. He was also one of the Mustangs most improved athletes, and will be one of the favorites to qualify for State in 2008.         

In the 4x400m Relay, Junior Erik Flores ran a 57.72 400m split on the first leg of the relay. Sophomore Simon Vecchioni ran a 58.32 400m split on the second leg of the relay. Senior John Holler ran a 58.50 400m split on the third leg of the relay. Senior Captain Patrick O'Connor in his final race of his high school career, ran a 58.86 400m split, to anchor the Mustangs to a NEW SCHOOL RECORD of 3:54.15. Patrick O'Connor was one of the Mustangs all time best runners, and individuals in the history of the school, and was a great team leader, and has had a major impact on both the Northside Track and Cross Country programs during his high school athletic career. Patrick O'Connor will attend the University of Illinois in the fall.

On Saturday, June 2, 2007, from 6pm - 9pm, the Northside College Prep Men and Women Track Team will be honored at a Team banquet in the gymnasium. It will be the largest banquet in the history of Northside. Seniors who have earned Varsity letters in any sport at Northside, and earned a Varsity letter in Track will be honored with a Varsity letter blanket, with a star on the blanket for each Varsity letter earned during their athletic career, and a Gold Star for each year as a Team Captain of the Track and/or Cross Country Team. The Track & Field Team is one of the only sports at Northside to award Varsity letter blankets to their graduating Seniors, and follows all the traditions of the first Varsity letter ceremony. All members of the Team will also be honored for Varsity letters, J.V. letters, Sophomore letters, and Freshman Numerals as well. The Awards ceremony will also include awards for, Senior Leadership, Most Improved, Outstanding Freshman, Sportsmanship Award, Cal Ripken, Jr. Award (best attendance), Most Varsity Points scored by a Freshman, Most Varsity Points scored by a Sophomore, Most Varsity Points scored by a Junior, Most Varsity Points Scored by a Senior, Sophomore Academic Award, Varsity Academic Award, Sophomore-Freshman Mustang Award, Sophomore-Freshman Outstanding Athletic Achievement Award, Varsity Mustang Award, and MVP(s).

If you have not purchased tickets for the event, and would like to come to the Mustangs 2007 Track and Field Banquet, contact Northside Head Coach Jon Gordon at 773-935-1617. There will no tickets available the day of the banquet this year. Thanks.