LT Sports Roundup: Boys Track Team Just Misses Another Proviso West Invite Title [VIDEO]

Last season, the Lyons Township boys indoor track team won the varsity level of the prestigious Proviso West Invitational for the only time in the meet’s 46-year history.

The Lions nearly pulled it off again Saturday.

LT finished fifth in the 12-team field with 60 points but was just seven points behind champion Neuqua Valley, which prevailed by one point over defending Class 3A outdoor state champion Lake Park. York (64 points) and Wheaton North (63) were third and fourth.

“(Our meet was) hit and miss, and to see that we’re only seven points out kind of reinforces the fact that there were some small things we should have taken care of going into this meet to be mentally focused,” LT coach Mike Danner said. “We had the ability to be up there to win it. Seven points is not much.”

Winning events for the Lions was junior Lino Mogorovic in the 200-meter hurdles (26.46 seconds fully-automatic time) and the 800 relay of junior Matt Harris, Mogorovic and seniors Rennick Thompson and Mike Thomas (1:33.92), although Hinsdale South had a faster time in the same heat as an exhibition entry.

Harris was second in long jump (22-7 3/4) to Lake Park’s Scott Filip (23-4) and third in the 55 (6.65). Mogorovic and Thompson were second and third in the 55 hurdles (8.06) to Filip’s 7.92.

The 1,600 relay of Thomas, Dan Miklosz, Mike Dost and Mogorovic (3:31.56) was second to Neuqua Valley (3:30.10). Thomas (40-9 1/2 in triple jump) and the 3,200 relay (Liam Callahan, Jonathan Dombro, Ben Groya, Mark Lefevour in 8:36.28) were fifth.

LT’s frosh-soph team shared the title on its level with York, each scoring 93 points. Lake Park (59) was third.

The Lions’ Ed McCarter won the 800 (2:03.61) and 1-mile run (4:38.82) by .04 over York’s Matt Plowman.

Matt Grider won high jump (5-10), and Giovanni Young was second in the 55 (6.90).

The Lions also won the 800 relay (Trevor Edgerton, Grider, Leonard Ross, Young in 1:37.68) and 1,600 relay (Grider, Jim Rhode, Quentin Sanchez, Young in 3:39.26) and were third in the 3,200 relay (Henry Hostettler, Alex Lima, Dan Lupano, Mike Mayer in 8:49.73).

Lucas VanNest (55 hurdles in 9.02) and Adrian Sokol (200 hurdles in 30.18) were third, and Sanchez (52.22) and Rhode (54.39) finished 3-4 in the 400. Edgerton was fifth in long jump (18-0), and Jimmy Jones (37-8 3/4) and Colin Smith (37-7 1/4) were fifth and sixth in the triple jump.

This was the fourth time LT won or shared the invite’s title on the frosh-soph level along with 2009, 1988 and 1974.

LT boys swimming and diving

The Lyons Township boys swimming season ended on a strong note at the state meet preliminaries Friday at Evanston High School.

Senior Danny McGuinness was 23rd in the 50-yard freestyle (21.73) and tied for 23rd in the 100 free (47.70), junior Joe Shannon was 31st in the 100 breaststroke (1:00.05), sophomore Brendan Weibel was 32nd in the 500 free (4:52.38) and the 200 free relay of sophomore David “Texas” Freund, junior Peter Dore, Shannon and McGuinness was 26th (1:28.80).

Only entries among the top 12 times advanced to Saturday’s finals. All five entries qualified by achieving state-qualifying standards for the first time during the season at the Fenwick Sectional.

“Actually, they had the same kind of attitude when we went into sectionals. They went up and raced and held right around their best times that they posted (at sectionals), which is very tough,” LT coach Scott Walker said. “I was way more proud of how they handled themselves before the meet, during the meet and on the block.”

McGuinness competed at state for the third year in a row and in the 100 free for the second straight year. Shannon, who swam a school-record 59.58 in the 100 breast at sectionals, made his state debut in an individual event after being part of the 200 medley relay at state in 2011 along with McGuinness.

Underclassmen Weibel, Dore and Freund, a move-in from Texas, made their state debuts.

“To me, that was the investment leading towards next year. We were able to buy a year because of those kids that qualified,” Walker said. “I hope everybody (in our program) learned what being prepared for the season is all about.”