CHARLESTON, Ill. — Mooseheart sophomore
Oumaru Abdulahi
hearkened back to his training Saturday as he prepared for his third and final attempt at 6 feet, 8 inches in the high jump at the Class 1A boys state track and field finals.
“I’ve been doing P90X, a great system,” Abdulahi said. “P90X is harder (than clearing 6-8).
The 5-foot-7 Abdulahi, third in last year’s Class 1A high jump, captured Mooseheart’s first state title in 54 years.
“I thank everyone from Mooseheart for being behind me,” he said. “To be the first gold medalist is so exciting and a blessing.”
Abdulahi attempted to top 6-10 but missed establishing a personal record on his three jumps.
“The 6-10 was just having fun,” he said. “I have to work harder (for next year) to achieve that,” he said.
He stings:
At 6-2, 205 pounds, Walther Lutheran’s
Sean Cotton
was one of the biggest sprinters at the Class 2A state meet.
Cotton, who will play football at Eastern Michigan, didn’t mind crediting an unlikely lucky charm for helping Lutheran win the 800-meter relay title (1 minute, 28.12 seconds) over second-place Leo (1:29.31) — his bumble bee backpack.
“That’s my swag bag,” Cotton said. “This is the first time we’ve beaten Leo (in a relay) this year.”
Record repeat:
Kaneland senior
Taylor Andrews
broke the Class 2A 110-meter hurdles record twice in two days, clocking 14.34 seconds in Friday’s preliminaries before beating his one-day-old mark in the finals with a 14.27.
“I’m just really happy (because) that was my main goal of the season,” Andrews said.
Another repeat:
Beecher’s 3,200 relay won a state title for the second consecutive year as
Griffin Nykaza
,
Jordan Joaquin
,
Aaron Borgman
and
Grant Nykaza
finished in 7:55.5. The Nykaza brothers and Joaquin were part of last year’s title team. Grant Nykaza, a sophomore, also was second in the 1,600 (4:23.19).
“I’m satisfied to finish with a one and two at state,” Grant Nykaza said.
One for the city:
In a competitive Class 2A 1,600 , Lake View senior
Oscar Medina
finished fourth, in 4:21.28, in a competitive Class 2A 1,600 race. The Southern Illinois-bound Medina took pride in representing his school and Chicago.
“Coming out of the city and running for just three years, I’m really happy,” Medina said.
