CHICAGO MARIST TRACK AND FIELD

On Tuesday, March 6, 2007, the Northside Mens Track & Field traveled to Bensenville, Illinois for the Fenton Indoor Classic. The Mustangs encourted a lot of setbacks prior to the meet, including the bus arriving 30 minutes late, and athletes Wemi Jemi, Shaheed Ghogha, Omer Aba-Omer, Darrel Johnson, Gustavo Hernandez, Max Brown not at the Meet without any notice to the coaching staff. Geoff Edwards and James Rey were also not at the meet due to illness. Jose Choto (ACT preparation), Brad Eben (SAT Preparation), Erik Flores (ACT Preparation), John Holler (Scholarship commitment), and Prasanth Bijjam all properly notified the coaching staff a week in advance that they would be unable to attend the meet. Therefore, due the missing athletes, the Mustangs were forced to call upon Freshman Hunter Speese, Neal Capapas, and Peter Wilk to compete at the Varsity level, and they all came through big for the Mustangs, scoring points in their very first Varsity meet. Also, several Varsity athletes took on additional events to help fill in for the missing Northside athletes. In the Varsity Long Jump, Sophomore Albert Lin placed third overall with a personal best jump of 17'7.5. Lin lead the Mustangs in scoring by placing in four event with four Personal Records! Sophomore Martin Melto also had a personal best jump of 16'11. Freshman Hunter Speese jumped 14'6.75. Freshman Neal Capapas improved 1'0 for a personal best jump of 14'5! In the Sophomore/Freshman Long Jump, Freshman Jaisong Yang jumped a personal record 13'6. Prior to the Fenton Indoor Classic, Sophomore Albert Lin had not jumped in a meet since the 2006 IHSA Sectional Championships because Basketball season just recently ended. Albert Lin was also without track spikes because they are prohibited at Bison Stadium, and was forced to use basketball shoes. Despite the above circumstances, in his first meet of the season, in the Varsity Triple Jump, Albert Lin placed second overall with a personal best jump of 37'2!!! In the Sophomore/Freshman Triple Jump, Freshman Jaisong Yang improved 1'0 for a personal best jump of 28'11. Yang placed third overall in the Sophomore/Freshman Triple Jump. In the Varsity High Jump, Freshman Hunter Speese placed third overall with a personal best jump of 5'2. Junior Sean Kung also jumped a personal best 4'8. In the Varsity 4x800m Relay, Senior Captain Patrick O'Connor appeared in his first meet in 2007. On the first day of practice this season, Patrick O'Connor suffered a stress fracture right below his knee. While recovering, Patrick O'Connor's strong leadership skills and determination have been priceless to the Mustangs. During his re-hab, O'Connor improved his strength dramatically, by becoming a member of 20 Pulls-Club with 21 Pull-ups, and increased his strength in Squats and Bench Press as well. While injuried, Patrick O'Connor primarily trained by running in the deep end (12 feet) of the Northside swimming pool, and even ran intervals in the pool as well. As the Mustangs gradually increase his mileage, he will have a major impact for the Mustangs, and was already the Mustangs top 800m runner and Miler at the Fenton Indoor Classic. On the first leg of the Varsity 4x800m Relay, Patrick O'Connor ran an 800m time of 2:23 and made a nice exchange to Sophomore Simon Vecchioni. Sophomore Simon Vecchioni ran an 800m time of 2:29. On the third leg of the 4x800m Relay, Junior Santino Merino ran an 800m time of 3:07. Officials believe Merino may have ran an extra lap. Sophomore Brian Chhun anchored the relay to third place with an 800m split of 2:47, for a total time of 10:46. The Sophomore/Freshman 4x800m Relay had to be scratched due Gustavo Hernandez not showing up to the meet, and Freshman Thomas Nguyen, Sophomore Nathan Michaelson, and Sophomore Ted Kalaw physicals expiring March 1, 2007. In the Varsity 4x135 Yards Relay, Junior Santino Merino ran a 15.82 split on the first leg of the Relay. Freshman Peter Wilk ran a 17.59 split on the second leg of the Relay. Junior Sean Kung ran a 17.35 split on the third leg of the Relay. Freshman Neal Capapas anchored the Relay to third place with a 17.35 split, for a total time of 1:09.34. In the Sophomore/Freshman 4x135 Yards Relay, Sophomore Coleman Gailloreto ran a 20.61 split on the 1st leg of the Relay. Freshman Sam Olver ran a 20.31 split on the second leg of the 4x135 Yards Relay. Freshman Neibu Tadele ran a 21.81 split on the third leg of the Relay. Freshman Tenzin Wangdhen anchored the Relay to third place with a 20.12 split, for a total time of 1:22.85. In the Varsity 3200m run, the Mustangs were looking forward to taking on Fenton Track Star Nathan Smith. But after two impressive meets in the 3200m run this season, Smith was resting for the Mile, and not racing in the 3200m. With Smith not racing, the Mustangs knew at the starting line that it would be a battle between Northside athletes for the top places in the 3200m run. In 2006, Northside Preston Buehrer placed third in the Varsity 3200m run at the Fenton Indoor Classic with a two mile time of 12:04. In 2007, Northside Captain Preston Buehrer dropped 40 seconds in one year to WIN the Fenton Indoor Classic 3200m run with an Outstanding time of 11:24 (5:30/5:54). Sophomore Jonathan Kittaka placed second overall with a time of 11:32 (5:31/6:03). Freshman Cuitlahuac Pineda placed third overall with an outstanding time of 12:03 (5:55/6:08). Junior Faraz Khan completed the scoring in the 3200m run by placing fourth overall with a time of 13:25 (6:11/7:14). Khan earned his first Varsity letter in Track by scoring in the meet. Senior Joey Paquette placed fifth overall with a time of 13:40 (6:20/7:20). In Sophomore/Freshman 3200m run, Cooper Eben placed third overall with an outstanding time of 13:20 (6:08/7:12). In the Varsity Shot Put, Senior Elliot Rembert threw a personal best 25'10. After completion of the Two Mile run, Junior Preston Buehrer threw the shot put 25'4. Senior Robert Garcia threw 24'7. Junior Irfan Hussain threw 23'0. Junior Vingh Nguyen tied his PR with a throw of 21'6. In the Sophomore/Freshman Shot Put, Sophomore Captain Eric Nelson appeared in his first Track meet in 2007. Eric Nelson was one of the mustangs top jumpers, hurdlers, and sprinters in 2006. During an outstanding basketball season, Eric Nelson hurt his ankle, and is currently unable to run or jump, and has been limited to re-hab exercises and strength training. Eric Nelson has shown great dedication in the weight room, and has increased his strength dramatically, and just learned how to throw a Shot Put last Friday in an effort to help his teammates at the Fenton Indoor Classic. After only three standing throws in practice, Eric Nelson learned the glide. Eric Nelson showed great mental toughness and determination, and threw a Personal Best 34'10 to place Third overall in the Fenton Indoor Classic. In his first meet ever throwing a Shot Put, Eric Nelson threw 9'0 farther than his teammates and was within 2'2 of the school record!! Freshman Alejandro Valdivieso threw a personal best 24'1 in the Sophomore/Freshman Shot Put. Freshman Tenzin Wangdhen threw a personal best 19'6 in the Shot Put. Freshman Neibu Tadele threw a personal best 18'6. In the Varsity 50 Yard High Hurdles, Sophomore Albert Lin placed 3rd overall with a personal best time of 8.49. In the Freshman 50 Yard High Hurdles, Freshman Andrew Czyszczon placed 4th overall with a personal best time of 9.46. In the Varsity 800m run, Sophomore Simon Vecchioni ran an outstanding time of 2:27. Junior Harold Jaffe ran an outstanding time of 2:31. Sophomore Brian Chhun ran a time of 2:42, which was 5 seconds faster than his relay split in the 4x800m relay. Junior Andrew Jacob ran a time of 2:43. Junior Irfan Hussain ran a time of 2:48. In the Sophomore/Freshman 800m run, Freshman Andrew Czyszczon placed fourth overall with a time of 2:42. Sophomore Coleman Gailloreto placed sixth overall with a time of 3:08. In the Varsity 4x270 Yards Relay, the Mustangs upset Contant for 2nd place, with a total time of 2:30.46. Sophomore Martin Melto ran a 36.74 split on the first leg of the Relay. Freshman Peter Wilk ran a 39.87 split on the second leg of the Relay. Santino Merino ran a 35.59 split on the third leg of the Relay. Freshman Neal Capapas anchored the Relay to second place with a 38.46 split, for a total time of 2:30.46. The Sophomore/Freshman 4x270 Yards Relay was scractched due to Gustavo Hernandez not showing up to the meet, and Freshman Thomas Nguyen, and Sophomore Nathan Michaelson physicals expiring March 1, 2007. In the Varsity 400m run, Junior Sean Kung ran a personal best time of 65.14, dropping 1.16 seconds off his PR. Freshman Hunter Speese was in contention with the leaders, on a sub-60 pace through 300 meters, but the Athlete from Contant accidently stepped on the back of Speese's shoe during the race, causing the shoe to fly off. Hunter Speese showed great mental toughness staying in the race, but the incident caused both athletes to stop momentarily and Speese was unable to maintain the same speed with only one shoe. Based on an outstanding 300 meters prior to the accident, the Mustangs look forward to Speese next 400m race. In Sophomore/Freshman 400m run, Freshman Sam Olver ran a personal best time of 74.23. In the Varsity 50 Yard Int. Hurdles, Sophomore Albert Lin placed third overall with a time of 8.23. Junior Santino Merino placed fourth overall with a personal best time of 8.90 to secure vital points for the Mustangs. In the Sophomore/Freshman 50 Yard Int. Hurdles, Freshman Andrew Czyszczon placed fourth overall with a personal best time of 9.43. In the Varsity Mile Run, Senior Patrick O'Connor lead the Mustangs with a 5:27. Junior Preston Buehrer ran a 5:28. Sophomore Jonathan Kittaka ran a 5:33. Freshman Cuitlahuac Pineda ran a personal best time of 5:34. Junior Harold Jaffe ran a time of 5:42. In the Sophomore/Freshman Mile Run, Freshman Jaisong Yang ran a personal best time of 5:33. Freshman Cooper Eben ran an outstanding time of 5:52. In the Varsity 200m Dash, Freshman Hunter Speese ran an outstanding time of 27.47. Freshman Neal Capapas also ran an outstanding time of 28.10 Junior Sean Kung ran a personal best time of 29.17. Freshman Peter Wilk ran a time of 30.20. In the Sophomore/Freshman 200m Dash, Sam Olver ran a time of 32.06. In the Varsity Weightmans Relay, the Mustangs were unable to score any points because Senior Robert Garcia and Senior Elliot Rembert could not run one lap, leaving the Mustangs with only 2 available athletes for the Weightmans Relay. Irfan Hussain and Vingh Nguyen were both prepared to race in the Weightmans Relay, but it takes four athletes for a Relay. Northside Captain Preston Buehrer offered to run in the relay to help his teammates, but was already in four events, and IHSA rules only allow an athlete to participate in four events in a single meet. The Mustangs were forced to scratch the Relay, and sacerfice points. In the Sophomore/Freshman Weightmans Relay, Freshman Neibu Tadele, Alejandro Valdivieso, and Tenzin Wangdhen were prepared to run, but Sophomore Gustavo Hernandez did not show up to the meet, so the Relay had to be scratched. In the Sophomore/Freshman 4x405 Yards Relay, the Freshman were prepared to race. But Freshman Neal Capapas and Freshman Peter Wilk had to be promoted prior to the meet to the Varsity Team to replace missing Varsity athletes. Both Capapas and Wilk came through for the Mustangs, earning Varsity letters, by scoring points in the 4x270 Yards Relay. However, it left the Sophomore/Freshman 4x405 Relay without enough athletes for the 4x405 Yards Relay, so it had to be scratched. In the Varsity 4x405 Yards Relay, Sophomore Martin Melto ran a 60.80 split on the first leg and made a nice exchange to Simon Vecchionni. Sophomore Simon Vecchionni ran a 60.65 split on the second leg of the relay. Sophomore Brian Chhun ran 62.41 split on the third leg of the relay. Junior Preston Buehrer, after running the 3200m run, and the Mile, anchored the 4x405 Yards Relay for the Mustangs to third place, with an outstanding 59.50 split, for a total time of 4:02.30. The Meet featured three Teams, Fenton, Constant, and Northside College Prep. The point scale for Relays was 5-3, and for individual events was 5-3-2-1. Fenton Indoor Classic Varsity Point Leaders 1. Albert Lin 9 2. Preston Buehrer 5 3. Jonathan Kittaka 3 4. Cuitlahuac Pineda 2 4. Hunter Speese 2 5. Santino Merino 1.75 6. Faraz Khan 1.0 7. Neal Capapas 0.75 7. Martin Melto 0.75 7. Peter Wilk 0.75 VARSITY POINTS SEASON LEADERS (3 Meets) 1. Benjamin Garcia 11.00 2. Albert Lin 9.00 3. Preston Buehrer 7.00 3. Geoff Edwards 7.00 4. Santino Merino 5.75 5. Jose Choto 3.00 5. Jonathan Kittaka 3.00 6. Martin Melton 2.75 7. John Holler 2.50 8. Cuitlahuac Pineda 2.00 8. Hunter Speese 2.00 9. Darrel Johnson 1.50 9. Robert Garcia 1.50 9. Vingh Nguyen 1.50 9. Erik Flores 1.50 10. Faraz Khan 1.00 11. Neal Capapas 0.75 11. Peter Wilk 0.75 12. Simon Vecchioni 0.50 12. Omer Aba-Omer 0.50 (Coming soon: Sophomore-Freshman Point Totals and Leaders)

Fri. January 12, 2007 Girls Track & Field Team Meeting 3:30 pm Team Captains/Coaching Staff Dinner 5:00 pm Sat January 13, 2007 Illinois Track & Field Coaches Association 8:00 am (Coaching Staff only) Tue January 16, 2007 First Official Day of Practice 3:45 pm Fri January 19, 2007 Queen of the Quarter - North Park Univ 7-9 pm (400m Time Trial) Fri January 26, 2007 Track & Field Parents Meeting 6:30 pm (Cafeteria) Sat February 3, 2007 Whitney Young Invitational 3:00 pm (Oak Park River Forest High School) Julian, South Shore, Latin, Hyde Park, Whitney Young, North Lawndale. Fri March 9, 2007 University of Chicago Lab School 5:00 pm Henry Crown Stadium (200m Track) NSCD, Wheaton Academy, Westmont HS, Michelle Clark, Northside, U-High (Varsity Only) Sat-Sun March 10-11, 2007 CPS Varsity Indoor Championships 9:00 am Sat March 24, 2007 Kenwood Invitational 8:00 am (Varsity) Thu March 29, 2007 Lane Tech Relays 3:00 pm (Varsity) Sat April 7, 2007 Mather Invitational 9:00 am (Varsity Only) Tue April 10, 2007 Deerfield Invite 4:30 pm (Varsity/JV/Sophomore-Freshman) Glenbrook North, Deerfield Fri April 20, 2007 Kenwood Sophomore-Freshman Classic 3:00 pm (Sophomore/Freshman Only) Sat April 21, 2007 Ed Key Classic 9:00 am (Varsity) Fri April 27, 2007 Sophomore-Freshman CPS Qualifying Meet TBA (Hanson Stadium) Tue May 1, 2007 Varsity CPS Qualifying Meet TBA Fri May 4, 2007 Sophomore-Freshman City Championships TBA Sat May 5, 2007 Varsity City Championships TBA Sat May 12, 2007 IHSA Sectional Championships TBA Fri May 19, 2007 IHSA State Championships TBA -Eastern Illinois University Sat May 20, 2007 IHSA State Championships TBA -Eastern Illinois University Fri June 2, 2007 Track & Field Team Banquet TBA

On Saturday, February 24, 2007, the Northside Mens Track & Field team traveled to Niles West High School in Skokie, Illinois for the Niles West Invitational. The Meet featured host Niles West High School, Loyola, Maine West, Waukegan, Foreman, Driscol, Jones, Luther North, Northside College Prep, South Shore, Tilden, and Crete-Monee. Every Northside athlete showed great determination, and competed in multiple events to fight for every point in the meet. The Varsity Mustangs placed 5th overall, and the Northside Freshman upset Loyola to place 3rd overall! In the Varsity Long Jump, Captain Geoff Edwards lead the Mustangs with a 16'5. Sophomore Martin Melto Jumped 16'2, and Junior Joe Kennedy jumped 14'5. In the Freshman Long Jump, Hunter Speese placed second overall with a jump of 14'11. Neal Capapas jumped 13'5, and Alejandro Valdivieso jumped 9'6. In the Varsity Triple Jump, Junior Vingh Nguyen jumped 26'11.75 to place 7th overall. In the Freshman Triple Jump, for the second consecutive year (2006 - Albert Lin), Northside had the Freshman Triple Jump Champion. Freshman Jaisong Yang won the Triple Jump with a personal best jump of 27'11.25. In the Varsity High Jump, Sophomore Martin Melto, Junior Joe Kennedy, Freshman Hunter Speese (Freshman division) came into the high jump competition at a higher hight than the competition in order to conserve energy, and the strategy backfired, as they were unable to clear it, and would have been better off entering the competition at a lower height to secure vital points. In the Varsity Shot Put, Benjamin Garcia threw a personal best 35'10.5, and is closing in on the school record. Senior Darrel Johnson improved '0.5 from the New Trier Indoor classic with a personal best throw of 30'6.5. Senior Robert Garcia improved 0'4 from the New Trier Indoor classic with a personal best throw of 26'10. Junior Irfan Hussain threw a personal best 24'3. Junior Vingh Nguyen also threw a personal best 21'6. In the Freshman Shot Put, Tenzin Wangdhen threw a personal best 19'2. In the Varsity 1000m run, Senior John Holler ran a 2:21 800m enroute to a personal best 1000m time of 2:59 to place 6th overall. Junior Erik Flores placed 9th overall with a personal best time of 3:09. Junior Santino Merino placed 12th overall with a personal best time of 3:19. In the Sophomore 1000m run, Coleman Gailloreto placed 8th overall with a personal best time of 3:47. In the Freshman 1000m run, Cooper Eben placed third overal with a personal best time of 3:27. Thomas Nguyen placed sixth overall with a personal best time of 3:32. In the 55m High Hurdles, Freshman Andrew Czyszczon was promoted to the Varsity prior to the meet, and was the Mustangs top hurdler on all levels. Czyszczon ran a personal best time of 12.30. Senior Max Brown also ran a personal best time of 13.04. Junior Vingh Nguyen ran a time of 16.40. The Varsity 50m Dash featured 36 athletes from 12 schools, and Northside Sophomore Benjamin Garcia placed 2nd overall with a personal best time of 5.90! Garcia just started his season this week, after completing a successful basketball season, and had an immediate impact for the Mustangs in multiple-events. Junior Jose Choto also ran an outstanding time of 6.70 in the 50m Dash. Junior Erik Flores ran an outstanding time of 6.90 in the 50m Dash. In the Freshman 50m Dash, Northside teammates Sam Olver and Thomas Nguyen tied with a 7.4 Freshman Alejandro Valdivieso ran a time of 8.3. In the Varsity 800m run, Sophomore Cuitlahuac Pineda ran a personal best time of 2:34. Freshman Andrew Czyszczon ran a personal best time of 2:38. Junior Joe Kennedy ran a personal best time of 2:49. In the Sophomore 800m run, Ted Kalaw placed 4th overall with a personal best time of 2:30. Nathan Michaelson placed 10th overall with a time of 2:42. In the Varsity 4x160m Relay, Junior Santino Merino ran a 22.77 160m split on the opening leg of the relay. Sophomore Martin Melto had trouble with the exchange, and there was a delayed hand-off, and then Melto made a nice recovery with an outstanding 22.30 160m split on the second leg of the relay. Junior Jose Choto ran an outstanding 21.51 160m split on the third leg of the relay. Senior Geoff Edwards anchored the Mustangs to 4th place with an outstanding 20.38 160m split on the final leg of the relay, for a combined time of 1:26.95. In the Freshman 4x160m Relay, Sam Olver ran a 24.79 160m split on the opening leg of the relay. Cooper Eben made a nice exchange and ran an outstanding 24.39 160m split on the second leg of the 4x160m relay. Alejandro Valdivieso ran a 25.70 160m split on the third leg of the relay, and made a nice exchange to Neal Capapas. Freshman Neal Capapas anchored the 4x160m relay to 4th place overall with an outstanding 22.28 160m split on the final leg of the relay, for a combined time of 1:37.28 In the Varsity 600m run, Junior Santino Merino secured vital points for the Mustangs by placing 5th overall with a personal best time of 1:50.90. Junior Irfan Hussain ran a personal best time of 1:54.8. Junior Faraz Khan ran a personal best time of 1:58.5. In the Sophomore 600m run, Gustavo Hernandez placed third overall with a personal best time of 1:52.2 In the Freshman 600m run, Thomas Nguyen placed 5th overall with a personal best time of 1:59.0. In the Varsity 400m run, Junior Erik Flores placed 6th overall with a time of 60.78. Junior Geoff Edwards placed 7th overall with a time of 60.90. Senior Robert Garcia ran a time of 71.00. In the Freshman 400m run, Hunter Speese won the 400m title with a personal best time of 63.0! Speese ran a 63 despite being accidently slowed by an official fifty meters before the finish line, and then still managed to re-start and hang-on for the victory. Freshman Peter Wilk ran a time of 70.0. Freshman Alejandro Valdivieso ran a time of 72.0. In the Varsity 55m Low Hurdles, Freshman Andrew Czyszczon ran a personal best time of 11.24. Senior Max Brown made a nice recovery after a head first fall on the first hurdle, and ran a personal best time of 12.93. In the Varsity Mile, one year ago, Senior Joe Terdik started the season with a 5:20 mile, and ended the season with a 4:37 School record. This year, the Mustangs have had two athletes start the season under 5:20. Junior Preston Buehrer (5:18 at New Trier Indoor Classic), and at the Niles West Invitational, Senior John Holler ran an outstanding time of 5:17. Cuitlahuac Pineda also ran an outstanding Mile time of 5:38. Senior Joey Paquette also ran a great time of 5:45, in his first mile race of the season. In the Freshman Mile, Jaisong Yang placed 4th overall with a personal best time of 5:40. Freshman Cooper Eben dropped 17 seconds in less than 4 days with a personal best mile time of 5:51!! In the Varsity 200m Dash, Junior Erik Flores ran an outstanding time of 26.98. Junior Jose Choto also ran an outstanding time of 27.02. In the Sophomore 200m Dash, Nathan Michaelson ran a time of 30.06. In the Freshman 200m Dash, Hunter Speese placed third overall with a personal best time of 27.00. Freshman Neal Capapas dropped over a second, and placed fifth overall with a personal best time of 27.80. Freshman Sam Olver ran an outstanding time of 32.20 In the Varsity Weightmen Relay, Sophomore Benjamin Garcia lead-off with an impressive 20.34 160m split. Senior Darrel Johnson ran a personal best 27.86 160m split on the second leg of the relay. Senior Robert Garcia ran a 26.77 160m split on the third leg of the relay. Junior Vingh Nguyen anchored the relay to Third place with a personal best 24.66 160m split on the final leg of the relay, for a combined time of 1:39.63. In the Varsity 4x400m Relay, Senior Geoff Edwards ran a 61.23 on the first leg of the Relay and made a nice exchange to Jose Choto. Junior Jose Choto ran a 63.91 on the second leg of the Relay and made a good exchange to John Holler. Senior John Holler ran a 64.06 on the third leg of Relay. Sophomore Benjamin Garcia anchored the relay to Third Place with a 65.80 on the final leg of the Relay, for a combined time of 4:15.00, to secure vital points for the Mustangs. In the Freshman 4x400m Relay, Tenzin Wangdhen lead-off with a 76.34 400m split on the first leg of the relay. Cooper Eben ran a 72.09 400m split on the second leg of the relay. Thomas Nguyen ran a 72.96 400m split on the third leg of the relay. Peter Wilk anchored the relay to fourth place with a 72.90 400m split on the final leg of the 4x400m relay, for a combined time of 4:54.2 VARSITY POINTS 1. Benjamin Garcia 11.0 2. Santino Merino 3.5 3. Geoff Edwards 3.0 4. Jose Choto 3.0 5. John Holler 2.5 6. Martin Melto 1.5 7. Darrel Johnson 1.5 8. Robert Garcia 1.5 9. Vingh Nguyen 1.5 10. Erik Flores 1.0 SOPHOMORE POINTS 1. Gustavo Hernandez 6 2. Ted Kalaw 4 FRESHMAN POINTS 1. Hunter Speese 24 2. Jaisong Yang 14 3. Cooper Eben 8.5 4. Thomas Nguyen 4.0 5. Neal Capapas 3.5 6. Sam Olver 1.5 7. Alejandro Valdivieso 1.5 8. Peter Wilk 1.0 9. Tenzin Wangdhen 1.0 VARSITY POINTS SEASON LEADERS (2 Meets) 1. Benjamin Garcia 11.0 2. Geoff Edwards 7.0 3. Santino Merino 4.0 4. Jose Choto 3.0 5. John Holler 2.5 6. Preston Buehrer 2.0 7. Martin Melto 2.0 8. Darrel Johnson 1.5 9. Robert Garcia 1.5 10.Vingh Nguyen 1.5 11.Erik Flores 1.5 12.Simon Vecchioni 0.5 13.Omer Aba-Omer 0.5

On Tuesday, February 20, 2007, the entire Northside Mens Track & Field Team traveled to New Trier High School for the New Trier Indoor classic, which featured Loyola, New Trier, Northside College Prep, and Lake View High School. The meet featured unlimited entries in all events, and was not scored. Although the meet was not scored, Northside Head Coach Jon Gordon will still score the meet, because Varsity letters are awarded at Northside based on Varsity points scored in all meets. Since their were four teams, points will be awarded through fifth place, and relay points will be awarded through third place. The highlights of the meet include a 3rd place finish overall by Northside Senior Geoff Edwards in the Long Jump, with a jump of 18'1. Edwards placed third in a field that included the best jumpers in last years IHSA State Sectional. Northside Junior Preston Buehrer placed 5th overall in the 800m run with an outstanding time of 2:20. Buehrer also ran a 5:18 in the Mile. Northside Sophomore Simon Vecchioni dropped 7 seconds of his PR to finish 6th overall in the 800m run with a personal best time of 2:21. Northside Junior Erik Flores also ran an outstanding 800m time of 2:25. Northside Junior Brian Chhun also ran a personal best 800m time of 2:29.5. Northside Junior Harold Jaffe ran a personal best 800m time of 2:31. Northside 4x145m relay, which included Omer Aba-Omer, Santino Merino, Martin Melto, and Geoff Edwards, combined for third place overall. Northside 4x400m relay, which included a 58 400m split by Senior Geoff Edwards on the first leg, and awesome exchanges to Erik Flores to Simon Vecchioni, and was anchored to third place by Northside Captain Preston Buehrer, for a time of 4:11. VARSITY POINTS SCORED 1. Geoff Edwards 4.0 2. Preston Buehrer 2.0 3. Erik Flores 0.5 3. Simon Vecchioni 0.5 3. Omer Aba-Omer 0.5 3. Martin Melto 0.5 3. Santino Merino 0.5 The Mustangs will compete in their first Invitational of the season, this Saturday, February 24, 2007, at Niles West High School. The Niles West Invitational, features three divisions, Freshman, Sophomore, and Varsity. Last season, the Northside Freshman won the Niles West Invitational, and the Sophomore and Varsity squads placed fourth. This year the Mustangs will be seeking their first Varsity Invitational title of the season at Niles West. All Northside Freshman will compete in the Freshman division. However, the majority of the Sophomore squad will compete at the Varsity level, in an effort to help the Varsity bring home the Niles West Invitational Title.

On Monday, February 19, 2007, the Northside College Prep Varsity Women's Track & Field Team traveled to De La Salle High School in Chicago, Illinois for the President Day Invitational. De La Salle High School is famous for their Alumni which includes Mayor Richard Daley. The Team began the day by singing Happy Birthday to Northside Assistant Coach Jose Nebrida. Team Captains presented Nebrida with a Pie, and a nice card, which was signed by the entire Team. After completeing 152 Marathons, Jose Nebrida reached the youthful age of 65. It turned out to be an outstanding birthday for Jose Nebrida. His wife threw him a surprise party, and the Mustangs delivered the best present ever, a dramatic come from behind Team VICTORY at the President Day Invitational. The lady Mustangs are now off to a 6-0 start to the 2007 Track & Field Season!!! The President's Day Invitational featured host De La Salle High School, Harper High School, Washington High School, Julian High School, Cage Park High School, and Dunbar High School. The meet was an eight hour battle, that began with the Shot Put. Since January 2007, Northside throwers have been meeting with Northside Head Coach Jon Gordon every morning at 6:15 am in the weight room, and working on throwing technique in the gym, and in the hallways. The Mustangs dedication paid off at the President Day Invitational. Junior Kaitlin Renkosiak placed 4th overall with a throw of 22'1. Junior Jolanda Steier placed 5th overall with a personal best throw of 21'6. The Mustangs scored 9 points in the Shot Put. In the 55 meter low hurdles, Freshman Karen Li won the Sophomore-Freshman division with a personal best time of 10.94. Sophomore Maria Zdunek finished second with a personal best time of 11.57. In the Varsity 55 meter low hurdles, Junior Kelly Varney placed 4th with an outstanding time of 10.18. Senior Amy Perez placed 6th with a Personal Best time of 11.58. The Mustangs scored 8 points in the 55 meter low hurdles. In the 55 meter dash Sophomore-Freshman Division, Sophomore Stephanie Sotomayor placed 8th with an outstanding time 8.91. Sophomore Mariam Bawany placed 11th with a personal best time of 9.78. In the Varsity 55 meter dash, Senior Natalie Hanigan placed 8th with an outstanding time of 8.06. Sophomore Adoara Achufusi placed 11th with an outstanding time of 8.38. The Mustangs scored 1 point in the 55 meter dash. In the 4x800m Relay, Senior Julie Bujnowski battled Harper for the lead on the opening leg with an outstaning 800m split of 2:56.87. After a nice exchange, Junior Meghan Schmit ran an outstanding 800m split of 2:59.95, and passed the baton to Senior Jaye Gardiner. Gardiner ran a personal best 800m split of 3:03.18, and passed the baton to Sophomore Carmen Abelson. Carmen Abelson anchored the relay to VICTORY with an outstanding time of 2:54.87 for the final 800 meters of the 4x800m Relay. The Mustangs scored 10 points in the 4x800m Relay. In the Long Jump, Senior Julie Bujnowski had one jump left after the 4x800m relay, and it was her best jump of the day. Bujnowski jumped an outstanding 13'4.5 to place 6th overall. Sophomore Maria Torres placed 7th overall with an outstanding jump of 13'1.5. Junior Courtney Konow placed 9th overall with a personal best jump of 9'10. The Mustangs scored 5 points in the long jump. In the High Jump, Junior Kelly Varney placed 3rd overall and secured 6 vital points for the mustangs with a jump of 4'0. In the Triple Jump, Maria Torres placed 1st overall with a jump of 31'5. Sophomore Gayatri Satam placed 5th overall with a jump of 26'4. Junior Kaitlin Renkosiak placed 6th overall with a jump of 22'9.25. The Mustangs scored 17 points in the Triple Jump. In the Sophomore-Freshman 4x160m Relay, Stephanie Sotomayor, Gayatri Satam, Karen Li, and Maria Zdunek combined for an outstanding time of 1:48.51 to place 5th overall. In the Varisty 4x160m Relay, Senior Natalie Hanigan ran an impressive 23.81 split on the first leg of the relay, and made a nice exchange to Sophomore Maria Torres. Torres ran an outstanding 24.15 split on the second leg of the relay, and made a nice exchange to Sophomore Adaora Achufusi. A Julian runner colided with Achufusi causing her to hit the ground hard, but she quickly got up to secure vital points for the Mustangs with a 28.13 split on the third leg of the relay, and made a nice exchange to Junior Kelly Varney. Varney ran a 24.64 split on the final leg of the relay to finish 5th overall with an outstanding time of 1:40.65. The Mustangs scored 4 points in the 4x160m Relay. In the Varsity 1600m run, the one-two punch of Sophomore Carmen Abelson (6:20) and Senior Jessica Galang (7:09) dominated the field, and placed first and second respectively. Abelson ran outstanding 800m splits of 3:09 and 3:11. Galang also ran outstanding 800m splits of 3:21 and 3:48. The Mustangs scored 18 points in the Mile. In the Varsity 400m run, Senior Julie Bujnowski placed 5th with a time of 72.93. Junior Courtney Konow placed 7th with a Personal Best time of 76.13. The Mustangs scored 6 points in the 400m run. After the 400m run, the Mustangs had moved into 2nd place overall, and were closing in on Dunbar High School with the 800m run and the 4x400m as the only remaining events. The Mustangs had originally planned on Anna Parks, Jennifer Friedmann, and Hannah Geil-Denfeld running in the Varsity 800m run. However, Hannah Geil-Denfeld was sick, and Jennifer Friedmann did not show up to the Bus. Northside Head Coach Jon Gordon announced as the Team was getting off the Bus, that Freshman Bessie Nolan, and Senior Amy Perez would run in their place. Although both athletes have a Cross Country background, neither was planning on running in the 800m run at the meet. Both athletes showed great mental toughness, and determination with milestone performances. In the 800m run, Harper's Paulette Murry quickly took the lead with a strong start. After two laps, Northsides Anna Parks, Bessie Nolan, and Amy Perez moved in front of Murry. The Mustangs then held of strong surges from Kiara Williams, Lavon Johnson, and Kenyetta Sadler. Sophomore Anna Parks finished first overall with an outstanding time of 2:42. Freshman Bessie Nolan finsihed second overall with a personal best time of 2:50. Senior Amy Perez finished third overall with a personal best time of 2:59. The Mustangs SWEPT the top three places in the 800m run! The Mustangs scored 24 points in the 800m run to put them a few points ahead of Dunbar High School for FIRST place in the President Day Invitational. In the Sophomore-Freshman 4x400m Relay, Sophomore Alice Thatcher, Freshman Mahaim Hiader, Freshman Jessica Tapia, and Freshman Collen Hoffman combined for a 4x400m relay time of 6:29.30 to place second overall in the 4x400m relay. After an eight hour battle, the meet was going to come down to the final event, the Varsity 4x400m Relay. The Mustangs had to stay ahead of Dunbar in the 4x400m Relay to win the meet. After a meeting with the coaching staff and Team Captains, with the President Day Invitational Championship on the line, the Mustangs changed the order of the 4x400m Relay. Junior Kelly Varney lead off the Relay with a 75.46 400 meter split. Senior Julie Bujnowski ran the second leg with a 73.44 400 meter split. Senior Natalie Hanigan ran the third leg with a 72.90 400 meter split. Sophomore Anna Parks anchored the Relay to 3rd place overall, and one place ahead of Dunbar High school to win the Invitational with a 67.00 400 meter split on the final leg of the 4x400m Relay with a final time of 4:48.90. The Mustangs scored 6 points in the 4x400m relay. Team Scores: 1. Northside College Prep 145 2. Dunbar 137 3. Harper 68 4. Julian 66 5. De La Salle 52 6. Washington (Chicago) 25 7. Gage Park 15 VARSITY POINT LEADERS 1. Kelly Varney 13.5 2. Maria Torres 13.0 3. Carmen Abelson 12.5 4. Anna Parks 11.5 5. Julie Bujnowski 11.0 6. Amy Perez 9.0 7. Jessica Galang 8.0 7. Bessie Nolan 8.0 7. Kaitlin Renkosiak 8.0 8. Gayatri Satam 4.0 8. Jolanda Steier 4.0 9. Natalie Hanigan 3.5 10.Jaye Gardiner 2.5 10.Meghan Schmit 2.5 11.Courtney Konow 2.0 12.Adaora Achufusi 1.0 SOPHOMORE-FRESHMAN POINT LEADERS 1. Karen Li 11 2. Maria Zdunek 9 3. Stephanie Sotomayor 2 3. Alice Thatcher 2 3. Mahaim Haider 2 3. Jessica Tapia 2 3. Collen Hoffman 2 4. Gayatri Satam 1 WIN = What's Important Now?