Senior and returning all-stater Kaden Garland became the first Oak Park and River Forest High School boys track and field athlete to throw beyond 60 feet in shot put this indoor season.
He improved his all-time program record to 19.12 meters/62 feet-8 3/4 inches Saturday in winning the Class 3A title at the Top Times Indoor Championships at Illinois Wesleyan University in Bloomington.
Returning all-state long jumper, junior Kwabena Osei-Yeboah, came within a quarter-inch of his personal best with a second-place 7.18m/23-6 3/4.
“I knew there were going to be some pretty good throws, as long as I stayed calm and just threw it,” said Garland, the USC recruit who first broke 60 feet on Feb. 8 at home (61-0). “I felt like I could get a little bit more out of it, but I’m happy with what I got.”
After finishing seventh in 3A in 2023, the Huskies already are showing signs of contending for their first top-three state trophy since taking third in 2019 and 2012.
On March 15, they again won the indoor West Suburban Conference Silver Division Meet at York. They’re now seeking their seventh straight Silver title outdoors.
“It’s a delicate balance between making sure we’re competing at our highest level at the state meet and being healthy,” OPRF head coach Tim Hasso said. “As a staff, we’re going to continue moving in the right direction. This team has the potential to finish among the best teams in Illinois. It’s whether we can put it together at the right time.”
Junior Caleb Schulz was second in the 200-meter dash (22.44) and fifth in the 60 (7.01) Saturday. Osei-Yeboah also was fourth in triple jump (13.94m/45-9) and the 4 x 200 relay of senior Kevin McGovern, sophomore Kingston Petersen, Schulz and Osei-Yeboah came in fifth (1:32.76).
At 2023 state, Garland (17.58m/57-8 1/4 in shot) and Osei-Yeboah (6.73m/22-1 in long jump) both took fifth for top-nine, all-state honors. The 4 x 800 relay with seniors Michael Michelotti, Lewis O’Connor and Daniel Johnson and junior Finn Kelly (6th, 7:52.23) and 4 x 100 relay with senior Santiago Valle and Schulz (7th, 43.00) also made all-state.
The 4 x 400 relay with junior Quinn Testore and Valle (10th, 3:23.03) just missed finals and Garland was 11th in discus finals (45.02m/147-8). The 4 x 200 relay with Valle, Schulz and sophomore Kingston Petersen was 12th (1:28.97).
Other contributors include senior Mariano Escobedo, juniors Liam O’Connor, Lukas Brauc, Adam Moroney and Connor Schupp and sophomores Christian Crape, Jonathan Sibley-Diggs and Riley Jackson. Liam O’Connor was an all-state 17th in cross country for the sixth-place Huskies, Nov. 4.
OPRF girls track & field
As one of 11 OPRF girls returning from the 2023 state lineup, sophomore high jumper Alexis Henderson is seeking more come May.
At the Homewood-Flossmoor Invite, Feb. 24, Henderson cleared 5-6 ¼ — another all-time best in program history — following 5-4 at the OPRF field house in the Feb. 16 opener to initially break the 5-3 school record.
“I knew I was close and I wanted to beat it this year,” said Henderson, who was 16th at state (1.55m/5-1).
Also back from 2023 state are seniors Hannah Franke (16th in pole vault, 3.28m/10-9), Taylor Smith (17th in triple jump, 10.98m/36-0 1/4), Brianne Davis (no mark in discus) and Katherine Johnston (no height in pole vault), juniors Bella Brauc (21st in 400, 1:00.36 and no height in high jump) and Julia Brown (24th in 400, 1:01.34) and the 4 x 200 relay of junior Amelia Hammersley and sophomores Chloe Kozicki, Violet Schnizlein and Maisie Hoerster (21st, 1:45.80).
Other contributors include senior Lenny Sterritt, junior Nora Butterly, and freshman Devyn Kleidon. Sterritt again qualified for the state cross country meet.
“Going down to the state meet, it’s a huge motivator for the next year and it’s definitely shown. We have some other hopefuls that are going to jump in,” OPRF head coach Nick Michalek said.
The Huskies were third at the indoor Silver Meet March 15 at Proviso West. Brauc (1.62m/5-3 3/4) and Henderson (1.57m/5-1 3/4) finished 1-2 in high jump, Davis won shot (10.42m/34-2 1/4), Brauc (1:00.95) and Brown (1:01.26) finished 2-3 in the 400, Franke (3.20m/10-6 in pole vault) and the 4 x 400 relay were second (4:10.27). Smith was third in long jump (5.17m/16-11 1/2) and triple jump (10.50m/34-5 1/2).
