Oak Park and River Forest High School senior Lukas Brauc was an inexperienced newcomer to pole vault when Kirsten Weismantle became the event’s new coach in 2022.
“The first time he jumped as a freshman, he popped off that pit with a big smile on his face and I knew it was the sport for him,” Weismantle said. “It’s a pleasure to help foster that joy and growth in the sport. He’s still popping off with a smile and I love seeing that.”
Brauc’s smile was never bigger than Saturday. Brauc became the Class 3A state champion, clearing 5.18 meters/17-0 feet at Eastern Illinois University. He’s the Huskies’ eighth state champion in the event but the first since 1967.
“My goal for high school was to win state and now that it’s finally happened, it feels so rewarding, so good,” Brauc said.
“Now that it’s sunk in, it’s like, ‘Wow. That actually happened.’ Going into it, I knew I’d be in the mix. Especially in prelims, getting to some really big poles really boosted my confidence.”
The Huskies had five top-nine, all-state performances but missed a top-three trophy. They tied for sixth [26 points], 12 from third place and 14 from second, after sharing last year’s 3A state championship with 49 points.
Senior Kwabena “Geegee” Osei-Yeboah, last year’s state champion in long jump, was seventh [6.90m/22-7¾] and sixth in triple jump [14.22m/46-8]. Senior Liam O’Connor took fifth in the 3,200-meter run [9:12.57] and junior Malik Griffee was sixth in high jump [1.99m/6-6].
However, senior Caleb Schulz, last year’s 100 state champion headed to DePaul, was battling a cold and upper respiratory issues. Schulz missed finals in his three events.
“You go through the history of sports. Injuries happen, adversity happens. [Schulz] wasn’t the kid we knew the last 3½ years, but he put everything out there and did everything he could for those guys,” OPRF head coach Tim Hasso said. “We were dinged up for a good portion of the season. To have Geegee and Lukas back was a blessing. And Liam ran his heart out. Unfortunately, the last piece wasn’t there.”
Brauc, who will compete at Tennessee, overcame hamstring issues in breaking the 16-1 school record by 2023 graduate Josh Meister all the way to 17-3, May 9. On Saturday, Brauc missed 17-7, which would been the all-time state finals record.
“I really think state was the ultimate prize and the 17-3 was just a step in the journey to get there and to improving my vault through college and maybe even beyond,” Brauc said.
Brauc won state after he cleared 5.0m/16-4¾. Clearing 17-0 was a personal victory that came on his final attempt.
“Just being able to perform so well in that environment really proved to myself that I can rise to the occasion,” Brauc said.
Weismantle is a former OPRF pole vaulter who competed at Iowa. For the last attempt at 17-0, Weismantle supported Brauc’s personal decision to switch to a bigger pole.
“I’m very excited for his state finish and it’s really well deserved,” Weismantle said. “He’s truly a student of the sport. As a coach, my job is to give him the tools to succeed and he really locked in and made it happen.”
“[I’ll remember] the people, all of my teammates, my family, showing how much they care,” Brauc said. “It’s heartwarming to have so many people support me and want me to succeed.”
Osei-Kwabena had a bittersweet finish after achieving lifetime bests in triple jump at sectionals [14.58/47-10] and long jump at the conference meet [7.49m/24-7 1/4]. Battling a hamstring injury and pinched nerve, he wasn’t even sure about reaching state at the start of May.
“I had 29 days to train. It was the most brutal 29 days I experienced as an athlete. But I tried,” Kwabena-Osei said. “Last year, not only did I win the individual but we won the team title. That’s got to be the best feeling I’ve ever felt. People dream of that and I’m glad I got to feel what it’s like to be at the top at least once in my career.”
O’Connor used a furious final 500 meters to move up from eighth place.
“It was a great way to end the senior season, having so many teammates supporting me [and 2024 graduate Michael Michelotti],” said O’Connor, who will run at Williams College.
“Throughout the season, [distance coach Chris Baldwin] had the goal of running that last 500 meters pretty quickly. It was really cool to see the training throughout the year pay off.”
Senior Finn Kelly and junior Jonathan Sibley-Diggs also were finalists. Kelly, battling back from injury his junior year, was 11th in the 800 [1:56.34] after a lifetime-best 1:55.67 in prelims. Sibley-Diggs was 12th in discus [49.85m/163-6] and also 17th in shot put [16.21m/53-2¼].
Schulz was 16th in the 100 [10.79], .05 from ninth, and 16th in the 200 [21.94] and anchored the 4 x 100 relay with junior Kelson Lewis, senior Matthew Winklehake and Osei-Yeboah [21st, 42.45].
“It was a tough time of the year not to have a kid at 100 percent. I admire his willingness to compete for the team,” Hasso said.
The 4 x 800 relay of seniors Andrew Harmon, junior Connor Harmon, sophomore Julian St. Pierre and senior Connor Schupp was 15th [8:00.50]. Other OPRF competitors were junior Brian Carter Jackson in the 400 [24th, 50.59], sophomore Emmet Freedman in the 300 intermediate hurdles [25th, 41.25] and senior Dylan Pierce in discus [36th, 43.03m/141-2] and the 4 x 400 with Carter Jackson, senior Mykah Riley, Schupp and Brauc [23rd, 3:24.81].
Fenwick
Junior Matt Simon became Fenwick’s first 400 all-stater when he took fourth in Class 2A [49.63] after a school-record 49.36 in prelims.
“It means a lot because it shows how much I put into it,” said Simon, 19th at state in 2024 [51.12]. “Especially indoors, I felt surprised by my times. Then to run low 49s was very surprising for me.”
Junior Aiden Williams was an all-state sixth in the 110 high hurdles [14.73] after taking sixth in the 300 hurdles in 2024. Williams had ACL surgery on his left knee in mid-October.
“They’re both impressive to me. This year I had surgery but last year I was a sophomore doing that,” said Williams, who was 12th in the 300 low hurdles [40.05]. The 4 x 400 with Cameron Garnett, Adrien Dubois, Landon Johnson and Simon was 28th [3:43.07].