Like many Oak Park and River Forest High School boys track and field athletes, senior Jonathan Sibley-Diggs knows how to rise to the occasion. At the Illinois Indoor Championships Saturday in Chicago, Sibley-Diggs took second with a distance of 17.18 meters/56 feet-4 1/2 inches and led under the second-to-last throw.
“I haven’t thrown a 17-meter in about a year,” Sibley-Diggs said. “My throw was really amazing. I focused on turning back, making sure I can full rotation whenever I glided and everything just popped out.”
Outdoors, the Huskies tied for sixth in Class 3A last year (26 points) and were the 2024 state team co-champions. They’ve won eight consecutive West Suburban Conference Silver Division titles.
At the indoor Silver Meet, March 20, the Huskies had their lengthy streak of titles ended with a fourth-place finish (90 points), one point from third.
“The way (the seniors) reacted to the results, they wanted more for the team and for us,” OPRF coach Tim Hasso said. “We’ve lost a ton over the past two years but now the kids got through that experience (indoors) and we have two more months to train. We’re only going to grow.”
Seniors Malik Griffee, Sibley-Diggs, Brian Jackson, Connor Harmon and Kelson Lewis and juniors Emmet Freedman and Julian St. Pierre return from last year’s state lineup. Griffee was an all-state sixth in high jump (1.99m/6-6 1/4). He’s among a trio this season who have cleared the state-qualifying standard. Sibley-Diggs was 11th in the discus finals (50.49m/165-7) and 17th in shot (16.21 m/53-2 1/4).
Freedman was 25th in the 300-meter intermediate hurdles (41.25), and Jackson was 24th in 400 (50.59) and part of the 4 x 400 relay (23rd, 3:24.81). Also back from state relays are Harmon and St. Pierre from the 4×800 relay (15th, 8:00.50) and Lewis from the 4 x 100 (21st, 42.45).
At the indoor Silver Meet, Jackson (50.16) and sophomore Moses Espinosa (50.71) went 1-2 in the 400-meter dash and junior Addis Wilson (1.97m/6-5 1/2) and Griffee (1.92m/6-3 1/2) went 1-2 in high jump. Senior Riley Jackson, a 2024 state qualifier in triple jump, won that event (13.54m/44-5 1/4) and the 4 x 400 relay of junior Keyante Johnson, senior Malik Ojikutu, Espinosa and Brian Jackson (3:28.06) was first. Sibley-Diggs was second in shot (16.77m/55-0 1/4).
Other standouts include seniors Ben Cazeau, Ron Conner, Brady Creel, Matthew Garner, Braylon Jackson, transfer Jaylen Runnels, Yonny Rafter and David Schiff, juniors Mike Degnan and Josh Peppers and sophomore Keldon Jones, promoted for the indoor Silver Meet.
“Everybody’s got some work to do,” Hasso said. “(Indoor Silver was) the reality of where were March 20 but that’s not the truth in May so we’ve just got to get better.”
OPRF girls track & field
The Huskies graduated everyone from their six 2025 3A all-state performances, but several experienced state returnees are poised to contend for top-nine, all-state honors.
“We’re looking to capitalize on the areas we did well at last year,” said OPRF head coach and throws coach Nick Michalek.
Senior Oliwia Slezak was 15th at state in discus (36.63m/120-2). Returning from relays are senior Violet Schnizlein and juniors Lucy Stein and Lilly Harmon from the 4 x 800 (17th, 9:31.81) and senior Claire Kozicki from the 4 x 400 (30th, 4:03.96). All four competed at state in the same events in 2024.
Senior high jumper Alexis Henderson, who was injured last season, reached the 2024 state finals (17th, 1.55m/5-1). She was third at the indoor Silver Meet March 20 at Proviso West (1.52m/4-11 3/4).
As a team, the Huskies were fifth (61 points). Slezak won shot put (11.55m/37-10 3/4) and Schnizlein was third in the 1,600 (5:23.63) after taking fourth in the 3,200 (11:23.07).
Other standouts include seniors Claire Garnett, Sheila Johnson, Soraya Lewis-Arellano, Niani Patton, Luciana Ramirez and Damiah Turner, juniors Isabella Crowe, Haliyat Fadipe, Jaida Garland, Jaelyn Hammersley, Selah Sarai Backeberg, sophomore Eileen Easton and freshmen Rose Super, Maya Davis and Kiara Murphy.