Mahomet-Seymour boys’ track and field wins Monticello Sectional

By FRED KRONER
fred@mahometnews.com

Mahomet-Seymour qualified athletes for state in six field events and three running events during Thursday’s Class 2A boys’ track and field sectional meet at Monticello High School.

Hunter Hendershot, Mathias Powell and C.J. Shoaf were all two-event state-qualilfiers.

Hendershot captured first in both the shot put (60 feet, 7 ½ inches) and the discus (167-8).

Powell was the winner in the 1,600 meters (4 minutes, 22.53 seconds) and the 3,200 meters (9 minutes, 33.09 seconds).

Shoaf won the high jump (6 feet, 2 inches) and advanced in the 110-meter hurdles as the runner-up (15.50 seconds).

Other M-S state-meet competitors will be pole vaulters Colin Balbach and Corey Cebulski, each of whom cleared 13 feet, 6 inches and placed fourth and fifth, respectively.

Morrie Mendenhall advanced in the shot put with a toss of 48-9. He was the sectional runner-up.

M-S captured team honors at the 15-school sectional, amassing 91 ½ points. Runner-up Champaign Central registered 71 points.

The team trophy was the third in succession for coach Todd Lafond’s team, matching a school record for consecutive boys’ track and field sectional titles set from 1983-85  by John King-coached teams.

The Bulldogs’ state qualifiers return to action on Friday in the preliminaries at Eastern Illinois University, in Charleston.

Also at sectional, M-S had eight other individuals and three relays place among the top 10 in their events..

Shoaf was third in the 300-meter hurdles (42.20) and teammate Peter Slezak was a two-event hurdles placer.  Slezak was fourth in the 300 event (42.22) and fifth in the 110-meter high hurdles (16.20).

Sprinter Grant Brown was fifth in the 100 meters (11.39 seconds). In the 400 meters, Micah Perkins ended 10th in 55.14.

Kyle Nofziger took ninth in the 1,600 meters (4:44.39).

In the discus, Costen Campion was fourth (127-4) and in the high jump, Ryan Whitehouse took seventh (5-8).

The top-finishing relay for M-S was its 3,200-meter foursome. They captured fifth in a combined time of  8:39.51. The group consisted of Nofziger, Joseph Scheele, Nick Mies and Jonah Singer.

Both of the Bulldogs’ sprint relays placed 10th.

The 400 unit featured Cebulski, Brown, Peter Kamp and Daunte Roberts. They were timed in 46.76.

The 800 relay consisted of Balbach, Brown, Kamp and Cebulski. Their time was 1:40.05.