APRIL 5:
CHICAGOLAND CHAMPIONSHIPS
NAPERVILLE, Ill. — University of St. Francis did not score any team points but had three individuals improve on their performances from the first outdoor meet of the season in Saturday’s Chicagoland Championships held at North Central College.
Freshmen Adam Yost (Sparta H.S./Sparta, MI) and Tony Burbatt (Bremen H.S./Midlothian, IL) each ran faster in Saturday’s 1500 meters than they did 11 days earlier at the season-opening Troll Relays in Palos Heights.
Yost covered the 1500 meters in 4:10.43, knocking more than 20 seconds off his earlier time. Burbatt sliced over seven seconds off his previous time, clocking a 4:30.39 at North Central. Both Yost (2:03.41) and Burbatt (2:17.17) each ran the 800 meters outdoors for the first time this season as well.
Freshman jumper Wes Addison (Yorkville H.S./Yorkville, IL) added nearly five inches to his first outdoor triple jump from the previous week, notching a mark of 38 feet, five inches on Saturday. Addison also competed in the long jump but came up more than a foot shorter than his earlier mark with a leap of 18 feet, 2 1/4 inches.
MARCH 26:
TRINITY CHRISTIAN COLLEGE TROLL RELAYS
PALOS HEIGHTS, Ill. — University of St. Francis opened its first outdoor track and field season with a third-place finish at the Trinity Christian Troll Relays.
The Saints narrowly missed second place, scoring 61 points and coming in just three points behind host Trinity Christian. Harper College easily won the meet with a team score of 163.
USF scored most of its points with strong finishes in both the triple jump and 1500 meters.
Freshman Jerrick Hughes (La Salle-Peru H.S./Peru, IL) placed second in the triple jump with a leap of 38-3.25 and fellow frosh Wes Addison (Yorkville H.S./Yorkville, IL) came in third with a mark of 38-0.25.
USF placed 1-3-4 in the 1500, led by freshman Adam Yost’s (Sparta H.S./Sparta, MI) winning time of 4:30.8. Freshman Jorge Carmona (Aurora Central Catholic H.S./Aurora, IL) was third at 4:36.3 and frosh Tony Burbatt (Bremen H.S./Midlothian, IL) placed fourth with a clocking of 4:37.8.
USF also got third-place finishes from Addison in the long jump (19-3.50), freshman Mike McElyea (Sangamon Valley H.S./Illiopolis, IL) in the 3000 meters and its 4x400 meter relay team.
FEBRUARY 22:
CENTRAL MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY JACK SKOOG OPEN
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. — Four University of St. Francis men established personal best marks for the 2008 indoor track and field season as the Saints concluded the indoor portion of their schedule at the Central Michigan University Jack Skoog Open on Friday.
Jumpers Wes Addison (Yorkville H.S./Yorkville, IL) and Jerrick Hughes (La Salle-Peru H.S./Peru, IL) each eclipsed their previous best marks of 2008 in both the long and triple jumps. Addison posted a mark of 20-0.5 in the long jump and a distance of 38-2 in his first attempt of the season at the triple jump. Hughes leaped 19-9 in the long jump and bettered his triple jump distance by more than a full inch with a mark of 39-4.50.
Tony Burbatt (Midlothian H.S./Bremen, IL) ran his fastest mile of the winter with a time of 4:55.44.
Likewise, Mike McElyea (Sangamon Valley H.S./Illiopolis, IL) turned in his best time in his fourth 3000-meter race of the season with a clocking of 9:15.85.
FEBRUARY 16:
CHICAGOLAND CHAMPIONSHIPS
CHICAGO — University of St. Francis sent six athletes to the Chicagoland Indoor Track and Field Championships Saturday at the Henry Crown Pavilion on the campus of the University of Chicago. The Saints, in just their first year as a program, scored one team point as USF’s distance medley team earned an eighth-place finish.
That distance medley unit featured freshmen Jorge Carmona (Aurora Central Catholic H.S./Aurora, IL), Wes Addison (Yorkville H.S./Yorkville, IL), Tony Burbatt (Bremen H.S./Midlothian, IL) and Mike McElyea (Sangamon Valley H.S./Illiopolis, IL). The quartet posted a time of 11:18.37 in their first race as a group this year, and that was the fastest time by a USF team in the distance medley thus far.
Addison and fellow freshmen Jerrick Hughes (La Salle-Peru H.S./Peru, IL) and Ronnie O’Neal (Oak Forest H.S./Oak Forest, IL) also established personal season-best marks in their events on Saturday.
Addison clocked his best time in the 55-meter dash with a mark of 7.18 seconds. He and Hughes each recorded their best long jump marks of the winter. Addison leaped 19 feet, 3 1/2 inches and Hughes bettered that distance by jumping 19 fee, 6 3/4 inches. O’Neal bettered his personal best time in the 800 meters with a mark of 2:30.20.
FEBRUARY 9:
LEWIS DICK POND INVITATIONAL
ROMEOVILLE, Ill. --- Freshman Mike McElyea (Sangamon Valley H.S./Illiopolis, IL) used a first-place finish in his heat to register a 15th-place overall showing in the mile run at the Lewis University Dick Pond Invitational on Saturday.
McElyea registered a time of 4:43.48 in the 29-person field, which eclipsed his previous best time by 11 seconds.
No other Saint notched an upper-level finish on the day among the other five that competed for the first-year program.
FEBRUARY 2:
CARTHAGE TADD METZGER INVITATIONAL
KENOSHA, Wis. — Freshmen Jorge Carmona (Aurora Central Catholic H.S./Aurora, IL) and Mike McElyea (Sangamon Valley H.S./Illiopolis, IL) each showed improvement in Week Three of University of St. Francis’ inaugural track season, but the young Saints fell short of gaining any points at the Carthage College (Wis.) Tadd Metzger Invitational on Saturday.
McElyea made the biggest strides with his showing in the 3,000-meter run, where he bettered his time from the week before by nearly 19 seconds, recording a 9:29.53 to place 19th overall in a field of 33 runners.
George’s development came in both the mile and 800-meter runs, where he authored times of 4:53.58 and 2:10.23, respectively, for approximately three second gains.
In the latter event, Carmona finished just behind freshman Mubashir Olaoye (Thornton Fractional North H.S./Calumet City, IL), who recorded a time of 2:10.11 to place 25th in a field of 37 participants. Two weeks earlier, Olaoye failed to finish on the same track.
JANUARY 26:
WABASH COLLEGE ALUMNI INVITATIONAL
CRAWFORDSVILLE, Ind. — University of St. Francis sent eight athletes to the Wabash College Alumni Invitational and garnered a total of 10 team points in its second indoor meet of the 2008 season.
The Saints’ effort was led by freshman Jerrick Hughes (La Salle-Peru H.S./Peru, IL) who competed in four events and captured half (5) of USF’s total points. Hughes earned a sixth-place finish and three team points in the high jump — his first high jump of the young season — with a mark of 5’8”. He also claimed seventh spot in the triple jump with a leap of 36’10”. Hughes’ busy day also included competition in both the long jump and the 200 meters.
Freshman Mike McElyea (Sangamon Valley H.S./Illiopolis, IL) claimed a point for USF with an eighth-plAce finish in the 3000 meters as he posted a time of 9:48.28. It was his first race at that distance this winter.
USF’s other four team points were scored by its 4x400-meter relay squad of Tony Burbatt (Bremen H.S./Midlothian, IL), Jorge Carmona (Aurora Central Catholic H.S./Aurora, IL), Patrick Haaker (Hersey H.S./Arlington Heights, IL) and Mubashir Olaoye (T.F. North H.S./Calumet City, IL) who claimed a fifth-place finish with a time of 4:06.71.
JANUARY 19:
PRIVATE COLLEGE INVITATIONAL
KENOSHA, Wis. — University of St. Francis debuted its men’s track program on Saturday with eight athletes participating in the indoor season-opening Private College Invitational at Carthage College.
The small Saints squad did manage to score one team point with an eighth-place finish in the distance medley. The Saints’ foursome was made up of freshmen Jorge Carmona (Aurora Central Catholic H.S./Aurora, IL), Mubashir Olaoye (T.F. North H.S./Calumet City, IL), Tony Burbatt (Bremen H.S./Midlothian, IL) and Mike McElyea (Sangamon Valley H.S./Illiopolis, IL) and that group ran a time of 11:39.33.
Freshman Jerrick Hughes (La Salle-Peru H.S./Peru, IL), sophomore Alonzo Lee (Hubbard H.S./Chicago, IL) and freshman Wes Addison (Yorkville H.S./Yorkville, IL) all participated in sprints for the Saints. Hughes ran the 55 meters (7.72) and competed in the long jump (16-9 1/4). Addison participated in the long jump (17-4) and all three joined Olaoye in the 4x200 meter relay (1:47.01).
Freshman Ronnie O’Neal (Oak Forest H.S./Oak Forest, IL) ran the mile (5:48.36) for the Saints.
