By Michael Newman, ILXCF.com Editor

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Batavia – The Boys 1600 Meter run was the final race of Batavia’s Distance Madness Meet Friday evening. Just like the other five championship races took place at this meet, it came down to the final lap to decide a winner. It was a matter of nerve minding patience for Marmion Academy’s Michael Ronzone to wait until just the right moment to make his move.

It’s tempting to go to the front of the pack early in a race especially if you let the adrenaline that engulfs your body push you to the front. The pace was fast for the first half of the race as Dundee-Crown’s Anthony Hurgoi and Jaimie Marcos of Von Steuben High School stretched the pack out going through the first 400-meters in 61 seconds and then the half way point in 2:07. Ronzone was willing to wait saying in places sixth through eighth in the first part of the race but staying within touch of the leaders.

Ronzone and New Trier’s Warren Blood moved up closer to Hurgoi and Marcos on the race’s fifth lap. The pace was slowing down as the leaders ran a 69 second lap going through 1200-meters in 3:16. That is when the action began. As Blood angled to take the lead, out of nowhere came Tyler Dau of Geneva who was in seventh the lap before. Now he was in contention to take the lead with a huge surge just before the final two laps. With 300 meters to go, Dau took the lead. 

Ronzone was in fifth at that point but poised to strike for the lead. The bell sounded signifying the final lap. That is when Ronzone struck taking the lead. A final 30 second lap distanced himself from the rest of the pack. Dau made one final move in the final 50-meters but the Marmion junior had too much of a lead finishing in 4:20.30. Dau ran 4:20.77 to finish second. Blood led six runners to the finish within three seconds of each other running 4:22.35.

The meet was full of exciting finishes that started with the Girls 800 Meters. Audrey Harrod of Hinckley-Big Rock shook the rest of the pack taking a commanding lead going through 400-meters in 65 seconds and 600-meters in a quick 1:40. Jenna Lutzow of Belvidere North had stayed in the back of the pack and was three seconds behind Harrod entering the final lap. She started to make up ground on the back stretch but it was hard to imagine for her to catch Harrod. When Litzow came off the final curve, catching Harrod was a reality. A final push by the 2A State Cross Country champion gave her the win (2:17.14) just ahead of Harrod (2:17.50). 

The best race of the night could have been the 3200 Meter Run with a great field that had five runners finish under 11 minutes. Naperville North’s Sarah Schmitt and Claire Hamilton took the lead early and controlled the pace throughout. With four laps to go, it was Minooka’s Ashley Tutt and Prospect’s Brooke Wilson staying right on the two Naperville North’s runners back. Wilson tried to take the lead on several occasions in the final two laps but Schmitt refused to let her pass. Schmitt held off Wilson on the final 50-meters to win (10:43.08) just ahead of Wilson (10:43.55) and Hamilton (10:46.37). Tutt (10:49.75) and Daly Galloway of Dwight (10:55.50) finished fourth and fifth.

Sara Adkins of Wheaton-Warrenville South pushed the pace for the first half of the Girls 1600 Meter Run before Emily Shelton of Minooka took over. Shelton passed 1200-meters in 3:49 but had Katherine Olsen of DeKalb and Hannah Ricci of Naperville North chasing after her. Shelton made a huge surge in the final lap opening a three second lead. Along came Ricci who had a great kick in that final lap catching Shelton five-meters before the finish. Ricci’s winning time of 5:05.05 was less than a half a second ahead of Shelton (5:05.54).

The Boys 800 Meter Run was tightly packed throughout but stretched out in the final lap as Soren Knudsen of Minooka took away the lead from Jones Prep’s Arthur Santoro at the bell. Geneva’s Brian Kuehl moved with Knudsen and took the lead with 100-meters left. Kuehl held off Santoro in the final 20-meters to win in 1:58.03 setting a new meet record. Santoro (1:58.36) and Knudsen (1:59.01) followed close behind.

Caleb Washington of Shepard High School pushed the pace the second half of the race and held off a charge by Hinckley-Big Rock’s Tanner Chada in the final 400-meters to win in 9:24.19 setting a new meet record. Chada followed in 9:26.85 achieving a new personal best.