If we want to have a conversation about the best invites Illinois has to offer, Downers Grove South’s Mustang Relays has to be on that list. Hosted on a Monday, the 21st Annual Mustang Relays will be the centerpiece for relay action. We are going to look at each event and talk about some of the teams that will run exceptionally well at this meet.
Boys
4x200m
Whitney Young enters this meet with the fastest mark in the race of 1:31.38 which they ran at the Dr. Conrad Worrill Track and Field Center. This will be the first time that they run the relay on a flat track. Their star jumper Maxwell Warner is not listed on the relay card which is odd as he has been a member of this relay so far this season. Minooka has historically always competed well in this meet. Without sophomore standout Max Smith on this squad, they could run in the 1:31s. This is a very inexperienced squad, but don’t count out the Indians to win yet another Mustang Relays 4x200m title. Glenbrook North has run the 2nd fastest time in the field so far this year with their 1:32.31 seed. With no real star athlete on this relay, the Spartans will rely on solid handoffs to get the baton around the track in a quick manner. Sycamore is a new addition to the meet and has run 1:32.33 already this season to win big at the Central Boys Invite, just 2 weeks ago. They have two amazing athletes on this team in Aidan Wyzard and Dylan Hodges, which will make this a sneaky squad to look at. It will be tough beating Aidan Wyzard if the Spartans are within striking distance. Plainfield South has been having a sneaky good indoor season as they have yet to run their full relay yet. David Obadein and Anthony Vilcek are set to lead this relay. Could 1:31 be in the cards for the Cougars? West Aurora is a sneaky team in this race as the names they have entered are highlight names to watch. Sere Iranloye, Azuriah Sylvester, and Terrence Smith are all listed on the relay card.
4x400m
Downers Grove North has the best season bests in the field. They have distance stars Grant Schroder and Phillip Cupial on this relay. They have looked strong in the event this year and will be looking to get a signature win here. Naperville Central ran 3:30.90 at the Cabin Fever to set a new FR/SO school record. That wasn't even their “A” team and they still ran 3:30. Adding the likes of Patrick Clune and anothers to this relay will dip them under 3:30 and potentially in the mid 3:20s. Yorkville enters the meet with the fastest seed time in the field. They were the 2023 State Champions in this event and are led by superstar Owen Horeni on this relay. If the baton can be given to Horeni in the lead, then expect the Foxes to walk out with a win. Whitney Young has also ran well in the 4x400m this year. They are a team that could sneak out a win if things go correct. Lockport is an interesting team that has Nolan Lamoureux and Graydon Czako running on the relay. One of the state's best 400m runners and hurdles will look to make this relay a potential winner. Lane Tech was all-state in the 4x400m last year and could potentially do some damage if Noah Mayra runs on the relay.
4x800m
Something will have to go terribly wrong for Downers Grove North to lose this race. They are returning NATIONAL champs, and they have been right on the border of the state record for 2 years straight. Grant Schroeder, Will Surratt, John Courtney, and Phillip Cupial are entering the meet as the favorites for this contest. Currently, their composite time sits at 7:57.53, which is a fair distance below IL #1. I believe they have their sights on Payton’s 8:02, and if they run even a B+ day, I think they will nab that time with ease. Plainfield North will be the team to challenge DGN, they have Quinn Davis, Thomas Czerwinski and Aiden Connors all floating around the 2 minute border right now. If Gavin Hall can get down into the 2:01 range, they could be in contention for a win. Berwyn Cicero Morton has been sneakily working their way up the distance running ladder, and I believe they are ready to snap. Alex Rodriguez ran 1:58.04 at the Rich Township Invite this weekend, he will be a strong leader for the Mustangs. Orlando Sandoval and Miguel Flores have run great mile times so far, they both currently have run 4:25. They seem to be more adept at the 3200, but I believe they can at least get their 800 down to 2:02 if not faster. The final piece for this 4x8 to work will come from sprinter Christian Valadez. Valadez has been a very solid sprinter for Morton, he ran 49.73 last year during outdoors and placed 14th in the 3A 400 at state. He ran a mediocre 800 of 2:06.9 last year, but I see somewhat of a change this year. He has run a couple more 600s than he normally runs during indoor season, and he has a new PR of 1:27.62. This roughly converts to 2:00.9, and I think he could be a real wild card for Morton. If they choose to run with him, there is a chance that Morton flirts with the 8 minute border, I’m excited to see who they choose to run. Plainfield South can rally a contending squad as well, Dylan Buturisis and Austin Cory are capable of running under 2 flat. Dylan Maloney will be the big piece of that group. He ran 2:03 at Lakes in his season debut, but with the best competition in the state, I think he will find a way to get back to his usual sub 2 split. Sandburg is the only other team that might be flying under your radar. They ran 8:14 with half varsity, their real composite time sits around 8:07 and I think they could pop a good 4x8 as well. Palatine is an at-large into this meet and has a great top 3 athletes. James O’Sullivan, Alex Krieg, and Carter Hayes can all be under 2 flat here. Hayes may split something crazy here as he has had an excellent season so far. Teams like Naperville Central, Whitney Young, Lane Tech, Yorkville, and Downers South could surprise you with a sub 8:05 time as well. This is easily the fastest 4x8 meet that we will see this year, it will not disappoint this year.
Girls
4x200m
Plainfield East has run IL #4 1:44.39 with the quartet of Brisline Lankah, Courtney McDonald, Briyah Beatty, and Haley Anderson. They ran that to take 2nd at the Homewood-Flossmoor ABC Meet. In a race like this, it's always nice to have a superstar like Courtney McDonald on your squad. Prospect has the Niebrugge sisters and Amina Hadziahmetovic at the core of their sprint squad. Prospect has 3 girls under 26 seconds. With those three and Samantha Skowronski on the relay, don’t rule out a 1:42 if they get the stick around the track cleanly. Plainfield North is the only other team that is under 1:45 and they did that on a 178m track. The Tigers will have superstar Taylor McClain on their squad and the addition of Lauren Dellangelo, who did not run the relay at Plainfield North. Dellangelo ran 56.8 for the 400m in the summer last year and brings a lot to this team. They are another team that could dip into the 1:42s. Batavia will be right on their heels, they have run a season best of 1:45.48 and will look to make some noise. Lincoln-Way East will try and bring their 4x400m team down a distance to run the 4x200m here. They are running the same exact quartet that won the IHSA 3A State 4x400m Title in the spring. Expect some great things from them, especially lead by Kyra Hayden and Alaina Steele. Huntley ran 1:46.34 at Homewood-Flossmoor Girls ABC Invite and that was with some sloppy handoffs. If they get the stick around the track smoothly, then maybe 1:44 is in the picture. The 4x2 will produce some quality results and will shake up the state standings for sure.
4x400m
Lincoln-Way East is going to be the favorite entering this meet. The Griffins squad is set to include every member from last year's relay that won the IHSA 3A State Title in the 4x400m. Alaina Steele and Kyra Hayden both will be under 60 splits for sure. The key will be what Aremu and Keane are in shape to run. They both ran 61 and 63 at ONU. Prospect has the capability to take the win, we should see the first sub 4 of the season. The Knights have so much depth to choose from their great sprinters and great distance runners. The quartet of Amina Hadziahmetovic, Nikki Niebrugge, Mary Laba and Dajana Skolimowska can take the Knights under the 4 minute border. Hadziahmetovic, Laba and Niebrugge have all run sub minute in the open this season, it should be no problem for them to do it again. Batavia have run an IL #2 of 4:03.51 and have the fastest season best in the field by 3 seconds. The duo of Elizabeth Wende and Kate Solano put this team as well on sub 4 watch. Plainfield North is a loaded team and the top time in the field. They have put together an all-star lineup of Lauren Dellangelo, Taylor McClain, Aniya Poindexter, and Lindsey Wenz. This team brings potentially the most star power of any squad here. The question will be, can they put it together to run a fast 4x4? This team could go 3:55 if all things go right. Chicago Lane hasn’t put their “A” team together yet. They could surprise and close in towards 4:00.
4x800m
This race will likely be the race of the day. Prospect is coming off of a historic season for them, they won the state championship last year with a 9:00 4x8. It was actually their 4th year in a row winning the State Title. They return 3 of those runners, and they are more than able to find a substitution for their 4th runner. Here is something to think about. The Knights have never looked this good at this point of the season. It seems like a switch flips every year at Mustang Relays for this group and they run an insanely fast mark. With how Meg Peterson and Veronica Znajda have been running, expect both of them under 2:15 for sure. Mary Laba ran 2:13 last season and could potentially dip under 2:15 as well. Leaving Ireland Wildhart as the most important leg here. The 2x cross country all-stater could run something great here and under 2:20. Don’t be shocked if the Knights break the 9:00 barrier here, it's a true possibility. Downers Grove North is another team that seems to get it together at Mustang Relays, as seen last year. They are seeded at 9:35, but with a squad of Ava Gilley, Hannah Renner, Lily Eddington, and Alayna Todnem, expect the Trojans to run faster than that. If we see the DGN that we saw last year then they can compete with Prospect. St. Ignatius will be a team that could potentially shock the field and win. They are led by the superstar duo of Annika Swan and Ally Shutler. Both athletes will be in the low 2:10s for splits. The Sheaffer sisters will need to be at 2:20 in order to win this race. Plainfield North will be without Tessa Russo who is dealing with an injury, but they will still produce a highly competitive team with Elsie Czarniewski, Ayla Czarniewski, Marlie Czarniewski, and Lindsey Wenz as part of it.