Rogin and Smoliak Compete At Illinois Top Times Indoor Championship

The indoor season was very successful for the Highland Park Boys Track & Field Team.  The final indoor meet of the season was the Illinois Top Times Indoor Championships held at Illinois Wesleyan University on Saturday, March 29th.  The Giants had two athletes that qualified and were able to go to the meet to compete against other top 3A athletes from Illinois.  Senior Benjy Rogin qualified for the 60 meter high hurdles and junior Eddie Smoliak qualified for the pole vault.

In the pole vault the opening height was 13' 00".   Smoliak has never come in at that height, but this was a good test as he hopes to compete in the State Meet this May.    He was able to clear the opening height on his second attempt. Smoliak then had three solid attempts at 13'6" (his personal best), but was not able to clear the height.   He ended up in 9th place.    This was a great experience for him as a junior.   As he makes adjustments during outdoors, including having longer runways, adding more speed, and using a bigger pole, look for Smoliak to soar to even higher heights.

In the preliminaries of the 60 meter high hurdles, Rogin ran 8.42 to qualify for the finals.  In the finals, he did not get a great start, but was strong through the middle and struggled with the finish.   Rogin ended up in 8th place with a time of 8.46.  Being in a championship meet like this with such a high level of competition will help him at the end of the season as he attempts to qualify for the State Meet.

Results

These two outstanding athletes have helped set the tone for the team as we head into the outdoor season and try to win the conference championship and get as many people as we can to qualify for the State Meet!   We need a high level of commitment for each member of the team if we want to have success this outdoor season.   

"The will to win means nothing without the will to prepare."   Juma Ikangaa