Eddie Smoliak Finishes In 5th Place At State Meet!

Eddie Smoliak finished his junior year of his track & field pole vault career on a roll. He cleared a personal best at his last four meets in a row concluding at the IHSA 3A State Track & Field Meet. Eddie had some struggles in the prelims on Friday, but was able to make it through to the Saturday finals. During warm-ups on Saturday, he tweaked his back and was it pain. You could see the look on his face as he hobbled back down the runway after a few more warm-ups. Eddie worked on rolling it out and taking some ibuprofen to settle it down. By the time the competition began, he looked much better and started with a clearance on his first attempt at opening height. He then skipped the next height before coming back in and continued to clear height after height on his first attempts. After clearing his new personal best of 14'6", Eddie had some decent attempts at 14'9", but was not able to clear it. Due to making clearances on his first attempts he finished in 5th place as 6th place (who cleared the same height) had more misses. Once again Eddie showed great composure in a pressure situation and was able to perform at his best on the biggest stage. Look for even greater success from this outstanding athlete next year as he will continue to work hard and perform at a highest level. He is a great example to all of his teammates!

Benjy Rogin had some trouble in his preliminary 110 Meter High Hurdle Race. After a strong start, he hit a hurdle which started to cause his shoe to come off. After the hit hurdle, his rhythm was thrown off and eventually, his shoe flew off into the air halfway through the race. The race was a disappointment for Benjy, but also a learning experience that will help him as he goes on to compete at Emory. On a bright note, he was able to come back that night in the Race At State competition in the 300 IM Hurdles and break the school record. It was quite a career for this hard working young man. Look for great success from him at Emory in the near future!

Angel Estrada had really looked strong in his previous two meets and we were hoping that he would continue that improvement after missing a portion of the season due to a shin injury. Unfortunately, it was not Angel's day. He just did not have it, but battled to the end. This will be a learning experience for him that he will take with him as he goes on to run at the University of Illinois. Angel had quite a career at HPHS. He had his ups and downs. In the end he was a four time state qualifier in cross country and track & field combined including being All-State this past fall in cross country with a 10th place finish. Angel will have a successful career at the U of I as he continues to work hard, stay focused, and compete with a toughness like no other.