Lukaas Nales Qualifies for State Meet in the 400 Meter Dash!

The Giants came into Sectionals with team members performing at their best in recent meets. This meet brought the level of competition to new heights. The HP line-up included numerous young guys getting great competitive experience. The team had some big performances on a hot and windy day. 

Field Event Highlights:

Sophomore Larry Jenkins had a big personal best in the shot put. He threw 43’4.5” to take 11th place. This was nearly a 1 foot PR. Junior Caden Hellrung was a few inches off his best with a 36’7.75” mark. He came back and threw 97’1” in the discus. Sophomore Dmitry Derbedyenyev took 15th in the discus at 115’9”.  

Junior Darius Robinson finished in 8th place in the triple jump. He got a mark of 40’8.5”. He also jumped 18’8” in the long jump. Sophomore Malachi Calliste took 12th with a 19’7” jump. 

Track Event Highlights:

The 4X100 meter relay of Calliste, Robinson, senior RJ Guhl, and junior Paul Eam took 6th place in :45.04 to just miss the season best time. 

Freshman Carter Livermore ended his season with some tremendous recent performances. At Sectionals, he took 8th place in the 3200 meter run in 10:04.09. As he continues to improve his racing tactics, he will drop even more time and have great success. Sophomore Nolan Schott battled tough to run 11:33.15.

Eam and Calliste both ran personal best times in the 100 meter dash. Eam raced to 11.54 and Calliste ran 11.56. 

The 400 meter dash was an event the Giants knew they had two incredible sophomore runners with the ability to medal and possibly qualify for State. Lukaas Nales ran an amazing :49.85 to take 3rd place and qualify for State! It was his first time going sub 50 in an open 400. Doug Anderson also ran a PR and finished in 5th place with a time of :50.55. He just missed qualifying for State. They were the top 2 sophomores in the event. 

Senior Peter Soutsos ended his high school career with a strong 300 IH race of :45.06. He will be competing in track & field at Monmouth next year. 

Sophomore Nate Wehner took 9th place in the 1600 meter run with a 4:27.18.

Calliste and Eam both came back with two more personal best times in the 200 meter dash. Calliste ran :23.48 and Eam crossed the line in :23.82 (first time going sub 24 seconds). The sprinters had a very successful meet (and season).  They showed, by following the training and trusting the process, success would follow. All open 100, 200, and 400 runners raced to PRs. Also, 2 of the 3 sprint relays placed in the top 7 to earn medals. 

The final event of the meet saw the HP 4X400 take 7th place running 3:30.65 (just missing their season best time). Anderson ran :51.7, junior Noah Jackson was :54.2, freshman Dylan Dominguez got :54.3, and Nales anchored at :50.3. 

The meet had its ups and downs for the team, but overall it was a good meet for the Giants. Many personal bests and a State qualifier. The coaching staff is excited for how much talent returns for next season. That being said, a great deal of work must be done to surpass what was accomplished this season and more HP athletes needed to be added to the roster to help fill in the gaps and increase the depth in many events. Now, the coaches and team will support Lukaas Nales in his quest to earn a medal at the IHSA 3A State Track & Field Meet! 

The nominations for Giant of the Meet included:

Lukaas Nales - :49.85 in the 400 for 3rd place and qualifying for the State Meet, also ran :50.3 on 7th place 4X400

Doug Anderson - :50.55 in the 400 for 5th place, also ran :51.7 lead-off leg on 7th place 4X400

Larry Jenkins - huge PR in the SP to take 11th place with a 43’4.5” throw

Paul Eam - PRs in the 100 (11.54) and 200 (:23.82), also ran on 6th place 4X100

Giant of the Meet:

Lukaas Nales