Recently in Track and field Category

Neuqua Valley graduate Chris Derrick missed the Nike Outdoor Nationals just as he missed the IHSA Class AA state finals because of illness, but Dyestat.com news editor Steve Underwood posted an article that wonders what would have happened if the Stanford-bound Derrick did run at NON.

Underwood posits the scenario of Derrick facing California star German Fernandez and Indiana standout Mike Fout in the 5,000 meters.

The easy thing to wonder is what if Derrick had made it to the line for the NON 2-mile vs. Fernandez, instead of watching from the sidelines as DyeStat's newest reporter? Could a healthy Derrick - with that 13:55 5k at Arcadia and what seemed like a routine 8:48 3200 not long after - have stayed with German in Greensboro?

After further inspection of the results of the Nike Outdoor Nationals, Waubonsie Valley's Sean Wiggan placed 12th in the 800-meter run on Saturday.

Wiggan ran a 1:52.84 and finished ahead of Michigan state champion Tommy Brinn, who won the 800 at the Midwest Distance Gala in Lisle a week earlier.

The is what the on-the-mend Chris Derrick wrote about the 800 in one of his observations for Dyestat.com on Saturday.

The 800 is one of the most exciting races. In each final, the favorite pounced on the field at 400m and appeared to have the victory in hand, only to have the grueling long sprint to the line almost eat them up. The variety of strategies that can work in the 800 and the propensity for a fast pace to throw a large piano on the back of an early leader in the final straight make the homestretch of an 800 an unpredictable and thrilling event.

Benet sophomore McKinzie Schulz finished 16th in the women's 800-meter dash on Saturday at the Nike Outdoor Nationals in Greensboro, N.C.

Schulz finished in 2 minutes, 14.89 seconds. Jillian Smith of New Jersey won the race in 2:05.24. Schulz was scheduled to run the 2,000-meter steeplechase, but the Naperville native did not start that race.

Neuqua Valley graduate Chris Derrick would be running at the Nike Outdoor Nationals if not for his recent illness, but he is in Greensboro, N.C., this weekend working as a correspondent for Dyestat.com.

His coverage of the meet -- Derrick's Dispatches -- can be read here.

This was a great line from his Friday post about German Fernandez breaking the national two-mile record.

German is the most incredibly even pacer (even while racing guys) that I have ever seen or heard of. Forget testing for drugs, test for a freaking computer chip.

Hopefully, Chris can catch up with Benet sophomore McKinzie Schulz, who is slated to run the 2,000-meter steeplechase at 10:45 a.m. and the 800 at 4:55 p.m. today. Last summer, Schulz won the 2,000-meter steeplechase at AAU Nationals and won the 1,500 at the USATF Nationals.

Neuqua Valley senior Chris Derrick lent his pen to Dyestat.com in a preview of the 3,200-meter run at the Nike Outdoor Nationals, which are this weekend in Greensboro, N.C.

Derrick does a great job of laying out how the race could go and explains who the true players are in a field that could be good enough to break the national two-mile record.

What makes races like NON so intriguing is it is the first time since Footlocker that all of the top guys get into the same race. Each of these star athletes has become accustomed over these past months to winning, if not dominating, over lesser fields. Now thrust into a race of true peers, strategies and mindsets accrued from months spent as favorites must be adjusted.

This video posted on Friday has highlights and interviews with Neuqua Valley cross country and track standout Chris Derrick. Though the graphics have his last name spelled Derick, we're pretty sure it's the same guy.

Waubonsie Valley senior Sean Wiggan just seems to be a fourth-place guy. Wiggan was fourth behind a stacked field in the 800-meters on Saturday night at the Midwest Distance Gala in Lisle.

Wiggan (1:52.96) finished behind first-place Tommy Brinn (1:51.07), Illinois Class AA 800 champ Matt Smoody and Andrew Perkins of Wisconsin.

Brinn is the Michigan Division II state champion. Perkins entered the event with the fourth-fastest time in the nation.

Waubonsie Valley senior Sean Wiggan and Neuqua Valley junior Bryan Winek are scheduled to run tonight in the Midwest Distance Gala at Benedictine University.

Wiggan placed fourth at the All-Star Spotlight Meet last weekend and was fourth at the IHSA Class AA state championships in the 800-meter run. Despite that, Wiggan is not considered a challenger in the event, according to this preview.

Popular track and field Web site Dyestat.com has become part of ESPN, with Thursday's announcement that the four letter had acquired the 11-year old site in a deal to purchase Student Sports, Inc..

This is another sign of ESPN's continued mission to seep into every nook and cranny of the sporting media. This latest acquisition is a big step in developing ESPN Rise, which will focus on high school sports.

ESPN RISE is a multimedia brand that will deliver high school sports content across all of ESPN's platforms including programming and events, digital media and publishing.

Fresh off his Class AA state championship in the discus, Waubonsie Valley's Brett Einbecker won the discus on Saturday at the Senior All-Star Spotlight Meet in Cedar Falls, Iowa.

Competing against all-star teams from Wisconsin, Iowa and South Dakota, Einbecker hurled the discus 187-feet, 9-inches to win the event. He also placed third in the shot put with an effort of 55-10 1/2.

Waubonsie Valley junior Shakeia Pinnick set meet records for the first day, second day and total points this weekend to win the heptathlon at the Illinois Prep Top Times Mutli Event Championships.

Pinnick scored 3,019 points on Friday winning three events and tieing for first in the high jump. She ran meet records in the 100-meter hurdles (14.30 seconds) and the 200 dash (24.4).

Saturday brought another dominating performance from Pinnick, who qualified in four events for the IHSA Class AA state finals. Pinnick won the long jump, ran a meet record 2:15 in the 800 and placed second in the javelin to finish with 5,053 points.