Lake Park's Block gives sign of things to come
BLOOMINGTON -- Even a defending state champion isn't immune to learning new things that can help him in the very race he won a state title in. Such was the case for Palatine senior Mat Smoody.
At Saturday's Illinois Prep Top Times Invitational at the Shirk Center at Illinois Wesleyan University, Smoody took his first step toward defending the 800-meter run state championship he won a year ago.
The race was expected to be a coronation of sorts to the Wisconsin-bound senior, but it didn't play according to script. Waubonsie Valley senior Sean Wiggan was determined to race with Smoody, and he did just that.
Into the final lap of the race, Wiggan surprisingly caught and passed Smoody and built up a lead into the final straight. Smoody then caught and passed Wiggan over the final 50 meters to win in a near-record effort of 1:53.94. Smoody's effort was the fastest in the state this year and the fastest in the country on a flat track.
But even with the win, Smoody was anything but thrilled with his performance.
"I warmed up and felt I was ready, but I just didn't feel like I had it today," he said. "(Sean) is a real good runner, but I just didn't feel like I had the best race today."
Whether or not is Smoody's best it was good enough to earn co-male athlete of the meet making it the first time in the 18-year history of the meet that the award was shared. Smoody shared the award with Bartonville Limestone's Nick Holmes. Holmes ran away from a crowded field to win the 1,600 in a meet record of 4:13.72.
"I don't think any of this has hit me yet," Smoody said. "Even watching the tape of the 800 at state last year -- it still hasn't hit me yet. I think this is the biggest thing to ever happen in my family."
Lake Park junior Dan Block established himself as the one to catch at the state meet in May by winning his first indoor title. Though he didn't hit his personal best indoors or bring down the meet record that was set a year ago, his throw of 60 feet even was better than the duo of Brett Einbecker and Dwight Harris of Waubonsie Valley.
"I worked real hard on my technique in the off season," Block said. "I wanted my PR, but I am happy with the win."
Rolling Meadows senior Ty Kirk was downright irritated by his effort through five jumps in the triple jump finals.
Trailing KJ Franklin of Crete-Monee into his final jump, Kirk get a few choice words of advice from his coach Jim Voyles.
"He just told me that we had worked too hard to not get after at now," he said. "He told me it was time to pick it up and go after it."
Kirk took the pep talk from Voyles right to his last jump. All three phases of the triple jump were near perfect as Kirk popped off a meet winning effort of 47 feet, 6 inches.
"I just got out and started better (in the last jump)," the New Mexico-bound Kirk said. "We really worked on the last phase a lot the last couple weeks in practice and I think it paid off."