Boys Track:  Warriors Send 3 Individuals, 4 Relays to State, Set 2 Records

Complete Results (from IHSA.org)

A large contingent of Golden Warriors are headed to the IHSA 2A state finals after competition at the Rochelle Sectional Thursday.  Sterling will have a total of seven entries at state with Cory Hartz, Dylan Harkness and Mike Schneiderbauer competing as individuals, along with all four of the Golden Warriors relay teams.  Sterling finished second in the team standings, and set two new school records along the way.

Hartz continued his sensational senior year by qualifying for state in two individual events – the 100 and 400-meter dashes.  Hartz won the sectional title in the 100 with a time of 11.06.  In the 400, Hartz qualified with a second place finish, but his time of 49.07 broke his own school record of 49.25 set just two weeks ago.

Hartz will have a busy day at state Friday, as he also qualified as part of two relay teams.  He teamed up with Bryan Commisso, Alex Rodriguez and Kyle Mason for a state qualifying second place effort of 43.08 in the 4x100. 

In the final event of the night, the 4x400 relay, another school record fell as Hartz, Rodriguez, Mason and Alejandro Rivera clocked in at 3:21.74 (second place), breaking the old record of 3:22, set by Tim Arnold, Fred Canas, Greg Dietz and Kirk Sanders back in 1983.

The 4x200 team of Commisso, Rodriguez, Rivera and Mason finished in third place at 1:30.96, but surpassed the state-qualifying time of 1:31.74.

The 4x800 team of Aaron Brenner, Rivera, Robert Clifton and Harkness finished in second place with a time of 8:05.20, and was one of five teams to surpass the state qualifying time of 8:15.24.

Harkness secured his spot at state with a second place run in the 1600, but his time of 4:25.81 was also well under the state qualifying mark of 4:30.44.

Schneiderbauer finished third in the pole vault, but his effort of 13-3 was right at the state qualifying height.

The following individuals placed in the top eight at sectionals, but did not qualify for state:
Jacob Landis, 3rd 3200 9:58.94, 7th 1600 4:38.10
Schneiderbauer, 5th 110 HH 16.20
Eduardo Blancas, 8th 110 HH 16.83
Commisso, 5th, 100 Dash 11.31
Jordan Neal, 4th discus 134' 10"
Cornell Hartz, 5th Long Jump 21' 3.5"

Next Up:  The state qualifying Golden Warriors will begin competition at state Friday (5/27) at O’Brien Stadium on the campus of Eastern Illinois University.