Jones’ Dale dashes to 1,600 victory; Lake Park rolls to 3A team title
BLOOMINGTON, Ill. — It’s a new season, but the victory laps go on for Jones’ Jamison Dale.
A few months after helping Jones score a historic win at the Class 2A state cross country meet, Dale cruised to a comfortable victory in the Class 3A 1,600 meters Saturday at the Illinois Top Times indoor meet at Illinois Wesleyan’s Shirk Center.
Dale literally ran away from his competition at the unofficial indoor state finals with a 60-second first 400 meters and then coasted home, winning in 4 minutes, 17.34 seconds. Deerfield’s Alex Gold was second, more than 3.5 seconds back.
Expect to see this strategy often for Dale, who along with his teammates competed in 2A last spring. “We’re in 3A this year so we just have to be more ready,” the senior said. “They tend to go out harder.”
No one goes out harder than Dale, who is looking to go under 4:10 during the outdoor season. “I had it today through 1,000 maybe,” he said. “I’ve got to work on that process. I felt good today till the last (200) or (400).”
While Dale was focusing on his metric mile race, Lake Park’s Scott Filip was all over the place. The senior placed in four events — first in the long jump (23 feet, 2.75 inches), second in the triple jump (46-9.5), fifth in the high jump (6-4) and seventh in the 60 hurdles (8.49) — as the Lancers won the 3A team title 68.5-44.5 over Minooka.
It was familiar territory for Filip, who placed in four events at outdoor state last May (three individual, one relay) to help the Lancers win their third consecutive title. A four-peat wouldn’t be a surprise, not with Filip surrounded by talent like sophomore Antonio Shenault (first, 60 hurdles), pole vaulter Tim Erhardt and jumpers Marcus Jegede and Shawn Koch.
“If we all pull together and hold up our end of the plan, I think we have a really good shot [to win state again],” Filip said.
Minooka swept the relays, going 1:31.25 in the 800, 3:25.59 in the 1,600 and 7:58.10 in the 3,200. Alex Pierce and Chris Wilson ran legs on all three winning relays.
Grant’s Brandon Lombardino won the 3A shot put with a 62-1 effort that ranks No. 1 in Illinois and fourth nationally indoors this season.
Providence, moving up from 2A to 3A this season just like Jones, took third with 31 points. Chad Weaver won the pole vault (15-6) for the Celtics, while high jumper Mike Monroe (6-8) and hurdler Andrew Helmin (8.17) took seconds. Helmin also was fourth in the 400.
Cahokia’s boys dominated 2A, beating runner-up Bloomington 95-44 with North Lawndale (31) in third. Jeremiah Watson of Urban Prep won the 400 in 50.19.