Cavaliers Win Sectional Track Championship and Qualify Five Individuals and a Relay for State Meet

by Matthew Sprague

Macoupin County Enquirer

5/29/97

Carlinville High School's boys' track team went into the Class A Sectional Track Meet at Pana on Friday, May 23, as the overwhelming favorite. They did not disappoint, as the Cavaliers won the sectional championship with 86 team points. The host Panthers finished second with 62 points.

More importantly, the Cavaliers qualified five individuals - seniors Amit Chopra, Dan Wills, Bryan Lusk, Matt Smith and Brett Nejmanowski - for the Boys' Class A State Track Meet at Eastern Illinois University tomorrow (Friday) and Saturday, May 24. Carlinville also qualified their 3200-meter relay team.

Chopra will head to state in the triple jump, which he won with a leap of 43-6; the long jump, second with a jump of 21-4; and the 100-meter dash, in a time of 11.1 seconds. Wills will compete in the 110-meter hurdles, in which he placed fourth, but with a qualifyig time of 15.2. He will also compete in the 300-meer intermediate hurdles, in which he was second with a time of 40.9.

Lusk was second in the shot put with a throw of 54-4 1/2. Girard senior Matt Maddox was first with a sectional-record throw of 62-1. Smith will run the 1600 at state, placing first in the sectional with a time of 4:37.6. Nejmanowski will run the 800 meters at state, winning the sectional title with a time of 2:01.6.

One glaring omission from the list of state qualifiers is the 1600-meter relay team. The relay team was controversially disqualified after a Litchfield runner fell down in the lane next to Carlinville's. Litchfield got another chance to run and qualified for the state meet. The Carlinville team, however, showed class by not protesting the call, yet visibly upset.

The Cavaliers are the defending state champions. Although there is no Tunde Ridley this year, Carlinville ha a more balanced scoring attack than they did a year before. Chopra is fourth among state qualifiers going into the triple jump and is 14th in the long jump, although he did not have his best day jumping on Friday. Lusk is sixth going into the shot put.

There won't be 40 or so points amassed at state, but there will be more of a team effort, as there has been all year.