When Dan Laskero gets in the box for the start of a cross country race, the Sandburg senior has more than the finish line in mind.
More Top Picks Best Dog Pools For Large Dogs
Laskero wants to earn a spot in Sandburg’s top seven so that he’ll be running with the team at the state meet in November. The Eagles return six runners from the team that placed second in Class 3A last year, so Laskero knows what he’s up against.
“It’s always competitive with us,” he said. “We always get guys who want to beat each other and always want to fight for position and make the top seven.”
Laskero helped his chances Saturday with a first-place finish (15:57.6) over Libertyville’s Alex Tam (16:08.8) in the Running Rams Invitational at Reavis.
Sandburg’s top six runners from 2014 didn’t run while Laskero, Alex Szymanski (fourth), Patrick Foster (sixth), Anthony Lifonti (ninth) and Miles Draskovic (11th) scored 31 to win the 22-team event by 48 points.
“I want to get my position in the top seven,” Laskero said. “I want to run at state really bad. That’s a big thing. It’s my biggest goal, to get down to state (and) hopefully break 15:00.”
“He’s not content with being out of the varsity group,” Sandburg coach John O’Malley said. “He very much wants to be in the state meet. He wants to be in the national meet, and he’s going to push himself to get there.”
Laskero has done plenty of that work, with and without the help of teammates.
“When I’m by myself racing, it’s hard to push myself,” he said. “I always have to have in my mind that the guy in front of you is yourself, and you’ve got to keep pushing yourself.
“When it’s with other guys, you usually have someone to work with, someone to pass. You’ve just go to keep going.”
A week earlier, Sandburg claimed first place at the Lyons Invitational by one point over the host. Lyons came back Saturday to win the First to the Finish Invitational in Peoria over a strong field that included Hinsdale Central.
“Lyons is awesome. They’re really good,” O’Malley said. “They’ve been under-ranked. Obviously, one point behind us, that could have went either way. They stuck right on us from the beginning and hung in there the whole way.”
Passing the test: While three of Marist’s top runners, including All-Stater Maryclare Leonard, took the ACT exam on Saturday, sophomore Nora Doyle filled the leadership void for the RedHawks at Reavis.
Doyle overcame a Plainfield North runner going to the chute and finished fifth (19:49.5) to lead second-place Marist (61) in the 18-team field. Doyle kept first-place Plainfield North (16) from getting a perfect score.
“I was hearing Plainfield as I got to a mile-and-a-half, ‘Come on, get your perfect score,”’ Doyle said. “I thought they would almost get it when I got to the last 100. I thought it would be kind of cool to break up the perfect score, so I got in right there.”
Marist will compete in the 2A state series this year, and should be a strong contender to make it to state.
“Our plan is to make it to Peoria in November,” Doyle said. “That’s what we’re trying to accomplish.”
Coming home: It hasn’t been easy for Illiana Christian fans to see the Vikings race. Bad weather canceled the Rich Dust Invitational at T.F. South on Sept. 5, and Illiana was in Michigan for a meet Saturday.
The Vikings will be back home this coming Saturday to host their invitational at North Creek Meadow. Illiana Christian claimed back-to-back 2A trophies in 2013 and 2014.
Back to Peoria: Lincoln-Way North, which earned its first state-meet berth last season, finished 10th out of 45 teams Saturday at the First to the Finish meet in Peoria. North’s Demetri Panici placed 35th (15:18.2) out of 405 runners.
Tim Tierney is a freelance writer for the Daily Southtown.
More Top Picks Best Standing Desks For Adhd Adults