Lakes senior Cameron Ruiz had two more pieces to add to his uniform ensemble.
Sporting six bracelets on his right wrist and five on his left, Ruiz topped off his jersey — and track career — with the ideal finishing touches late Saturday afternoon: First-place and second-place medals.
After earning state titles in the long jump and triple jump among his four-medal haul last season, Ruiz closed out his illustrious track career by defending his triple jump title.
Ruiz, set to play football at Northwestern next fall, established a state-meet record of 51 feet, 1 inch to best the 20-year-old mark of 51.-0.5, set by Palatine’s Chris Hercules. Ruiz said he was especially motivated to defend his triple jump championship after watching West Aurora’s DaVion Cross leap 49-0 on Saturday.
Despite suffering from lingering effects of a strained right hamstring, Ruiz overcame the injury to defend his state title with the second-best jump nationally this spring, according to athletic.net.
“I was hanging (in the air) on my finish, and that’s what I normally struggle with, and I felt it that time,” Cross said. “I knew I was going to get a good pop on my finish.”
Ruiz captured his fourth state medal in the long jump with a second-place leap of 23-7.5, right behind Cross (23-11.25).
“Not a bad way to go out,” Ruiz said of ending his track career.
Lake Zurich senior twins Brian and Kyle Griffith capped their careers in a fitting place — right next to each other.
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Brian Griffith, a Notre Dame recruit, was nudged out at the finish line by Minooka’s Soren Knudsen at the finish line to earn a second-place medal (4:10.56).
Kyle Griffith, Purdue recruit, relied on a strong push in the final 450 meters to place third (4:12.54). Grayslake Central’s Jack Aho, a Michigan recruit who was second in the 3,200 (9:07.12) was 10th in the 1,600 (4:20.84).
Brian Griffith said the Bears’ disappointing time in the 3,200 relay fueled him and his brother. The Bears placed 12th in 8:03.94.
“I just tried to give it my all at the end and came up just short,” Brian Griffith said. “Overall, I’m satisfied with that. … We both were disappointed after the (3,200) relay, and both of us wanted to come in here and do the best we could.”
Warren junior Brandon Ellis accomplished his goal of earning all-state honors with a seventh-place medal in the high jump at 6-6, just shy of his personal record of 6-7.
“It was a fun experience, and now they get to place my picture on the wall (at Warren) next to my sister (Brittny),” Ellis said.
Antioch senior Landon Keefover pumped his right fist twice upon crossing the finish line in the 110 hurdles, taking second in a time of 14.34. Keefover, a Nebraska signee, is the top individual placer in program history.
“I did my best and felt good about it,” Keefover said. “It was good to finish in the top two.”
Zion-Benton had a pair of juniors earn Class 3A medals, as Jamir Gibson placed sixth in the shot put (57-4) and Cortez Sawyer took seventh in the 200 (22.47).
“I want to come back here next year and win it,” Sawyer said.
Mundelein’s Bobby Nuzzo took seventh in the 100, Stevenson Jordan Eng was ninth in the long jump, and Deerfield took ninth in the 800 relay in Class 3A. Vernon Hills pole vaulter Aidan Williamson was ninth in Class 2A.
Bob Narang is a freelance reporter for the News-Sun.