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The 2012 Saint Ignatius Varsity Track and Field preview

By Eddie Dwyer, 03/21/12, 12:00AM EDT

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AN IMPRESSIVE NUMBER OF 125-PLUS ATHLETES, LED BY A SOLID GROUP OF VETERANS AND SOME PROMISING YOUNG FACES, ARE GEARING UP FOR SAINT IGNATIUS’ 2012 TRACK AND FIELD SEASON.

COACH CHUCK KYLE ’69, NOW IN HIS 39TH SEASON AS THE WILDCATS’ HEAD TRACK COACH, WILL SEND HIS TEAM INTO AN EARLY TEST ON SATURDAY AS SAINT IGNATIUS BEGINS ITS OUTDOOR SEASON AT THE ALWAYS CHALLENGING BRUNSWICK ELITE MEET.

THE INDOOR STATE CHAMPION 4X800 RELAY TEAM LEADS A SAINT IGNATIUS PROGRAM THAT IS DEEP IN THE DISTANCE EVENTS.

BY EDDIE DWYER, COPYRIGHT MARCH 2012

Graciously finding time between his own teaching responsibilities and other classes in which he was filling in as a substitute on Tuesday afternoon, Saint Ignatius head track and field coach Chuck Kyle discussed his young, but ever so promising 2012 team.

“This year, we have a large number of young men out for the team,” Coach Kyle said. “So one of the issues is being just patient and, through trial and error, put kids in different events a little bit. The veterans are fine, but with some of the younger kids it is trial and error. Is he a distance runner, middle distance or a sprinter?

“But it’s a good problem to have,” Coach Kyle continued, “because that means the program is thriving.”

As far as the overall quality of the 2012 Wildcats, Kyle sees them as being a good team with some young kids having to mix in for the ‘Cats to be very successful.

Saint Ignatius is coming off a season that saw it again dominate the Lakewood District and put together some exceptional regular season efforts, including a first place at the talent-laden Hilliard Davidson Wildcat Premier, a first place at the Gilmour Academy Miele Invitational, second-place finishes at the tradition-rich Medina Relays, Euclid Relays and Thomas Worthington Invitational, and a third place at the storied Eastlake North Ranger Relays.

“How quickly some of the young kids develop will be the key,” Coach Kyle said.

In the distance events, the Wildcats have a significant number of returnees, including senior Mitch Baum, who was a mainstay for Saint Ignatius’ outstanding cross country team that placed second in the state this past fall. Baum recently won the 1600 meter race in a PR time of 4:26.85 at the SPIRE Scholastic Indoor Meet in Geneva.

“That’s a great time for indoors,” said Coach Kyle of Mitch’s effort at the SPIRE event. “It’s seems like he is getting more confident in the mile, so we’ll take a look. Plus he’s in the 4x800 relay, which just a few days ago won the event during the Indoor State Meet at the University of Akron. We ran a 7:59.22.”

Joining Baum on the strong and savvy 4x800 team are cross country teammates Drew Galang, John Whitmore and Jack Miller.

“We run enough indoor just to break the monotony more than anything,” Coach Kyle said. “But that’s a real nice effort this early in the season.”

Coach Kyle smiled while emphasizing that Galang was a busy guy last year and is going to be “a very busy guy” this spring. Along with his efforts in the 4x800 relay, Drew, a senior, was a state qualifier in the 800 last year and was also on the 4x400 relay team that was in the regional finals last season.

Kyle said Miller, who was a regional qualifier in the mile, will be experimenting with the 3200 meter run along with the 4x400.

Also returning is the gifted Lamar Kemp, a state qualifier in the 400 and 800 relays as a freshman, sophomore and junior.

“Ben Radeff is a guy who runs well in the two mile,” said Coach Kyle. “He’ll run the mile, but the two mile might be his forte. John Whitmore gives us good depth in the 800 and maybe the mile, too, and Vince Bartram and Jack Fitzgerald look strong. They blend right in with the track season, just like they use track to blend in with cross country.

“We have a nice nucleus of distance runners, our depth is very good there,” Coach Kyle continued. “We just have to find out who is going to step up to get to the regional and make it beyond that.”

In the sprints, the Wildcats welcome back junior Tim McVey, a regional qualifier in the 100-meter dash last spring. An exceptional athlete, Tim helped lead Coach Kyle’s nationally acclaimed football program to a record 11th Division I state championship this past fall. Look for Tim to also run the 200 and do a little work in the 400.

Saint Ignatius welcomes back All-Ohio football kicker Tim Shenk and the strong and quick Marquee Montgomery to help lead a 4x100 regional-qualifying team. Veteran Dan Way is running extremely well, Brendan Kobunski had a solid indoor season in the 400 and sophomore Ryan Napoli is a strong candidate in the 400 and 800.

The Wildcats did graduate some solid hurdlers, but look for Pat Jeffries to do a nice job in the 300 intermediates. Sophomore Matt McVey, Tim’s brother, and junior Ian Woidke are also promising hurdlers.

In the field events, senior Keith Carmichael, whose record-setting season as a diver helped the Wildcats’ swimming and diving team to a top-five finish in the state this winter, qualified for the state meet last year in the pole vault.

Another young man to keep an eye on in the pole vault is Steve Sigmier.

Seniors Zach Lozar and Blake Thomas, who were also fixtures on the state-champion football team, will lead Coach Tom Flandera’s and Coach Ryan Franzinger’s throwers. Zach was a regional finalist in the shot put last spring and Blake, who is bound for Urban Meyer’s Ohio State Buckeyes on a football scholarship, has, said Coach Kyle, thrown in the upper 170s in the discus.

Coach Kyle pointed out that senior Adam North, a two-year starter in the secondary for the varsity football program, is a 6-4 high jumper and a 21-foot long jumper, and that the versatile Ray O’Brien has been doing a lot of work with the long jump and sprints.

Saint Ignatius’ demanding schedule includes another early trip to the elite Hilliard Davidson meet and, after the Easter break, such traditional headliners as the Eastlake North Ranger Relays and the Gary Smith Memorial Invitational at Thomas Worthington come around.

To view the Wildcats’ complete schedule go to www.ignatius.edu/track.