Boys track: LC close to regional title with one event left
By Candance Buckner Post-Tribune correspondent May 24, 2012 11:08PM
LaPorte senior Mitchell Hubner, center, cruises behind the leaders during the 1600 meter race at the Valparaiso Track and Field regional Thursday May 24, 2012. Hubner went on to win the race. | Andy Lavalley~Sun-Times Media
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VALPARAISO — The Lake Central boys’ track and field team has won a conference title, a sectional title and maybe, a regional title.
On Thursday, Lake Central and a host of other squads left the Valparaiso Regional without knowing the team champion. Citing windy conditions, officials suspended the pole vault event until Friday at 5:30 p.m.
So although the top three finishers in every other event celebrated a berth to the Indiana state track and field championships next Saturday in Bloomington, the pole vaulters have yet to punch their ticket.
And Lake Central — which held the overall team lead by the conclusion of the other finals — must also wait to see if the team has earned yet another championship in this banner year.
“We’ve got a vaulter in there but Crown Point’s got two,” Lake Central head coach Rudy Skorupa said. “We’ll see what happens there.”
Lake Central’s state qualifiers include its 4x100 and 4x400-meter relays as well as a 300-meter hurdler and a sprinter.
“I visited (Bloomington) my sophomore year and ever since then I’ve wanted to go down there and compete,” said senior Randy Trembacki, who has advanced to his first state meet as a hurdler and member of both relays.
Also, Lake Central sophomore Gelen Robinson won the discus with a throw of 179 feet, 7 inches, ahead of junior teammate Dean Kokot who finished second (153). Robinson also qualified in the shot put (56-7 ½) as the runner up.
“Right now, I know we’ve got seven kids going down,” Trembacki said. “We really got a lot of good kids advancing.”
Although the Bowman Academy contingent — just two qualifiers — will be much smaller, the size does not diminish the impact.
Junior Marsillis Gibson will represent his school in both hurdling events while senior Cornelius Strickland will run as a sprinter on a mission. Strickland won both the 100 and 200-meter dashes, setting a regional record in the 100 with a time of 10.43 seconds.
“The record’s on my mind right now,” said Strickland about breaking the 31-year-old state mark of 10.31. “State, here I come.”
