By Randy Whalen

The outdoor track and field season is here, and the Joliet Central boys' team is happy about it. 

The Steelmen had their first outdoor invite meet this past weekend. That was at the Stagg Co-Ed Invitational on Saturday, April 12, in Palos Hills.

"I appreciate the weather that the Lord gave us, and it's great for the athletes, too," Joliet Central coach Brian Reed said of the beautiful, sunny day. "This is our first year in this meet for the boys. It gives us more reps, and any time that happens, it's good for our athletes."

While the Steelmen may not have placed high in the standings, there were some standout performances at the meet.

Team-wise, Oswego East (165 points) won it with Joliet West (113.5) and Marist (85) completing the Top 3 teams. Sandburg (63), Thornton Fractional South (58), Stagg (52.5), Romeoville (49.5), Joliet Central (43.5), Brother Rice (20), Thornton Fractional North (10), and Chicago University High (3) rounded out the 11-team field.

The top Steemen individual was sophomore Nathaniel Gabriel, who easily won the 1600-meter run. That came in a PR time of  4 minutes: 22.77 seconds. That was almost exactly four seconds faster than runner-up junior Jack Krusinski (4:26.76, PR) from Stagg.

It also nearly broke the school record in the event. That is 4:22.59 by Raul Rosendo and was set in 2015. But Gabriel will likely break that record sooner than later.

"Nathaniel did great," Reed said. "He also had a PR time (1:56.84 on Saturday, March 29) in the 800 at the Illinois Indoor Championships."

Gabriel advanced to the Class 3A Illinois High School Association State Meet in the 800 last season. This past fall, he also qualified for state in Class 3A cross country and placed 61st with a PR time of 14:56.80.

"Yes, I want to get the (1600) record," said Gabriel, who led most of the way in the race. "Personally, I usually like to have someone in front of me in a race, but it felt great to win.

"Everything has helped me and given me confidence. It's hard to say what I like better (between cross country and track). I perfer the season I'm in at the time."

Also doing great at the meet was Anthony Miranda. The senior was second in the 100-meter race with a time of 11.27 seconds but was edged out by a PR from Joliet West senior James Kokuro Jr. (11.00). Miranda was also second in the 200 (22.61 seconds) and sixth in the 400 (53.04 seconds). Both times were personal records.

"I had a late start," Miranda said of the 100. "It was my first time racing him (Kokuro) this season. It still felt good, and I'm getting there, but I'm not there yet. I hope to break under 11 seconds this season.

"My 400 didn't go well. I forgot how to run it from the outside lane. I didn't push through, but I still got a PR. The 200 is my favorite and my sweet spot."

Also doing well individually for Joliet Central was senior Antwi Boakye, who was fifth in the long jump with a PR mark of 5.98 meters. Junior Qwentreo Gipson tied for seventh in the shot put with a PR throw of 11.87 meters.

The 4x800 relay was the best one for the Steelmen, with a fourth-place time of 8:39.10. That consisted of junior Erick Ortiz, senior Jonathan Montesinos, junior Diego Santos, and Gabriel. 

"We opened the outdoor season at the Glenbard East Ram Invite, and it was cold," Reed said of the event on Thursday, April 10. "We are feeling out where we are at. But the guys are getting PR,s and that's all I can ask for."