Maple Leafs make it seem as easy as ABC

The Maple Leafs boys’ track team added another first to their blazing season on April 15.

Geneseo won the team title at the Galesburg ABC Invite for the first time in school history behind a balanced scoring effort at VanDyke Stadium, in Galesburg.

The Leafs held off runner up United Township by 31 points for the title in the seven-team field.

Geneseo swept the 400-meter dash and 300 hurdles in the meet which divides each event into three classes.

In each class, Geneseo’s 300 hurdle competitors set meet records.

The Maple Leafs’ Reed Vanderheyden won the A 300 hurdles in (39.6), and Andrew Pischke won the B 300 hurdles’ race in (40.7).

The Leafs’ Colton Pischke won the C 300 hurdles in (43.6).

Geneseo’s Sam Thomas won the A shot put with a throw of 50’3”, and Josh Mathis was the discus winner with a throw of 135’10”.

Mathis cleared 50 feet in the B shot put competition with a throw of 50’2”.

Zach Humphrey won the C shot put with a throw of 43’5”, and Griffin Fleming won the C discus hurling a throw 116’.

Geneseo’s Arthur Atwell fought through harsh cross winds to set a meet record in the A pole vault (14’6”).

Will Daniels was a two-time event winner with titles in the A high jump (6’4”) and A long jump 22’2”.

Geneseo’s A 4x400 relay team of Lucas Hofer, Nick Swartzendruber, Nathan Soria and Vanderheyden were champions with a time of (3:26.6).

The Leafs’ Cayson Frerichs, Soria, Andrew Benhart and Swartzendruber combined to win the A 4x800 relay dominating the field in 8:24.7.

Geneseo’s Hofer won the A 400 dash (51.5), and Swartzendruber nabbed second in the A 800 run (2:02.8).

In the 4x200 relay, Geneseo won the A relay with Andrew Pischke, Daniels, Sammons and Quinn Singbush edging UT’s team.

Andrew Pischke added a second-place finish in the 110 hurdles (15.54), and Singbush was third in the A 100 dash (11.4).

The Leafs’ 4x400 relay team won the B division race (3:37.4) with the combination of Erik Sammons, Ben Cosgrave, CJ Magerkurth and Frerichs.

Soria won the B 800 run in for Geneseo in 2:04.3, and Frerichs raced to a win in the B 400 dash (54.03).

The Maple Leafs’ Blake Duncan won the B 3200 run finishing in 10:27.5, and Vanderheyden notched a win in the B 110 hurdles (15.65).

Colton Pischke won the C 110 hurdles in 16.6, and Jacob Verplaetse won the C pole vault clearing 5’8”.

Geneseo’s next competition will be at the Rock Island Invite on Saturday, April 23 starting at 4 p.m.