CHARLESTON -- Abe Omar, D.J. Jones and Steve Gleaves all had good reasons to be disappointed with how their days started at Saturday's Class 3A boys state track and field finals.
But it's safe to say that the three Lockport High School athletes liked how it ended after they made school history in the 1600 relay at Eastern Illinois University's O'Brien Stadium.
Jones and Gleaves overcame the disappointment of having their 400 relay squad false start earlier in the day while Omar was upset by taking sixth place in a 300 hurdles race he hoped to win.
The combination of senior Jones, sophomores Gleaves and Ryan Mitsos and senior Omar claimed a third-place finish in the 1600 relay in 3:19.31, which was just .41 seconds behind runner-up Batavia.
It was the best-ever Porter 1600 relay performance at state, one spot better than their showing 20 years ago. It also tied the school's best state relay finish, which was in the 800 relay in 1993.
"I was in the 400 and that just gave me another reason to try my hardest in the 1600," Jones said. "I told the guys the best thing that we could do was stay with the pack and out-kick them at the end and that's what I tried to do."
Omar didn't like how he ran in the 300 hurdles (38.7) but he capped his two-medal performance with a strong finish in final leg of the 1600 relay.
"I didn't think I'd place higher in the 4x4 than I would in the 300 hurdles," Omar said. "It definitely improved my mood so I can go home happy tonight. I was in a moping mood but I knew that these guys really wanted to win a medal."
Joining Jones and Gleaves on the 400 relay were juniors Matt Benes and Nick Pleva. They were hoping to beat the school's ninth-place showing from 2000.
One other relay team and three individuals beside Omar claimed top nine finishes on the track to earn all-state honors.
Another school made history by turning in its best relay showing ever, Lincoln-Way East, which took sixth place in the 400 relay (42.66).
Juniors Ryan Bottoms, Seamus Hughes and Ian Ziarko and sophomore David Hayes became only the second Griffin relay squad to place at state.
"It was good to know that all of the hard work that we've done this year paid off," Bottoms said. "It feels even better since we're all underclassmen and we have another year left. We got sixth this year so we can do better next year."
"This was a special opportunity for us," Ziarko said. "We're a young team and we have a lot of potential for next year. We could have had better handoffs, but that's what happens some times. Other than that it was a good race for us."
Finishing one spot behind Omar in the 300 hurdles in seventh place was Lincoln-Way Central junior Ryan Newtoff, who turned in a time of 39.01.
He became only the second Knight to medal in the 300 hurdles and the first to do so since Tim Keane pulled off the feat in 1987.
"Seeing what it was like in my first time at state and being in the finals was an amazing experience," Newtoff said. "I knew this season was going to be a good one so I just tried to the best that I could and I saw what could happen."
Seneca sophomore Drake Stuedemann became the first Irish athlete to medal in any hurdles race when he took eighth in the Class 1A 300 hurdles in 40.3.
"This is my second year here and my first year in the finals so I'm happy," Stuedemann said. "Now it's just building on your experience little by little. Hopefully I'll know what to do next year so that I'll be more prepared for this."
Also earning a medal in the Class 1A meet was Reed-Custer junior Steven Davis, who claimed sixth place in the 200 (22.6).
Davis also ran on a fifth-place 800 relay in 2007. Mike Eller placed in the 200 last year for the only other Comet medal in that event.
"I came here wanting to do better than how I was ranked and I think I did that so I'm happy," Davis said. "I've been to state every year and was in the finals in a relay as a freshman but this was in single event so I'm proud of it."
The lone local athlete who competed on the track in the Class 2A meet was Lemont senior Neal Casey, who took part in the 3200 (10:22.7).
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