CM busts eight minutes, takes third at state in 4x8

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CM's Jackson Collman (middle) hands the baton to Lucas Naugle in the Eagles' 4x800 relay that set a school record while placing third in the Class 2A boys track state meet Saturday at Charleston.

CM's Justice Eldridge runs the anchor leg in the Eagles' 4x800 relay that set a school record while placing third in the Class 2A boys track state meet Saturday at Charleston.

A Civic Memorial Eagles fan gets a bird's eye view of the track Saturday at the state meet in Charleston.

CM junior D.J. Dutton runs the third leg in the Eagles' 4x800 relay that set a school record while placing third in the Class 2A boys track state meet Saturday at Charleston.

CM's Jackson Collman starts the race in the Eagles' 4x800 relay that set a school record while placing third in the Class 2A boys track state meet Saturday at Charleston.

CM junior Lucas Naugle runs the second leg in the Eagles' 4x800 relay that set a school record while placing third in the Class 2A boys track state meet Saturday at Charleston.

CM senior Jackson Collman (back) and CM junior Justice Eldridge embrace after running legs in the Eagles' 4x800 relay on Saturday at Charleston.

Civic Memorial boys track coach Jake Peal had called 7:55 within the ‘realm of possibility’ for the Eagles’ 4x800 relay.

The Eagles ran just beyond the realm Saturday, but broke eight minutes for the first time and set a school record with a third-place finish at the Class 2A state meet at Eastern Illinois's O’Brien Stadium in Charleston.

Senior Jackson Collman and juniors Lucas Naugle, D.J. Dutton and Justice Eldridge finished in 7 minutes, 57.54 seconds to produce CM's best state performance and third state medal. The Eagles broke the school record of 8:03.38 on April 28 at the Triad Invite. CM ran the fastest 4x800 in Friday's Class 2A prelims at 8:04.85.

Dutton's 1:58.77 third leg moved CM from eighth place to fifth and Eldridge's anchor of 1:54.34 took the Eagles from fifth to third. Chicago Payton won in 7:53.59, with Lincoln second in 7:54.94. Five teams in the 4x800 finals went sub-8 with Glen Ellyn Glenbard South fourth in 7:58.12 and Sterling fifth in 7:59.03. Mascoutah also got a 4x800 medal, finishing eighth in 8:07.42.

It was the third state medal for CM boys track after winning its first two last season when the 4x800 relay was eighth in 8:12.67 and Collman ran seventh in the 3,200 in 9:43.05.

Collman was unable to repeat in the 3,200 Saturday as a senior, placing 14th in 9:45.52. A Southern Indiana recruit who won sectional titles in both the 3,200 and 1,600, Collman and was 20th in Friday's 1,600 prelims in 4:32.36.

Eldridge, a sectional champ in the 800, ran 15th in the Friday's 800 prelims in 1:58.41. Dutton joined Collman as a 1,600 qualifier and finished his prelim run in 4:40.24 to place 33rd.

Before the Eagles distance runners hit the track, CM junior Josh Hodge made his state debut in the discus after throwing a PR of 144-4 to get out of the EA-WR Sectional at Charleston, Hodge's best throw in the preliminaries went 129-11 to place 23rd.

Roxana senior Ashton Noble repeated as a state medalist in the discus by placing fourth with a throw of 162 feet, 10.25 inches. Noble, who placed second at state as a junior at 167-4.25, got to the finals with a prelim number at 166-4. Salem junior Caleb Smith won the discus at 182-3.5

Noble was joined by teammate Wyatt Doyle in Charleston. Doyla, a Shells sophomore, ran the 800 meters in 2:02.48 to finish 23rd in prelims with 35 runners.

CLASS 1A

Carlinville sophomore Mason Gilpin broke the tie Saturday, clearing a PR height at 13-9.25 to finish second in the pole vault in the Class 1A state meet in Charleston. Gilpin, one of 11 vaulters to go 12-5.5 in Friday's prelims, continues the pole vault tradition for Cavaliers track.

Jack Denby won a state title in the event in 2014 after placing fourth in 2012. Gilpin follows Cavies’ pole vault state medalists with T.J. Bouillon eighth in 2008, Isaac Daugherty fifth in 2019 and Dustin Roberts ninth in 2019 and second in 2021.

Father McGivney senior Jacob Huber scored a medal in the 400 meters, finishing fifth with a PR time of 50.26 seconds. Huber got into the finals with a PR 50.47 in Friday's prelims.