2023 All-Area Boys' Track and Field: Meet the first team
Jun. 25—Jackson Barrett
Tuscola junior
Long distance
➜ Why he made the first team: One part of the Warriors' highly talented distance-running crew, Barrett collected third place in the Class 1A 3,200-meter run (9 minutes, 24.18 seconds) and eighth place in the 1,600 run (4:26.14), helping Tuscola to fourth place as a team.
➜ He needs concert tickets to see ... J. Cole.
➜ Before he competes, he eats ... a Slim 1 from Jimmy John's.
➜ In his dream career, he would ... win the lottery.
➜ His favorite subject to study in school is ... science.
➜ His favorite athlete is ... Neal Garrison.
➜ His favorite TV show is ... "River Monsters."
➜ If he could have dinner with any three people from any time period, he would pick ... John F. Kennedy, a guy who built the pyramids and Theo Von.
➜ Three items on his bucket list are ... win a team state championship in any sport, visit Athens, Greece, and run a 100-mile race.
Chris Boyd
Tuscola senior
Throws
➜ Why he made the first team: The future Arkansas State track and field athlete was one of the area's and state's top throwers all season long. Boyd had an off preliminaries day in the Class 1A state meet, but he still wound up placing third in shot put (55 feet, 81/4 inches) and 14th in discus.
➜ He needs concert tickets to see ... Cody Johnson.
➜ Before he competes, he eats ... beef sticks.
➜ In his dream career, he would ... be a rancher.
➜ His favorite subject to study in school is ... math.
➜ His favorite athlete is ... Ben Hornaday.
➜ His favorite TV show is ... "The House."
➜ If he could have dinner with any three people from any time period, he would pick ... Ryan Crouser, Donald Trump and Ben Shapiro.
➜ Three items on his bucket list are ... skydiving, get my dream truck and own my own ranch.
Braydon Campbell
Ridgeview/Lexington junior
Sprints
➜ Why he made the first team: The Ridgeview student provided consistently steady performances for the Mustangs' relay anchor legs, pushing their 1,600-meter relay to a Class 1A state championship at 3 minutes, 22.03 seconds, and their 400 relay tandem to seventh place at 43.50 seconds.
➜ He needs concert tickets to see ... Lil Tjay.
➜ Before he competes, he eats ... fruits.
➜ In his dream career, he would ... be a dosimetrist.
➜ His favorite subject to study in school is ... science.
➜ His favorite athlete is ... Noah Lyles.
➜ His favorite TV shows are ... "Outer Banks" and "All American."
➜ If he could have dinner with any thee people from any time period, he would pick ... Bill Gates, Elon Musk and Noah Lyles.
➜ Three items on his bucket list are ... traveling outside of America, running a sub-22 200-meter dash and running a sub-49 400 dash.
Jackson Gilbert
Urbana senior
Sprints
➜ Why he made the first team: Gilbert now will take his track and field talents to the University of Illinois after closing out a stellar Tigers career by winning the Class 2A 200-meter dash state title (21.64 seconds) and ranking second as an anchor in the 1,600 relay (3 minutes, 18.92 seconds).
➜ He needs concert tickets to see ... Michael Jackson.
➜ Before he competes, he eats ... secret sauce.
In his dream career, he would ... be a professional runner, then become a great coach.
➜ His favorite subject to study in school is ... stats.
➜ His favorite athlete is ... Michael Johnson.
➜ His favorite TV show is ... "Ted Lasso."
➜ If he could have dinner with any three people from any time period, he would pick ... Yoda, Superman and Captain America.
➜ Three items on his bucket list are ... run super fast in the 400, travel a lot and scuba dive.
Josiah Hortin
Tuscola junior
Middle distance/long distance
➜ Why he made the first team: Another stud distance runner for the Warriors, Hortin branched into the 800-meter run as his junior season went along and wound up placing third in its Class 1A state race (1 minute, 54.89 seconds). He also took sixth in the 1,600 run (4:25.80).
➜ He needs concert tickets to see ... Lil Baby.
➜ Before he competes, he eats ... spaghetti and meatballs the night before.
➜ In his dream career, he would ... be a professional runner.
➜ His favorite subject to study in school is ... English.
➜ His favorite athlete is ... David Goggins.
➜ His favorite TV show is ... "Friends."
➜ If he could have dinner with any three people from any time period, he would pick ... David Goggins, Kevin Hart and LeBron James.
➜ Three items on his bucket list are ... attend the Summer Olympics, win a team state title and win an individual state title.
Deangelo Hughey
Mahomet-Seymour junior Sprints
➜ Why he made the first team: Hughey saw significant growth in his sprinting game after not qualifying for the Class 2A state meet as a sophomore. He earned runner-up status in this year's 2A 400-meter dash (48.42 seconds) and slotted into sixth place in the 200 dash (22.22).
➜ He needs concert tickets to see ... Hulvey.
➜ Before he competes, he eats ... a banana, a bagel or nuts.
➜ In his dream career, he would ... want to own a business.
➜ His favorite subject to study in school is ... history.
➜ His favorite athlete is ... Usain Bolt.
➜ His favorite TV show is ... "All American."
➜ If he could have dinner with any three people from any time period, he would pick ... Usain Bolt, Moses and my great-great-grandad.
➜ Three items on his bucket list are ... giving away 20 bibles, going to Eugene, Ore., and trying 10 different brands of tortilla chips.
Nathan Kirby
Salt Fork senior Sprints/hurdles
➜ Why he made the first team: Kirby won the Class 1A 110-meter hurdles title (14.28 seconds) and anchored a first-place 800 relay (1 minute, 28.69 seconds). The future Eastern Illinois track and field athlete also placed fifth in the 400 relay (43.21), aiding the Storm in winning another team state title.
➜ He needs concert tickets to see ... Daddy Yankee.
➜ Before he competes, he eats ... trail mix with M&Ms.
➜ In his dream career, he would ... be Supe's assistant track coach.
➜ His favorite subject to study in school is ... creative writing.
➜ His favorite athlete is ... Brad Davis.
➜ His favorite TV show is ... "Reacher."
➜ If he could have dinner with any three people from any time period, he would pick ... Gary Spezia, Philip Surprenant and Dustin Dees.
➜ Three items on his bucket list are ... have a sleepover at Supe's house, go to Hawaii and go skydiving.
Daniel Lacy
Centennial senior
Sprints
➜ Why he made the first team: Our Athlete of the Year brought three Class 3A state championships back to Champaign County. The future Eastern Illinois track and field athlete won the 100-meter dash (10.69 seconds), 200 dash (21.51) and 400 dash (47.28) for a Chargers team that took third in 3A.
➜ He needs concert tickets to see ... Taylor Swift.
➜ Before he competes, he eats ... Jimmy John's and bananas.
➜ In his dream career, he would ... be a firefighter.
➜ His favorite subject to study in school is ... English.
➜ His favorite athlete is ... Floyd Mayweather.
➜ His favorite TV show is ... "Smallville."
➜ If he could have dinner with any three people from any time period, he would pick ... Jesus, Amelia Earhart and P'ierre Bourne.
➜ Three items on his bucket list are ... win an NCAA championship, make an Olympic team and win gold in the Olympics.
Voldy Makabu
Centennial sophomore
High jump
➜ Why he made the first team: Makabu was flying under the radar entering the Class 3A state meet, operating alongside star sprinter Daniel Lacy. But the first-year track and field athlete stunned plenty by winning the high jump state championship by clearing 6 feet, 81/4 inches.
➜ He needs concert tickets to see ... NBA YoungBoy.
➜ Before he competes, he eats ... granola bars.
➜ In his dream career, he would ... be a leader and have the respect of my teammates.
➜ His favorite subject to study in school is ... math.
➜ His favorite athlete is ... Jordan Poole.
➜ His favorite TV show is ... "Fuller House."
➜ If he could have dinner with any three people from any time period, he would pick ... Kobe Bryant, Nelson Mandela and Michael Jordan.
➜ Three items on his bucket list are ... make $1 million, skydiving and be a successful real estate agent.
Carson Maroon
St. Joseph-Ogden junior
Long distance
➜ Why he made the first team: Maroon overcame having his track spikes stolen prior to the Class 1A state finals and wound up securing two top-nine finishes. He placed fifth in the 1,600-meter run (4 minutes, 25.28 seconds) after claiming seventh place in the 3,200 run (9:42.54).
➜ He needs concert tickets to see ... Machine Gun Kelly and Joe Diffie.
➜ Before he competes, he eats ... eggs
➜ In his dream career, he would ... be an entrepreneur.
➜ His favorite subject to study in school is ... Spanish.
➜ His favorite athlete is ... Aaron Rodgers.
➜ His favorite TV show is ... "Family Guy."
➜ If he could have dinner with any three people from any time period, he would pick ... David Goggins, Mike Tyson and Warren Buffet.
➜ Three items on his bucket list are ... own multiple meerkats, buy a Corvette and travel the world.
Mitchel Myers
Arcola senior
Throws
➜ Why he made the first team: Myers will head to Indiana State's throwing program after becoming the Purple Riders' best to ever do it in that sport. He wrapped up his prep tenure by snatching second place in the Class 1A state contests for shot put (57 feet, 11/2 inches) and discus (173-4).
➜ He needs concert tickets to see ... Zach Bryan.
➜ Before he competes, he eats ... Fruity Pebbles.
➜ In his dream career, he would ... be a fitness trainer.
➜ His favorite subject to study in school is ... history.
➜ His favorite athlete is ... Ronnie Coleman.
➜ His favorite TV show is ... "Stranger Things."
➜ If he could have dinner with any three people from any time period, he would pick ... David Goggins, Ronnie Coleman and Elon Musk.
➜ Three items on his bucket list are ... go to one of the original Gold's Gyms, go to Pig Beach and fly on a private jet.
Daryl Okeke
Judah Christian senior
Sprints/hurdles
➜ Why he made the first team: Okeke transformed his body before his senior track and field season began, and his work ethic paid huge dividends at the Class 1A state meet. He took second in the 300-meter hurdles (38.42 seconds), third in the 200 dash (21.91) and fourth in the 100 dash (11.05).
➜ He needs concert tickets to see ... Rod Wave.
➜ Before he competes, he eats ... a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and drinks a cup of water.
➜ In his dream career, he would ... be a sports medicine doctor, or have my own clinic as a physical therapist.
➜ His favorite subject to study in school is ... biology.
➜ His favorite athlete is ... Grant Holloway.
➜ His favorite TV show is ... "The Society."
➜ If he could have dinner with any three people from any time period, he would pick ... Rihanna, Michael Jackson and Malcolm X.
➜ Three items on his bucket list are ... going to Jamaica, parasailing and winning a collegiate national championship.
Garrett Taylor
Salt Fork senior
Throws
➜ Why he made the first team: Taylor's superb high school career concluded with a third consecutive Class 1A discus state title (183 feet, 7 inches) plus a first 1A shot put state crown (60-71/4), the Illinois State signee's efforts helping the Storm garner another small-school team state championship.
➜ He needs concert tickets to see ... Drake.
➜ Before he competes, he eats ... a sub sandwich.
➜ In his dream career, he would ... be a professional thrower.
➜ His favorite subject to study in school is ... history.
➜ His favorite athlete is ... Rob Gronkowski.
➜ His favorite TV show is ... "Breaking Bad."
➜ If he could have dinner with any three people from any time period, he would pick ... David Goggins, Joe Rogan and Conor McGregor.
➜ Three items on his bucket list are ... bench 405 pounds, go watch a Super Bowl and meet David Goggins.
Matthew Thomas
Danville senior
Hurdles/pole vault
➜ Why he made the first team: Thomas was the area's top boys' pole vaulter all season long, posting the third-best height clearance across all Class 3A sectionals. He had a rough go at state in that event, but Thomas still snagged fifth place in the 3A 110-meter hurdles (15.05 seconds).
➜ He needs concert tickets to see ... The Astronomers.
➜ Before he competes, he eats ... a fruit bowl.
➜ In his dream career, he would ... be an athletic trainer for the University of Pittsburgh.
➜ His favorite subject to study in school is ... history.
➜ His favorite TV show is ... "How I Met Your Mother."
➜ If he could have dinner with any three people from any time period, he would pick ... DB Cooper, Amelia Earhart and Jim Carrey.
➜ Three items on his bucket list are ... go to Japan, see a castle in Europe and see an Aussie football game in person.
