BLOOMINGTON – Northbrook Middle School produced a state champion and two other top five finishes when it competed in the Illinois Junior High Elite State Track and Field Invitational on May 22 at Bloomington.

Because the Illinois Elementary School Association (IESA) was unable to hold a State track meet, Northbrook coaches Troy Bauer and Heather Friedlein submitted the times of the Spartan athletes and they qualified to compete in the Elite track meet. Northbrook went up against hundreds of athletes from all classes (1A, 2A, 3A, 4A).

Northbrook’s seventh grade 4x100 relay team finished in first place overall in the state. Making up the relay team were Aaden Castle, Johan Cortez, Sebastian Carlos and Aiden Redcliff. They raced to a winning time of 52.05, which was a personal best for the relay team and also a school record.

Carlos and Redcliff also placed in individual events. Carlos grabbed second place overall in the 400-meter dash with a time of 57.66 seconds. That was a personal best time for Carlos and also a school record.

Redcliff claimed fifth-place honors in the 100-meter dash with a time of 12.71 seconds, setting a personal best and school record in the process.

In other seventh-grade results, Carlos had a time of 25.93 seconds in the 200-meter dash (personal best & school record) and Redcliff ran the 200 in 26.21 seconds. Cortez competed in the 100-meter dash and was clocked in 13.79 seconds.

Anthony Kelson was the lone eighth-grader to run in the meet and he set personal bests and school records in both individual events. He had a time of 17.5 seconds in the 110-meter hurdles, while he raced in the 800-meter run to a time of 2:23.46.

Kelson and three of the seventh-graders competed in the eighth grade 4x400-meter relay. Cortez, Redcliff and Carlos teamed up with Kelson to produce a time of 4:12.77, which was a personal best as well as a school record.

Head coaches Bauer and Friedlein were assisted by Evan Goy and Rebecca Jones.