iltoptimes – News – Middle distance stars align for Normal Community boys

Middle distance stars align for Normal Community boys

By Randy Sharer

For Illinoistoptimes.com

NORMAL – Definitively explaining why the Normal Community High School boys track team has more middle distance depth than it’s ever had may be impossible.

Exploring possible theories, however, can still intrigue track fans following the Ironmen as they chase school records and state medals.

On March 29 at the Illinois Top Times Indoor Championships in Bloomington, buzz about the NCHS 800- and 1,600-meter runners soared as senior Drew Patterson and junior AJ Ince claimed the top two spots in the Class 3A 800, while senior Joey Yaros took third in the 1,600.

Patterson and Ince posted career best times of 1 minute, 56.74 seconds and 1:56.87, respectively, while Yaros motored a lifetime best of 4:23.43. Plus, senior Caden Nyman finished eighth (2:00.70) in the 800 and junior Colin Heath 12th (2:02.87) in the closest thing Illinois has to an indoor state meet.

“I think the fact we did have a competing meet up at the Gately Center (the Illinois Indoor Championships in Chicago on March 29) drew some people away although when we looked at the results there, we still would have been super competitive,” said NCHS distance coach Tom Patten, who scratched his 3,200 relay that day because the schedule made doubling uninviting.

Already this outdoor season, Ince has lowered his personal bests to 1:56.29 in the 800 and 4:23.36 in the 1,600 while Joey Yaros, a Valparaiso recruit, has slashed his 3,200 best to 9:40.74. They’ve also joined Nyman and Patterson on a 7:57.63 3,200 relay, which ranked third in Class 3A as of April 23.

Having coached track since 1984 and cross country since 1985, Patten attributes the Ironmen’s Golden Age of 800 and 1,600 success to several factors.

First, talent tends to arrive in waves and the Ironmen are riding a big one boasting six established standouts – the five above and 50.57-second 400-meter man Nate Witzig, a senior – and two up-and-comers in junior Luke Eganhouse and senior Nicky Yaros, the twin brother of Joey Yaros.

“We just happen to have a group that’s good, but they’ve also had this tremendous commitment since they were freshmen to really be good and they have done all the right things,” says Patten.

These Ironmen endured a heartbreaking yet motivational prod during the 2024 state meet 3,200 relay preliminaries when their time of 7:55.71 ranked 13th, just 11 hundredths of a second from making the 12-team…