Track: Lots of miles ahead for Callahan

North Shore's Peter Callahan has the fastest qualifying time in the Class A 1,600-meter run for this weekend's boys state track meet.
(Phillip Ochs/For the Sun-Times)

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CHARLESTON, Ill. -- Before North Shore Country Day junior Peter Callahan starts his summer vacation, he wants to medal at the Class A boys state track meet. When preliminary heats begin today at O’Brien Stadium, Callahan will be in the 1,600-meter run as the state’s top qualifier.

And then he’s off to Mexico for about six weeks. But first things first.

Callahan qualified for the state meet as a sophomore and finished fifth. This year, Callahan is a strong contender to medal again and has also advanced in the 3,200 relay. Callahan ran a sectional time of 4 minutes, 21.91 seconds.

"I had done pretty well last year, so this year we had our sights on getting to the state meet again," Callahan said. "Coach [Patrick] McHugh has done a really good job coaching me. I’m used to running in some pressure."

McHugh wasn’t surprised Callahan ran so well. Even though the poor spring weather has prevented Callahan from getting decent times outdoors, his indoor times were stellar.

Callahan ran a 4:26 mile indoors at Proviso West. At the end of March, he ran the 1,600 in 4:22 at Bolingbrook.

"Nothing surprised me with Peter," McHugh said. "He won by 15 seconds at the sectional and ran a leg of the 3,200 relay and the 1,600 relay. At the end of the day he was remarkably fresh."

Callahan, who is also a captain on the soccer team, excels away from the track, too. McHugh doubles as the school’s athletic director and knows he can count on Callahan to help on the sidelines during football games or run the clock at a soccer game. There's that trip to Mexico, too.

Amigos is a national program that trains high school and college students to live with Latin American families. This trip will be Callahan’s first with Amigos.

"I’ll be paired up with one other kid from the U.S. and live with a family in a rural village," Callahan said. "We’ll teach things like health and sanitation. And it provides a connection between the countries."

In Class AA, thrower Dan Block is the favorite in the shot put and discus. Block has thrown more than 200 feet in the discus and is the defending state champion in the event. The state record of 198-4 is his to break.

Palatine’s Mat Smoody and Neuqua Valley’s Chris Derrick should dominate the distance events. Smoody has run one of the nation’s best times in the 800, and Derrick is a national force in the 3,200 and 1,600 runs.

Derrick, the state’s fastest qualifier in both his events, might have competition in the 1,600 from Hersey’s Kevin Havel. The senior is the second fastest in the 1,600, but not by much. Derrick leads the pack with a 4:14.72, but Havel clocks in at a close 4:14.94.

Defending state champion pole vaulter Mitchell Erickson of Marian Catholic is the state’s second-best qualifier with a vault of 16-feet. Rolling Meadows junior Mick Viken has the best sectional leap at 16-4.