Verzbicas repeats, misses record

PEORIA – It's not hyperbole to say Lukas Verzbicas was chasing Craig Virgin on Saturday.

With Virgin riding on the announcer's truck that rolled along ahead of the front-runners at the Class 3A cross-country meet, Verzbicas took his final shot at Virgin's iconic state-meet record.

The Sandburg junior, who is graduating next spring, fell just short, running 13 minutes, 54 seconds on a cool, breezy afternoon at Detweiller Park.

"Definitely disappointed," said Verzbicas, who missed Virgin's 38-year-old record by 3.4 seconds. "It was like a divine wind came over. ... That last couple hundred meters, that wind just came out of nowhere. I should have run harder. That's all I could have done and I didn't."

Still, Verzbicas is the first repeat big-school champ since Wheeling's Jorge Torres won in 1997 and '98, and he's just the second runner to break 14 minutes since 1977 (Neuqua Valley's Chris Derrick ran 13:52 in 2007).

"All records are made to fall," Virgin said. "I really thought going into this race I was going to lose it today. That's why I was here."

Verzbicas was just behind Virgin's record pace at the mile, running a 4:30, but was a bit ahead at the two-mile mark, running about a 9:10. Though the wind picked up and kept Verzbicas from breaking the record, Virgin sees a bright future for the Sandburg star, who also is an international-caliber triathlete.

"His stride is one of the most beautiful running styles I've ever seen," Virgin said. "He's a tremendous champion. ... I just pray he can figure out how to dance this dance in college where he can still run and do the triathlon."

Verzbicas was pushed early by eventual runner-up Jack Driggs of York. He finished in 14:16 and led the Dukes to their 27th state title by a 162-164 margin over Lake Zurich, which won its first state trophy. Neuqua Valley (189), which was seeking its third Class 3A title in four seasons, settled for third place.

The Dukes won despite the disqualification of senior Ron Hedman – who was York's second runner through the chute – for making contact with another runner.

"The tradition is back," said coach Joe Newton, who has led the Dukes to all of their state titles. "And there's nothing sweeter than holding that trophy up. For me at 81 [years old], that's a forever moment. I'm so happy to still be coaching and still be alive."

York had no one other than Driggs in the top 40, but sophomore Alex Mimlitz (41st), Tom Hedman (52nd), Scott Milling (55th) and Nick Gornick (58th) finished within nine seconds of each other to seal the team title.

Belvidere North had four runners in the top seven and won Class 2A 28-153 over Springfield, with Marmion (164) taking third place and its first state trophy on a sixth-runner tiebreaker with Normal U-High. Lake View's Oscar Medina was eighth in 14:55 to become the Public League's first boys all-stater since 1997.

In Class 1A, Beecher won its first state title, 80-150 over East Richland. Brothers Grant and Griffin Nykaza finished fourth and eighth, respectively, to lead the Bobcats.

© 2012 Sun-Times Media, LLC. All rights reserved. This material may not be copied or distributed without permission. For more information about reprints and permissions, visit www.suntimesreprints.com. To order a reprint of this article, click here.