Lusciatti, Spee Lead Lincoln-Way West to Thrilling Third-Place Finish at Minooka Conference Clash

The Lincoln-Way West boys track and field team delivered an elite performance against some of the state’s top competition on Thursday, April 23, 2026, earning a hard-fought third-place finish at the Minooka Conference Clash. The Warriors accumulated 97 team points, falling just one point shy of runner-up Winnetka New Trier (98 points) and maintaining a tight pace with team champion Naperville Central (111 points) in the eight-team varsity field.

Lincoln-Way West’s success was driven by spectacular performances on the track, highlighted by senior Anthony Lusciatti. After helping the Warriors to a runner-up finish in the 4×200-meter relay (1:29.58) earlier in the meet, Lusciatti dominated the 300-meter hurdles. He broke the tape in a blazing 38.65 seconds, winning the event by nearly three full seconds. Lusciatti later anchored the 4×400-meter relay team to a thrilling victory. The quartet of sophomore Zaven Johnson, junior Hunter Spee, sophomore Caleb Terdic, and Lusciatti clocked a winning time of 3:20.28, narrowly holding off Naperville Central to close out the track events in style.

The Warriors showcased tremendous strength in the distance events, capturing two crucial individual titles. Spee controlled the 800-meter run, crossing the finish line first in 1:57.27 to add to his relay gold. In the 3200-meter run, senior Nicholas Dul navigated the eight-lap race with precision, earning the victory with a time of 9:53.11.

In the short sprints and hurdles, senior Chase Markowicz and sophomore Braydon McNulty provided massive points for the Warriors. Markowicz raced to a personal-best 10.91 seconds in the 100-meter dash to secure a second-place tie. McNulty delivered a personal-best 14.67-second finish in the 110-meter hurdles to take home silver. The duo also teamed up with junior Michael Kennedy and senior Jahan Abubakar to earn second place in the 4×100-meter relay with a swift 42.17.

Lincoln-Way West’s field athletes matched the intensity of the runners. Sophomore John Kinsella delivered a standout performance in the high jump, clearing a personal-best 1.93 meters to win the event outright against a loaded varsity field. Senior Jack Drozdek captured third place in the pole vault with a clearance of 4.19 meters, while senior Reilly Kliros earned bronze in the shot put with a toss of 14.80 meters.

While the varsity squad battled for the team title, the Warriors’ underclassmen also made their mark. The Frosh/Soph 4×100 and 4×200 relay teams both secured fourth-place finishes, while sophomore pole vaulters Bryan Buske and John Kinsella cleared 3.20m and 3.96m, respectively, highlighting the program’s bright future.

Game Summary

Score by Quarters

Scoring Drives

• Quarter 1 (Sprints & Short Hurdles)

  • 100m Dash: Dylan Nemerovski (New Trier) – 10.66a; Chase Markowicz (Lincoln-Way West) – 10.91a

  • 200m Dash: Dylan Nemerovski (New Trier) – 21.65a

  • 110m Hurdles: Eron Kennedy (Naperville Central) – 14.23a; Braydon McNulty (Lincoln-Way West) – 14.67a

• Quarter 2 (Mid-Distance & Long Hurdles)

  • 400m Dash: Miles Lyons (New Trier) – 49.62a

  • 800m Run: Hunter Spee (Lincoln-Way West) – 1:57.27a

  • 1600m Run: Derek Williamson (Naperville Central) – 4:31.67a

  • 3200m Run: Nicholas Dul (Lincoln-Way West) – 9:53.11a

  • 300m Hurdles: Anthony Lusciatti (Lincoln-Way West) – 38.65a

• Quarter 3 (Relays)

  • 4×100 Relay: Minooka – 42.11a; Lincoln-Way West – 42.17a

  • 4×200 Relay: Lockport Twp. – 1:29.07a; Lincoln-Way West – 1:29.58a

  • 4×400 Relay: Lincoln-Way West – 3:20.28a

  • 4×800 Relay: Minooka – 8:15.53a

• Quarter 4 (Field Events)

  • Shot Put: Ben Blank (Naperville Central) – 16.41m; Reilly Kliros (Lincoln-Way West) – 14.80m

  • Discus: Hamdi Ayyash (Lockport Twp.) – 49.23m

  • High Jump: John Kinsella (Lincoln-Way West) – 1.93m

  • Pole Vault: Cooper Bowman (Minooka) – 4.19m; Jack Drozdek (Lincoln-Way West) – 4.19m

  • Long Jump: Nehemiah Brown (Minooka) – 6.61m

  • Triple Jump: Darin Ashiru (Batavia) – 13.19m

Individual Statistics

100 METERS: Dylan Nemerovski (New Trier) 10.66; Chase Markowicz (Lincoln-Way West) 10.91; Hayden Bowman (Minooka) 10.91.
200 METERS: Dylan Nemerovski (New Trier) 21.65; Blake Larson (Minooka) 21.70; Kyle Clark (Naperville Central) 21.72; Michael Kennedy (Lincoln-Way West) 22.95.
400 METERS: Miles Lyons (New Trier) 49.62; Chad Earl (Naperville Central) 49.75; Lukas Probst (Naperville Central) 50.31.
800 METERS: Hunter Spee (Lincoln-Way West) 1:57.27; Jordan Kreiner (New Trier) 1:59.60; Vaughn Scherer (Naperville Central) 2:00.13.
1600 METERS: Derek Williamson (Naperville Central) 4:31.67; Nicolas Hampton (New Trier) 4:32.51; Manny Najera (Naperville Central) 4:34.37.
3200 METERS: Nicholas Dul (Lincoln-Way West) 9:53.11; Ryan Morton (Downers Grove North) 9:58.51; Aaron Kernler (Batavia) 10:00.93.
110M HURDLES: Eron Kennedy (Naperville Central) 14.23; Braydon McNulty (Lincoln-Way West) 14.67; Blake Larson (Minooka) 14.74.
300M HURDLES: Anthony Lusciatti (Lincoln-Way West) 38.65; Drake Wang (Naperville Central) 41.45; Colin Hirschle (New Trier) 41.50.
SHOT PUT: Ben Blank (Naperville Central) 16.41m; Gavin Pecor (Batavia) 16.07m; Reilly Kliros (Lincoln-Way West) 14.80m; Broden Newman (Lincoln-Way West) 14.24m.
DISCUS: Hamdi Ayyash (Lockport Twp.) 49.23m; Gavin Pecor (Batavia) 49.04m; Ben Blank (Naperville Central) 48.72m; Benjamin DeMaertelaere (Lincoln-Way West) 41.83m.
HIGH JUMP: John Kinsella (Lincoln-Way West) 1.93m; Andrew Culotta (Batavia) 1.88m; Anthony Villanova (Naperville Central) 1.83m.
POLE VAULT: Cooper Bowman (Minooka) 4.19m; Jacob Soderstrom (Lockport Twp.) 4.19m; Jack Drozdek (Lincoln-Way West) 4.19m; Payton Johnson (Minooka) 4.19m.
LONG JUMP: Nehemiah Brown (Minooka) 6.61m; Jake Davero (Downers Grove North) 6.50m; Darin Ashiru (Batavia) 6.38m; Stephan Marshall (Lincoln-Way West) 6.12m.
TRIPLE JUMP: Darin Ashiru (Batavia) 13.19m; Jack Ness (New Trier) 12.85m; Michael Bergman (Batavia) 12.74m; Noah Saxour (Lincoln-Way West) 12.38m.