Whenever Riverside Brookfield High School senior Matthew Torrens needs a good track-related laugh, his friend pulls out the video of Torrens’ pole vault start as a freshman.
“It’s kind of just like long jump with a pole over the bar almost because you’re not going up,” Torrens said. “Freshman year, obviously, I didn’t have any success. Sophomore year was kind of the first time I bent the pole.”
Now committed to the event, Torrens has improved rapidly all the way to his first Class 3A state meet. He cleared 4.01 meters/13 feet-2 inches Friday to finish second at the 3A Lyons Township Sectional Friday and automatically qualify with a top-two finish.
Torrens, who cleared a personal-best 13-5¾ at the conference meet, hopes to challenge the 14-0 school record by 2024 graduate Will Kallas. To improve those chances, Torrens tried a longer pole for the first time in competition Friday to unsuccessfully attempt 13-8 after he was certain to qualify.
“It kind of just gave me information for next time, what I’m going to need to adjust,” Torrens said. “I’m super-happy that I’m going to get this chance to go to state. It’s always been like a dream. When I finally hit 13-0 during indoors, I was like, ‘Yeah, this is going to be the year where I can really push it to go downstate,’ which is a big goal for me.”
Riverside-Brookfield’s Brady Norman competes in the 3200 Meters during the IHSA Class 3A Lyons Sectional Thursday, May 22, 2025 in Western Springs. | Steve Johnston 
Riverside-Brookfield’s Brady Norman and Lyons Township’s Benjamin Wuggazer compete in the 3200 Meters during the IHSA Class 3A Lyons Sectional Thursday, May 22, 2025 in Western Springs. | Steve Johnston 
Lyons Township’s Trevor Devries competes in the long jump during the IHSA Class 3A Lyons Sectional Thursday, May 22, 2025 in Western Springs. | Steve Johnston 
Lyons Township’s David Eterno competes in the pole vault during the IHSA Class 3A Lyons Sectional Thursday, May 22, 2025 in Western Springs. | Steve Johnston 
Lyons Township’s Joey Bockwell competes in the discus during the IHSA Class 3A Lyons Sectional Thursday, May 22, 2025 in Western Springs. | Steve Johnston 
Lyons Township’s Charles Ciesla runs the first leg in the 4×800 Relay during the IHSA Class 3A Lyons Sectional Thursday, May 22, 2025 in Western Springs. | Steve Johnston
Senior Brady Norman also qualified for the Bulldogs in the 3,200-meter run for the third straight year with a fourth-place, outdoor-best 9:21.64 that beat the 9:27.68 state-qualifying standard for the meet. Norman, who ran a school-record 9:17.65 indoors March 29, was 33rd at state last year (9:40.84) and 43rd in 2023 (10:04.01).
“A [personal record], sub-9:10, would be awesome,” he said. “I’ve been at that state meet and had some rough races in the past. I think things are trending upward.”
Norman also tried to qualify in the 1,600 for the first time but dropped out during the race.
“I was mentally cooked and my asthma just never got better,” Norman said. “I might have scratched at state anyway. I’m just going to rip that (3,200) to the best of my ability at state.”
The host Lions had the victorious 4 x 800 relay of seniors Charlie Ciesla, Tate Pavelka and Ethan Wuggazer and junior Tyler Gantt (8:04.37) among six state-qualifying entries. Advancing with second-place finishes were seniors Mason Burda (400 in 50.93), Trevor Devries (6.95m/22-9¾ in long jump) and Brady Ryan (41.26m/135-4 in discus), sophomore Joey Bockwell (15.08m/49-5¾ in shot put) and the 4 x 400 of Burda, seniors Ray Waliewski and Ethan Wuggazer and junior Gustavo Mojarro (3:25.77).
Returning from last year’s relays are Ciesla and Pavelka in the 4 x 800 and Wuggazer and Mojarro from the 4 x 400.
Wuggazer, the twin brother of cross country all-stater Ben Wuggazer, joined the distance group this season.
“I’ve got the first event and the last event [on those relays]. I’m here for the whole state meet at this point,” Ethan Wuggazer said. “It’s an awesome experience definitely.”
The 4 x 800 feels capable of breaking 8:00 to reach its 12-team finals. LTHS ran 8:03.35 at the conference meet with Ciesla and Pavelka both running personal-best 1:58 splits.
“I’ve really enjoyed working with this team particularly this year because we’ve got four guys that are evenly matched so we’re really pushing each other,” Pavelka said. “I think we can all make a big leap at state.”
Devries is happy to be leaping again. After just missing state as a sophomore with a third-place 21-4 at sectionals, Devries has continually battled injuries, including a left tibia injury that sidelined him most of this indoor season. Sectionals was just his third 2025 outdoor meet, but Devries achieved a lifetime-best 23-8 at the conference meet.
“[State] means so much, the work I’ve put in the past four years and dealing with injuries,” Devries said. “I was at this point two years ago. It feels really awesome to come out and finally get that mark that I wanted, healthy and all good.”
In throws, Ryan and Bockwell qualified for state both with their final attempts.
Ryan achieved his second-best distance ever with what might have been his high-school finale.
“I was honestly telling myself I didn’t want to scratch the last high school throw of my career,” Ryan said. “It felt solid coming out of my hand but I was so shocked to hear the mark. I was overjoyed because I knew the distance that I needed and I got that.”
Disappointed with fifth in discus, Bockwell pulled out second in shot by three-quarters of an inch with his lifetime best by four inches.
“It was really, really close, but this will probably be the best night of my life for the longest time,” Bockwell said.
As seniors, Burda is running track for the first time this season and Waliewski the second.
Waliewski, nicknamed Mr. Track, has improved his 400 split from 59.9 in last year’s finale to sub-52 at the conference meet.
“I worked my butt off all summer in order for this year and to qualify, it means everything to me,” Waliewski said. “This year I’ve been on every varsity roster from the start on. That’s not just a surprise to the coaches and my teammates but to me as well. I just kind of compete when I get on the track.”
As a team, the Lions (116 points) finished second to Kenwood (146) but scored about a dozen more points than projected.
Girls track and field
RBHS senior Jorie Eggers was 35th in the 400 (1:01.25) at the 3A state meet preliminaries Friday after qualifying with a school-record 58.63 at sectionals.
LTHS senior Leigh Ferrell (3.20m/10-6 in pole vault) and junior Sarah Wiggins (300 low hurdles in 51.34) were 30th. Senior high jumper Vesta Samoulis missed the opening height of 1.55m/5-1.
Competing in 2A were Fenwick sophomore Juliana Gamboa of Riverside (13th in 3,200, personal-best 11:25.09), who also was part of the Friars’ 4 x 400 (25th, 4:13.97), and Nazareth Academy sophomore Claire Sigmund (18th in 400, 1:00.11) and freshman Delilah Apel (41st in long jump, 4.57m/15-0).
“(The season) was definitely difficult at times but overall it was just so much fun,” Gamboa said. “(I learned) definitely just to train hard every day really matters and to enjoy these amazing meets.”
