On Friday, May 26, and Saturday, May 27, the Hinsdale Central boys track team competed in IHSA 3A Boys State Track & Field Championships. This meet took place at Eastern Illinois University.

Starting off strong, Jesse Gamboa, senior, placed 11th and Aden Bandukwala, junior, placed 3rd in the 3200. Bandukwala-9:10.42, Gamboa- 9:20.11.

“My favorite part of state was definitely seeing all the people from home who made the trip down to Charleston to watch us race,” said Jesse Gamboa, senior. “It made me feel like I was racing for something bigger than myself.”

Moving forward, many boys from the Hinsdale Central team took home state championships. Daniel Watcke is the 800m state champion for the second year in a row.

“It was incredibly rewarding to see all of my hard work from this past year pay off,” said Daniel Watcke, senior.

Our 4×800 state champions are Michael Skora, Grant Miller, Kyle Doorhy, and Daniel Watcke. This all senior group pulled off the first 4×800 state title for Hinsdale. 

The weekend ended with a strong fight from Aden Bandukwala in the 1600m adding another state championship to the list. Aden was in last place until the final lap, dominating with a 54.8 last lap.

“Going into the final lap I felt tired but it was a mental battle,” Bandukwala said.  “Thinking about how much I’ve done this season, I could not give up.” 

The team will be moving forward to the 2023 Nike Outdoor Nationals on June 15.