Lemont’s Jaquez, Murray medal at 2026 IHSA Boys’ Track & Field State Finals

Lemont High School senior Daniel Jaquez and junior Nathan Murray each earned their first career medals at the 2026 IHSA Class 3A Boys’ Track and Field State Finals, which were contested from May 29-30 at O’Brien Stadium on the campus of Eastern Illinois University in Charleston. Jaquez made his second straight state finals appearance while Murray made his state finals debut.

Murray won his preliminary heat in the 400 meter dash in a time of 47.68, which tied for the fastest time of the first day of competition. Murray placed third in the finals in a time of 47.47, which is the program’s fastest ever in state finals competition. He is the third Lemont runner to medal in the 400 meter dash and earned the program’s fifth medal overall in the event. He also placed 15th in the 200 meter prelims in a time of 21.89.

Jaquez was one of 20 participants to clear the 6’4” mark in the preliminaries and advance to the final round. In the final round, he was one of four competitors to clear the 6’7” mark, and placed fourth based on his number of attempts.

Jaquez and Murray advanced to the state finals thanks to their performances at the IHSA Downers Grove North Sectional. Murray won the 400 meter dash in a school-record time of 47.29 (the state’s third-fastest time of the season), while Jaquez won the high jump after clearing the 6’4” mark. Murray also eclipsed the IHSA qualifying standard while placing third in the 200 meter dash in a school-record time of 21.84. The top two finishers in each of the state’s Class 3A Sectionals advance to the state finals, as do any athletes whose efforts in the preliminaries equal or surpass the designated qualifying marks.

IHSA Boys' Track and Field Website

Head coach Frank Kovach’s team won its first-ever South Suburban Conference-Blue Division Meet this spring. Jaquez set a school record while clearing the 6’8.75” mark in winning the high jump, while Murray won both the 200 and 400 meter dash events and was part of the victorious 4x100 relay squad that set a school record (42.94).

Three Lemont student-athletes have earned multiple state medals in the same season: Nick Bromberek ‘00 (who did it each year from 1998-2000), Quinton Peterson ‘24 and Bob Politza ‘92.

Bromberek won nine state medals in all, and is the only athlete in program history to reach the state finals four straight years. As the school’s only state finals competitor, Bromberek led Lemont to a second-place finish at the 2000 IHSA Class AA State Finals, as he won the 200- and 400-meter dash and long jump events, and was second in the 100-meter dash.

Lemont’s state medalists also include Bromberek (100 meters - 6th; 200 meters - 8th, Class AA, 1998; 200 meters - 3rd; long jump - 5th; 400 meters - 8th, Class AA, 1999), Peterson (110 hurdles - 2nd; 300 hurdles - 3rd; Class 3A, 2024), Politza (200 meters - 6th, Class A, 1992), Andy Rachwalski ‘09 (pole vault - 6th, Class 2A, 2009), Chris Thompson ‘16 (400 meters - 6th, Class 3A, 2015; 400 meters - 2nd, Class 3A, 2016), Craig Wolski ‘86 (200 meters - 8th, Class A, 1986), the 4x200 relay (3rd, Class A, 1992), and the 4x800 relay (7th, Class A, 1992).

Bromberek qualified for the state finals in four events in both 1999 and 2000, a mark matched by the 2023 team. Bromberek and David Lehenbauer ‘19 (high jump) are the only athletes in program history to advance to state finals competition in track and field at least three times.