URBANA — Last year, Malcolm Taylor made Uni High history with a second-place finish in the 400-meter dash at the Class A state track finals in Charleston.

With a blistering time of 49.74 seconds, Taylor joined Warren Goodell as the highest-placing boys state track medalist in Uni history.

This year Taylor is back, looking for gold. He's one of several members of the 2009 boys track and field team with high hopes for postseason honors.

Setting the pace

If one person were to be the face of Uni High running, it would undoubtedly be Taylor.

The Class A state runner-up in the 400 dash and an All-State 1A cross country honoree, this senior has already put together an impressive string of accomplishments. With a fierce competitive mentality to match his sinewy runner's physique, Taylor is a formidable foe on the track.

By the end of the indoor season in March, he had run the fastest 400 time in the entire state among 1A competitors. At the Charleston Boys Indoor Invitational, Taylor set a meet record in that event with a time of 50.58 seconds.

As the outdoor season begins, his goal is to win the state championship that eluded him last May, when he finished barely six-tenths of a second behind 400 winner Brad Asmus of Heyworth.

If Taylor's performance at the Illinois Prep Top Times Indoor Classic state meet is any indication, then he has great things to look forward to this spring.

On March 27, at the 18th annual IPTT meet, Taylor blew away the Class A runners in the 400, winning the indoor state title with a time of 50.98 seconds.

He entered the meet as the Class A favorite in the 400, and he certainly did not disappoint. Taylor’s time was the second fastest in the entire state, surpassed only by Class AAA winner Eric Oliver of Homewood-Flossmoor, who ran a time of 49.55.

"It was a rough race," commented Taylor. "I was boxed in for about three-fourths of the race, so I wasn’t too sure [if I could win]. I managed to break out in the open and pull away."

For his achievement at IPTT, The News-Gazette named Taylor its male Athlete of the Week on April 2. Uni fans can be sure that this won't be the last honor Taylor will receive this spring.

Other contenders

Taylor isn't the only reason to pay attention to the boys team in 2009. A number of athletes have a legitimate shot at qualifying for state, and the team as a whole will be pushing its opponents to the limit meet after meet

The boys distance squad has always been strong, with the 4x800 relay team making appearances at the Class A state finals the last three years. (Taylor was a member of all three of those teams, and fellow senior Isaac Chambers was a member of the last two.)

In the fall, boys cross country kicked things up a notch, placing fourth at the 1A state finals. With all top seven varsity members of that stellar team running track this spring, the Illineks could be stronger than ever in both both distance and sprint events.

In individual events, Taylor will be a threat not just in the 400 but the 800; Chambers will be strong in both events as well. At the same IPTT meet in which Taylor won the 400 state title, Chambers finished 12th (53.71), also in the 400.

Juniors Langston Allston-Yeagle and Nathan Smith have great potential in the 400, 800, and 1,600, as does classmate Jack Snyder in the 1,600 and 3,200.

Building on his success in cross country, sophomore Albert Anastasio will challenge opponents in the 800, 1,600, and 3,200; classmate Buck Walsh will be formidable in the 1,600 and 3,200.

In addition, look for junior newcomer Eric Fritzsche (200, 400, 800) and senior veteran Kareem Sayegh (100, 200, 400) to make an impact as well, especially in relays.

Indeed, relays will be major strength of this team. At the IPTT Indoor Classic, the 4x800 squad of Taylor (first leg), Allston-Yeagle (second), Smith (third), and Chambers (anchor) recorded a time of 8:37.69, good for fifth place out of the 13 Class A teams competing.

But the highlight of the night came with the 4x400 relay. The team of Chambers (first leg), Sayegh (second), Fritzsche (third), and Taylor (anchor) won the state title in the event, covering the distance in 3 minutes, 35.38 seconds.

"We knew we had a shot," said Taylor. "It was a long shot, but if we all ran well we knew we could do it, and we did it."

Newcomers and a strong start

In addition to the strong pack of returning veterans, head coach Doug Mynatt says that what's unique about this year's team is the number of rookies.

"The number of first-timers I have on the high school team is about 15, close to half of the team, and that is great," he said. "It also means coaches have a lot more to teach, not only specific to events but things dealing with track and field in general and things specific to being on the track and field team at Uni High."

The advantage of having more athletes on the team is that more people will be competing in events, which provides more scoring opportunities at meets. With an already strong and experienced distance squad, Mynatt hopes that the vast number of newcomers will fill the sprints and field events.

"I'm anxious to see what they can accomplish this season," said Mynatt. "Our goal is to put more people in more events this year since we have the numbers to do so."

Commented Anastasio: "Now our sprinters have a lot of depth in guys like Kareem and other members who have the experience and skill to aid the team. For field, we have a lot of new athletes, and [freshmen] Brandon Lin seems to be quite a good jumper."

In terms of the way practices are run, the large team can make things a little complicated.

"Well, the fact that we have an entire army for a track team is a bit different," said Taylor. "It can get a bit hectic at morning practices."

Featuring experienced veterans and promising newcomers, the Uni High boys track and field team is poised for a spectacular outdoor season. The early results already look good: At Thursday's Saber Invitational, the boys placed third behind winner St. Joseph-Ogden and runner-up St. Thomas More.

Highlights included Anastasio and Walsh taking first and second respectively in the 3,200; Taylor winning the 800; and Uni winning the 4x400 relay (Chambers, Smith, Fritzsche, Taylor).

The season is still young, and those results should only get better. The 1A state finals are scheduled for May 28 and 30 in Charleston. Make plans now for the trip to O'Brien Stadium — there should be plenty of Illinek athletes going for the gold.