Gregoire earns MVP honors at Dan Lennon

Irene-Wakonda senior Rob Gregoire has had plenty of success in the field of running, first leading Wakonda to two state cross country titles then posting a high finish this past fall in his first Class A cross country meet.

Tuesday at the Dan Lennon Invitational, he proved that not only can he run well, but he can do it without being pushed.

Gregoire defended his 3200-meter title, winning by over 45 seconds, and took the 1600-meter run by 13 seconds to earn boys' MVP honors in the annual kickoff to the track and field season.

The Eagles senior beat out Newcastle's Brett Beyeler in both races, clocking a 4:49.31 in the 1600 and a 10:13.33 in the 3200.

Gregoire felt good about his first outing of the season.

"I think it's a good start. I wanted to go under 10:20 (in the 3200) because I ran a little over 10:20 last year," he said. "I hope to keep improving every meet."

Gregoire felt strong despite not getting pushed in either race, something he says has been an emphasis during preseason preparations.

"I've been keeping a steady pace a lot better than I used to," he said. "I've been working on that in practice."

Irene-Wakonda's Clint Schroeder cleared 12-6 to finish third in the boys' pole vault. Teammate Kim Jensen finished sixth in the girls' pole vault, clearing 8-0.