CHARLESTON — Civic Memorial junior Glenn Collins advanced to the boys' 800-meter final Friday, May 29, 2026, after finishing second in the prelims at the IHSA Class 2A State Track and Field Meet in Charleston with a time of 1 minute, 54.35 seconds.
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Collins trailed only Waterloo’s Luke Smith, who posted the top prelims time of 1:54.07, setting up what could be a close race in Saturday’s final.
“My thinking was to get to the finals in the 800 meters,” Collins said. “I was just really confident going into this race and had my best possible race in the prelims. We had a lot of tough guys in it. It was exciting.”
Collins, who is only a junior, said his focus entering the race was on qualifying for the final.
“Coach Jake Peal said going into today, 100 percent making the final was the goal,” Collins said. “I am thankful I made the finals with my teammate, Tullio, in the 800 meters.”
Looking ahead to Saturday, Collins said he felt strong in the prelims and is eager to compete in the final alongside teammate Tullio Zamperi.
“I felt really good today, and tomorrow I am going to go out in the pack and try to win,” Collins said. “Tullio Zamperi is an awesome teammate. It will be super exciting for us both to be on the same team in the 800-meter final.”
