Here are 20 Rockford area boys track and field stars to watch this spring

Boys track and field fans in the Rockford area are going to have a heyday this season, and it's already kicking into full gear.

Last weekend's Illinois Top Times Indoor Championships in Bloomington showed us just how good the stars from this region are going to be once things really get going outside.

Indoor state highlights: Find out who from Rockford area won indoor state titles, or stepped up at indoor finale

So in the transition, let's take a look at 20 of the top boys track and field athletes from the area who could help make this season one to remember.

Tristen Alexander, Dakota jumper

Dakota's Alexander took fourth in the long jump last week at the indoor state meet in Bloomington at the 1A level with a flight of 21-feet-2. He came in 17th at outdoor state last year, and will be looking to move up to cap off his senior season.

Leo Cardenas, Oregon pole vaulter

Cardenas was at Oregon as a freshman, moved to Arizona and won the state title in pole vault as a sophomore and junior, and is now back in Oregon for his senior year. He's off to a great start, taking third at indoor state with a make at 14-1 3/4.

Evyn Carreno, Oregon thrower

Carreno is a bit of an unknown, but he was seeded seventh and placed 10th in the shot put with a toss of 37-8 last weekend at indoor state, and he appears to be the real deal.

Vontez Dent, Lutheran jumper, sprinter

Dent showed up big in the postseason last year by taking second at state in the 1A triple jump, and he could do the same this year as a senior.

Mekhi Docket-Lewis, East sprinter

Docket-Lewis took seventh in the 60 dash at the 3A level with a 7.07 at indoor state, and he also sparked East's 4x200 relay crew to a 10th at 1:34.11.

Gage Dunker, Lena-Winslow thrower

Dunker, who finished in sixth in the shot put at outdoor state last year, had the fifth best shot put of the indoor season, but did not place at indoor state. The senior should be there down the stretch of the outdoor season.

Jesse Kramer, Belvidere North distance runner

Kramer not only anchored the 4x800 crew that took third at 3A indoor state with a time of 8:06.0, but he also placed 13th in the 1,600 run with a 4:38.88.

Andrew Kurien, Rockford Christian middle distance runner

Kurien just placed fourth in the 800 run in 2:03.15 at indoor state, and he is a key cog to the Royal Lions' distance relay teams, which will most likely be in the mix when the big meets hit.

Weston Forward, Rockford Christian distance runner

Definitely one of the best distance runners in the Rockford area, Forward is off to a good start to his senior track and field season. He placed fourth in the 3,200 run at 9:47.18 and then 10th in the 1,600 run in 4:40.25 at indoor state.

Rockford Christian distance relay teams

Clearly one of the best things going this season is Rockford Christian's distance relay squads. The Royal Lions' 4x400 relay team of Kurien, Forward, Nate Thomas and Evan White took third at indoor state in 3:37.56, and their 4x800 team of Kurien, Evan White and Joel White and Blake Lindberg also got third in 8:27.26.

Rasheed Johnson, Boylan sprinter

Johnson, who only placed third at the NIC-10 indoor championships in the 60 dash, had a 14th-place finish in the 200 dash at 2A with a time of 23.85. Johnson took fifth at outdoor state in the 100 dash as a junior last year.

Nicolai Martino, Winnebago distance runner

Martino, who headed into indoor state with the fourth fastest time in 1A in both the 1,600 run (4:27.68) and in the 3,200 run (9:41.85), placed 15th at indoor state in the 3,200. He will be more of a factor in both when things get going outside.

Max Milbrath, Durand/Pecatonica jumper

Milbrath became the first state champion from Durand/Pecatonica's track and field program after he flew to the state title in the 1A triple jump. He also took fourth in the long jump as a junior. Now a senior, however, he will have to deal with 2A competition, as Du/Pec was bumped up a class.

Supreme Muhammad, Winnebago sprinter

Muhammad, now a senior, and the defending state champion in the 200 dash, finished in second place at indoor state last weekend in the 1A 200-meter dash, and sixth in the 100. He is also the anchor for Winnebago's sprint relays, which took second place as well. That crew consisted of Muhammad, as well as Brandon Wiggan, Mitchel Cunningham and Eden Trotter-Krahn.

Mynes Murray, Auburn jumper

Murray, a junior who won the NIC-10 indoor long jump title and took third in triple jump, then placed third in the long jump at indoor state with a flight of 22-5 3/4.

Jaidyn Nguyen, Guilford sprinter, jumper

Nguyen had a great early spring, winning the NIC-10 indoor title in the 60 dash, and also clearing the bar set at 6-2 3/4 in the high jump to take 10th place in 3A at indoor state.

Andrew Nuyen, Rochelle pole vaulter

The Rochelle sophomore soared over the bar set at 14-11 1/3 to win the indoor pole vaulting state title at the 2A level, and was less than an inch away from tying the 41-year-old school record.

Myles Smith, Winnebago jumper, sprinter

This Winnebago sophomore placed ninth in the long jump at 20-8 and 14th in the high jump with a make at 5-8 last weekend at the indoor state comp, sort of bursting onto the scene.

Messiah Tilson, Guilford sprinter

Guilford's stellar 4x200 relay crew took 12th in 1:34.36 at indoor state this preseason with Messiah Tilson running anchor. Tilson also placed 11th in the 200 dash with a time of 23.0.

Brandon Wiggan, Winnebago jumper, sprinter

Wiggan, who was a big part of Winnebago's 4x200 relay crew that took second at indoor state, soared to third in the triple jump at 36-8.

Jay Taft is a Rockford Register Star sports reporter. Email him at jtaft@rrstar.com and follow him on Twitter at @JayTaft. Sign up for the Rockford High School newsletter at rrstar.com. Jay has covered a wide variety of sports, from the Chicago Bears to youth sports, since the turn of the century at the Register Star, and for over 30 years altogether.

This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: 20 Rockford area boys track and field stars to watch this spring