Railsplitters impressive at
Palatine
[April 28, 2026]
Three Lincoln Railsplitters ran in the Distance Night in
Palatine event over the weekend and all three finished with new PR’s.
Preston Short, Taylor Short and Owen Cyrulik each had terrific
performances on Saturday night as they participated in what is
recognized as the premier event for distance runners in Illinois.
Preston Short ran first at 6:25 p.m. in the Overall Undercard for
the 800m and he finished in 13th place with a time of 1:58.15. He is
ranked 24th in Illinois Class 2A competition. Preston is a junior at
LCHS.
Taylor Short ran at 8:04 p.m. in the Overall Main Event for the 800m
and she finished in 11th place with a time of 2:16.74. She is ranked
5th in Class 2A in Illinois. To add to her impressive resume, Taylor
is a freshman. She was just one of two freshmen competing in the
800m Saturday night. She also qualified in the 1600m but athletes
are only allowed to compete in one event at Palatine.
This was the first time the brother-sister duo ran at Palatine.
Owen Cyrulik ran at 8:09 p.m. in the Overall Main Event and he
finished 13th with a time of 1:55.47. He now has the 7th fastest
outdoor time in Class 2A in Illinois. Cyrulik is a junior who ran in
the undercard last year at Palatine.
For each of these athletes to compete against other top runners from
across the state and finish with their best times so far this season
is truly remarkable.
In their own words, the Short siblings and Cyrulik each described
the experience.
“Overall the experience was like nothing I’ve had before,” said
Preston Short. “Going into the race I did not have many expectations
with it being an event I have not raced much, therefore I was
looking to compete to the best of my ability with some of the top
competition in the state. So to walk away with a new personal best
is great and to share this opportunity with teammates, coaches and
family truly made it a great night.”
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“Getting the opportunity to run at such a big meet
with the top runners in the state was a great experience for my
teammates and I,” said Taylor Short, who finished second in her
heat. “One of my main goals going into the race was to try and get a
new PR, which I succeeded at. The atmosphere of the race was
something that I had never really experienced. It was very energetic
and competitive. Overall, I had a great time competing and being
there with my teammates and coaches.”
“I was super excited to go since it’s practically
impossible to find a meet or race as competitive as any of the ones
you find at Palatine,” said Cyrulik. “I didn’t have the best race
last year, but the races I saw after mine were super competitive and
exciting. I saw my heat for this year and felt pretty confident that
I had a shot in winning my heat. I was seeded 3rd and the first
seeded person was about .2 away from my PR. So my plan was to be
leading at the second lap 300m. I passed the leader right before the
first lap. I opened up a big gap, but I don’t know what happened and
I got caught in the last 80m and ended up in 4th. I am happy with
how I raced and tried to go for it, but think I have so more in me.
I’m definitely ready for State now. I’m really excited for our 4x800
relay particularly, a great group of guys.”
The Lincoln Railsplitters Track and Field team will have a meet
today beginning at 4:30 p.m. in Mount Zion. It was rescheduled due
to the storms that passed through the area yesterday.
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