YORKVILLE – Matt Richtman stood up on his tippy toes as he posed for a picture with friendly rivals, looking for extra height.
Richtman and Kaneland stood tallest Friday.
Richtman, Kaneland's Bradley-bound distance standout, won the 3,200 and took second in the 1,600. Knights' throwing star Clayton Hannula did his part, sweeping the discus and shot put.
Their teammates did the rest, leading Kaneland to the team championship of the Northern Illinois Big 12 Conference meet.
Kaneland scored 143.5 points, with Yorkville (112) second, Sycamore (74) third and DeKalb (67) fourth. Kaneland, also conference indoor champ, last won a share of the conference outdoor title in 2015.
It's exactly the way Richtman wanted to go out.
"It's a good night for us," Richtman said. "It's definitely very exciting to come out with the team championship. It's one of those things that you always look to."
Richtman engaged in one last memorable 3,200 duel with Sterling's Jacob Gebhardt. The two friendly rivals since the eighth grade were neck-and-neck through seven laps.
Gebhardt, an Indiana recruit, surged ahead to start the bell lap.
But it was Richtman who had the final burst in the final 200, winning in 9:28.10.
"I love racing against these guys," Richtman said. "It was a really fun race, being that close together. I needed a lot of mental toughness to stay in there. It's definitely a high point of my season so far."
Richtman and Gebhardt hooked up again later in the 1,600 race, but Sycamore senior Stephen Poorten stole the show.
With fresh legs, running his only event of the night, Poorten grabbed the lead in the third of four laps and coasted home in 4:28.68.
"I felt really fresh, Matthew and Jake were both coming off the two-mile, that's a daunting double so I knew their legs would be a little bit heavy – they're both great runners," Poorten said. "I knew if I pushed in the middle two laps I could get away from them."
Poorten, in doing so, realized the conference distance triple crown. Poorten, who will run collegiately at Marquette, has previously won the conference 3,200 and cross country titles.
"It's a great feeling, especially this being the last time the three of us will ever run together," Poorten said.
Hannula, as expected, owned the throwing events Friday.
The Kaneland senior threw the discus 175 feet, 7 inches, then came back to take the shot put with an effort of 56-8.
"I feel consistent in discus, my average in shot put is definitely better than it was last year – but I still feel I have more," Hannula said. "It's just mental, getting more distance. I just have to go get it."
Hannula, a two-time shot put champ and first-time discus champ, has come a long way in four years.
"I've competed in this meet since I was a freshman," Hannula said. "My first one, I remember scratching almost every one of the discus. Winning this meet, as a team, means everything."
Elsewhere in the field events, DeKalb's Jaylen Mason won the high jump, clearing 6 feet, 2 inches.
It's indeed been a rewarding senior year for Mason, also conference indoor high jump champion. He was hurt freshman year with a fractured hip, junior year with a torn meniscus.
"I really wanted to show out this season," Mason said. "This is my last one. My goal is to go to state for high jump. The sky is the limit."
Kaneland also took the 1,600 relay, the team of Ted Allen, Kyle Angelotti, Ben Durbala and Noah Butzman clocked in 3:31.25. DeKalb's Ben Allen, Riley Marks, Aidan Donohue and Emmanuel Yepiz won the 3,200 relay in 8:19.83.