(Chelsea Update would like to thank coach Eric Swager for the information in this story.)
Chelsea Boys’ Track and Field added two more wins to its impressive string of dual meet victories, defeating Dexter 98-39, and Adrian Tuesday, 76.5-60.5 on April 22.
“We performed well against both squads,” said Head Track Coach Eric Swager, who added, “We talked about running each event with focus and great effort, and by and large, we did just that.”
The coach noted that the Bulldogs have an impressive dual meet record. “We are approaching 4 years undefeated in dual meets, and our consistent team effort is the main reason for our streak.”
A couple individual performances stand out.
Sophomore Noah Van Reesema won three events against both squads, including a lifetime best high jump.
Jacob Stubbs was dominant in the 1600 and 800 runs, while Joe Vermilye won the 3200 in a fine effort.
Denrick Acton’s pole vault was a lifetime best, as was Mike Mesco’s victorious shot put.
“We are once again in the midst of another SEC title race,” the coach said. “We need to continue to sharpen as the season goes along.”
Last weekend, the team participated in the Chelsea Relays, finishing fourth.
“We hosted the 2nd annual Chelsea Relays on a bright sunny day,” Swager said. “It finally felt like summer is approaching. We had some events that we performed well in, and others that we did not.”
He gave kudos to “The throwers (who had a great day, taking both the shot and discus relays.”
Micheal Smith highlighted the meet with his 156-foot discus heave. This makes the junior the No. 4 farthest thrower in school history.
Also, the 4×3200 relay performed very well, the coach said, taking runner-up honors, and “many JV types had lifetime bests in the open run.”
The Bulldog’s two vaulters won gold with their pair of 11’6″ jumps, and the high jumpers also medaled.
“We have a lot of work to do in the other events,” the coach said, adding, “Execution can clearly be improved (it is very early in the season), and we talked about being mentally prepared to compete.”
Swager said with such a large, young squad, he expects to see drastic improvements as the year progresses.
“Finally, I would like to thank the other coaches for making this meet run smoothly, and all the parents and volunteers that helped us be top-notch hosts,” Swager said.
