(Chelsea Update would like to thank Eric Swager for the information in this story.)
For the seventh year in a row, Chelsea boys track and field won the regional championship.
“After going 40+ years since the 1960s without one, to string this many together is amazing,” said coach Eric Swager. “This was our lowest point total in winning any of the regionals, a testament to the across-the board competitiveness of the teams this year.”
He said, “The meet was truly up in the air for most of the afternoon,” adding, “with some huge performances down the stretch, we were able to separate from the field and capture the victory.”
Swager said he was “super proud” of this squad “the way we have stuck together and kept battling with the young lineup that we have. It was truly a team effort.”
Some of the outstanding performances:
Carson Rabbitt was the MVP of the meet, placing in all four of his events, and qualifying for the state finals in three of them. His 1600 victory over one of the state’s top distance runners was a huge thrill.
Josiah Fitch popped another 1-foot lifetime best to take runner up honors in the shot put. This qualifies him for the state finals in that event.
Dominic Guthre had a double PR in the pole vault, and will also represent Chelsea in the state finals meet.
The 4×800 Relay guys (Rabbitt, Owen Smith, Foster Thorburn and Will Scott) were regional champs and will advance to the state meet.
The 4×400 Team was runner up in a thrilling final event, and those four guys (Rabbitt, Colton Trevino, Brennan Van Riper, Mike Tarasow) will also compete in the state finals.
Jensen Holm finished runner up in the 3200, and will represent Chelsea in that event.
The above group comprises the state qualifying squad, but many other guys contributed to the scoring to put us over the top.
Will Scott took home 3 regional medals, Foster Thorburn 2, Brennan Van Riper 3, Colton Trevino and Mike Tarasow 2 each.
Freshman Ryan Scott missed the state meet by 1 inch, but had a huge PR to finish 3rd in the discus. He also finished 8th in the shot put.
Ross Stofflett, Ben Yeasting, and Joseph Norwood also earned all-region honors.
Swager called it, “a very special and exciting day,” and thanked his assistant coaches as well as the parents who continue to support the team.
