Chelsea Boys’ X-C team finishes 6th in state meet

(Chelsea Update would like to thank Cross Country Coach Eric Swager for the information in this story and also thank him for providing results all season.)

The Chelsea Boy’s Cross Country Team finished sixth in the Division II states finals at Michigan International Speedway on Saturday, Nov. 2.

“Sixth place against this tough group of teams is a fine showing, and just about the best we could expect today,” said Coach Eric Swager.

The runners were faced with rain, 50 degrees, wind and a muddy course.

St. Clair finished in first place in the division with 106 points while Chelsea was sixth with 246 points. There were 28 teams competing in the division.

Individually, David Trimas finished 10^th in 16:12 and was named an All State finisher, Swager said in an email.

Jacob Stubbs was 49^th in 16:46, Joe Vermilye was 58^th in 16:52, Miles Fischer was 103^rd in a time of 17:13, Ben Koch was 103^rd in 17:20, Adam Bowersox was 161st in a time of 17:41 and Jack Abernethy was 182^nd in a time of 18:00.

“I told the guys before the meet that this was our type of day,” Swager said. “The course was muddy, and it rewarded those who stayed in control during the 1st mile, and moved up throughout the race.”

As a team, he says, the Bulldogs did that better than other teams ranked ahead of us.

“Having three runners in the top 60 was key, led by the tough performance of David Trimas, who earned his first All-State award in Cross Country,” Swager said, adding, “He continues to perform at his best on big meet days.”

Swager called Joe Vermilye “tenacious as he beat his seed by a substantial amount.”

Miles Fischer was another key, running a lifetime best in spite of the conditions, the coach said.

Ben Koch “gave his all to round out the scoring,” Swager said.

Swager said, “This season has been one of slow, but consistent, improvement. We emphasized the team nature of cross country over the past few weeks, and our regional championship and fine showing at the state finals were true team efforts. I am quite proud of this squad top-to-bottom.”

He also wanted to thank the parents and fans who came out to support the team on such a blustery day.    “I feel blessed to have a great assistant coach in Mike Holik, and support from my family and the community,” Swager said.

He summed up the season with, “Another stellar year for Chelsea Cross Country.”