STC freshman Scout Ridout competes in the 55-meter hurdles. Ridout finished in fourth place for the Trojans. PHOTO BY STEVE BRANT

WAVERLY — The STC boys and girls Track & Field squad started off their season on Monday, March 10 with a trip to Wartburg College in Waverly. Participating in the Wartburg Indoor High School Invitational, the Trojans had several stand-out performances.

Leading the way were three top-five finishes for STC athletes in field events. In the boys shot-put, junior Tim Chandonia finished third overall with a throw of 46 feet, 2 inches. On the girls’ side, junior Autumn Elsbury finished fifth with a throw of 33 feet, 1 inch. Freshman Sydney Arp started her high school career with a solid fifth place finish in the girls long jump. Her highest mark was a jump of 15 feet, 3 inches. For all three, it was a fantastic way to open the season among a large field of competitors.

The Trojans also had a good start to the running portion of the season. Freshman Scout Ridout had the highest finish among individual performances with her fourth place finish in the girls 55-meter hurdles. Ridout finished with a time of 9.18 seconds. Junior Barrett Jesina, a qualifier in this year’s State Cross Country Meet, finished sixth in the 3200 with a time of 10:51. Other notable finishes included: freshman Shelby Johannsen (13th place, 1:10.85) and sophomore Livia Smith (15th place, 1:11.23) in the girls 400; sophomore Michael Henry (16th place, 24.81) and senior Cody Blocker (18th place, 24.85) in the boys 200; and Jesina (21st place, 2:23) in the boys 800.

STC’s relay teams also had a nice showing on the day. The girls 4×200 team of freshman Java Gomez, freshman Brylee Nelson, junior Madeline Paxton, and junior Naomi Peshel finished in 12th place with a time of 2:00.35. The boys 4×200 team of Blocker, junior Nick Upah, senior Tyrus Clegg, and freshman Izak Schroeder finished 8th with a time of 1:39.76.

To close out the meet, both girls and boys 4×400 teams finished in 7th place. The girls team of sophomore Mady Borisky, freshman Maylee Rucker, Arp, and Ridout finished with a time of 4:29.68. The boys team of Blocker, Henry, Upah, and sophomore Josiah Houghton clocked in with a time of 3:54.33.

STC freshman Maylee Rucker clears the bar in the girls high jump. PHOTO BY STEVE BRANT

As a team, the STC girls finished 13th out of 19 teams at Waverly. The Trojan boys finished 16th out of 24 teams. Both Trojan teams conclude the indoor portion of the season on Tuesday, March 25. They will travel to Grinnell to compete in the annual WaMaC Indoor Conference Meet.

Junior Brady Jesina rounds the curve in the boys 3200. Jesina finished in sixth place for the Trojans. PHOTO BY STEVE BRANT

STC junior Autumn Elsbury throws in the girls shotput for the Trojans. Elsbury finished in fifth place. PHOTO BY STEVE BRANT