NEWS CHRONICLE PHOTO BY STEVE BRANT – Freshman Ryan Brant anchors the STC Sprint Medley team. Brant was joined by Ethan Page, Lane Feisel, and Jaylen Kajer to take 13th place in the event.

VAN HORNE — The STC boys track and field team stepped outside for their first outdoor meet of the season when they traveled to Benton for the annual Early Bird competition on Monday, March 31.

Junior Timm Chandonia’s performance stood out for the Trojans on a cold and windy night in Van Horne. Chandonia turned in two top-ten finishes in both throwing field events for STC. His throw of 42 feet, 5 inches gave him a 5th place finish in the shot put. Chandonia followed that up with a 8th place finish in the discus with a throw of 119 feet, 7 inches.

In both events, Chandonia gained top-ten placements in crowded fields with over 45 competitors. Chandonia also anchored STC’s relay team in the annual 4×100 throwers race. The team of sophomore Kyle Youngbear, sophomore Eric Nunez, junior Josh Strong, and Chandonia took first place with a time of 53.79.

In other field event results, freshman Lakyr Peska took 22nd place in the shot put with a throw of 31 feet, 10.5 inches. Strong finished in 21st place in the discus with his throw of 92 feet, 10 inches. The Trojans had a trio of long jumpers finish in the top 20. Leading the way was sophomore Michael Henry with a jump of 17 feet, 9 inches. He was followed by senior Tyrus Clegg (15th place, 17 feet, 7.75 inches) and freshman Izak Schroeder (18th place, 17 feet, 7 inches).

The Trojan distance runners were paced by junior Barrett Jesina’s 3rd place finish (10:32.92) in the 3200. Jesina also ran the 1600 with his brother, freshman Brady Jesina. Barrett finished in 12th place (5:04), while Brady crossed the finish line with a time of 5:24 to give him 18th place. STC’s 4×800 relay team turned in a solid performance, as well. The team of sophomore Josiah Houghton, junior Carver Cecak, junior Logan Richards, and Brady Jesina finished in 9th place with a time of 9:42.28.

NEWS CHRONICLE PHOTO BY STEVE BRANT – STC junior Barrett Jesina leads the pack in the 3200 race. Jesina took 3rd place in the race with a time of 10:32.92

Houghton also gained one of the highest finishes on the night for STC when he grabbed 4th place in the 400 Hurdles. With a time of 1:03.39, Houghton found immediate success in a race he was running for the first time in his high school career. Junior Wes Hanus also competed in the 400 Hurdles, finishing in 14th place with a time of 1:08.34.

For the Trojan sprinters, it was a night peppered with strong individual and relay performances. Senior Cody Blocker took 11th in the 100 meters (11.85) and 7th in the 200 meters (24.29). Blocker also anchored the 8th place 4×400 team (3:54.03) with teammates that included freshman Ryan Brant, Cecak, and Houghton. In the 4×200 relay, STC’s team of Clegg, Brant, Schroeder, and freshman Ethan Page also secured 8th place with a time of 1:42.27.

On the night, STC finished in 12th as a team. Up next for the Trojans is a trip to Le Grand on Monday, April 14 for the East Marshall Boys Invite. This will be followed by a trip to Hudson on Thursday, April 17 for the annual Hudson Relays.

NEWS CHRONICLE PHOTO BY STEVE BRANT – Freshman Izak Schroeder takes off in the 100-meter dash. Schroeder took 19th place in the event with a time of 12.34.

NEWS CHRONICLE PHOTO BY STEVE BRANT – Trojan junior Josh Strong hands the baton off to junior Timm Chandonia in the final exchange of the Throwers 4x100 relay race. STC took first place in the event with a time of 53.79.