This year’s Trojan track and field squads have been making it a habit of breaking East Troy High School records. Not only have several of the athletes broken individual school records, the teams also accomplished something Saturday that had never been done before in ETHS history. Both squads won the Rock Valley Conference Championships at the same time.
“We’re happy,” head coach Josh Herrell said. “We finally made it.”
The Trojan girls tallied a whopping 184 points to easily outdistance second-place McFarland, which had 111 points.
The boys squad totaled 158 points to outscore Whitewater by 40 points.
The RVC Meet was held at Brodhead.
“We took care of business,” Herrell said.
The Trojans also had two athletes named the meet’s most valuable players. Bryzena Santos and Nate Dodge both received the honor in the field events.
Santos won the long jump and the triple jump. Her long jump leap was 17 feet 10.25 inches, while she was measured at 34-09 in the triple jump.
Dodge won the shot put with a heave of 52-08 and was third in both the high jump (6-00) and the discus (147-00). Dodge broke the school record in the shot put.
Herrell added that each of the boys and girls squads had a 1-2-3 finish in an event.
For the boys, Sam McCarthy, Oscar Donegan and Joey Stephan went 1-2-3 in the 300 hurdles.
“Those 24 points were a complete surprise,” Herrell said. “All three senior boys pulled off the sweep to put us in the lead.”
The girls accomplished that feat in the 400, with Frankie Morris, Rachel Atchison and Carly Atchison going 1-2-3.
“In all my years coaching track, I have never seen a 1-2-3 finish in a conference meet and we pulled off two sweeps,” Herrell said.
Morris had an excellent day for the Trojan girls. Besides winning the 400-meter dash in 58.46 seconds (the fastest in the state this season at Division 2), she was second in both the 100 and 200, and sixth in the shot put.
Other winners for the Trojan girls were Rachel Atchison in the 800, the 4-by-100 relay team and the 4-by-800 relay. The 4-by-100 team was comprised of Alicia Oleson, Bryzena Santos, Andrea Olsen and Alee Schahczinski; while the 4-by-800 included Katie Hodges, Sarah Vivian, Rachel Atchison and Carly Atchison. Schahczinski had a stellar finish to her last conference relay as a Trojan by erasing a big deficit in the last leg of the race for the win.
Rachel Atchison’s win in the 800 in 2:22.68 was a season best for her.
Oleson was second in both the 100 and 300 hurdles. The 4-by-200 relay and the 4-by-400 relay also took second, as did M.E. Dodge in the discus throw.
Herrell noted that in the 4-by-400, he used two alternates and the team still finished second. Those alternates were Hodges and Carly Atchison. They were teamed up with Sydney Scadden and Katrina Santos.
Olsen was third in the pole vault and Katrina Santos third in the long jump and triple jump.
Cody Zaeske won two events for the boys, taking the 200 in 23.34 and the long jump in 21-07.25. He also was second in the 400.
Herrell noted that Zaeske had to really step up in the 200 after the Trojans No. 1 runner in the 200 – Jordan Fitzgerald – failed to qualify for the finals.
Herrell noted the boys squad had to overcome a lot of adversity to win the RVC crown.
Fitzgerald did not qualify for the finals in the 200 and Owen Nyffeler, one of the top high jumpers in the conference, failed to clear any height in that event due to a heel injury.
In addition, the 4-by-400 relay team was disqualified after one of the runners threw down the baton in disgust when the team finished second to Whitewater.
“Lucky for us, it was a learning experience and didn’t cost us the meet,” Herrell said.
Other top-three finishes for the Trojan boys came from the 4-by-100 relay (second), the 4-by-200 relay (second), Miles Kilpin in the discus (second), and Oscar Donegan in the 110 hurdles (third).
Kilpin’s throw of 154-01 in the discus was the second longest in ETHS history.
Walworth County Invite
At the Walworth County Invite held at Elkhorn May 7, the Trojan girls won, while the boys team took second to Lake Geneva Badger.
“It was a great tune-up for conference,” Herrell said.
The Trojan boys got wins from Fitzgerald in the 200, McCarthy in the 300 hurdles, the 4-by-100 relay, the 4-by-400 relay, Dodge in the shot put, Kilpin in the discus, Nyffeler in the high jump and Zaeske in the long jump.
For the girls squad, winners were Morris in the 400 and shot put, Hodges in the 800, Rachel Atchison in the 1,600, Oleson in the 100 hurdles and 300 hurdles, the 4-by-100 relay, the 4-by-400 relay, Katrina Santos in the high jump and triple jump, and Bryzena Santos in the long jump.
Scholarships extended
Herrell noted that Morris has been extended a full tuition scholarship to UW-Parkside. Morris is currently the top-ranked runner in Division 2 in the 200 and 400.
Both Fitzgerald and Nyffeler have been extended scholarships to UW-Milwaukee.
Schedule
On Tuesday, both squads hosted Edgerton in an RVC dual that had been originally scheduled for April 23. Results were unavailable at press time.
That event will conclude the regular season, with WIAA regional action to take place Monday, May 20, at Clinton.
