Nate Vaughan, Cal Wisniewski, Ben Phillips and Louis Raffin break Chesterton school record in 4X400 relay with 3:17.86 and update their goal to winning the event at the state meet

Tom Keegan
Onwardtrojans.com

Nate Vaughn continued his relentless assault on the Chesterton track and field record book Friday night in Lafayette and this time he had the help of three friends.
Three seniors and one freshman ran a 3:17.86 at the Lafayette Jefferson Sprinters Showcase to break the school record of 3:18.32 set in 2004 by Geoff Lambert, Joe Bailey, Ryan Wells and AJ Thompson.
Vaughan tore out of the blocks and made it around the track in 48.9 seconds. He was followed by Cal Wisniewski, freshman Ben Phillips and Louis Raffin, all of whom ran their laps in under 50 seconds. New Haven placed second with a 3:20.57.
The record fell three days after a dual meet at Valparaiso, where Vaughan broke the long jump school record with a 24-0 leap, then broke it again on his next jump with a 24-3, then took down the school record in the 100 meters in 10.55 and later ran a 37.99 to set the new standard in the 300 hurdles. Vaughan broke that again with a 37.93 at Saturday’s Garry Nallenweg Chesterton Relays.
“It had to be done,” Vaughan said of breaking the 22-year-old mark in the 4X400. “We were going to do it. We knew we were going to do it, and we’re going to keep getting faster.”
For Raffin, a member of the team’s 4x400 relay every year in high school, it ended a long pursuit.
“We’ve been talking about it for so long it’s nice to have that pressure lifted,” Raffin said. “We started thinking about it sophomore year because we were all underclassmen. We didn’t necessarily think we would break it sophomore year, but we all knew we could possibly break it in the future. Then junior year by the end of the year we were trying to get it. We were right there. We kept improving, but we weren’t quite there. If we could have kept running races we would have gotten it.”
In Raffin’s sophomore year, he was joined by sometimes Kieran Barnewall, sometimes Vaughan, Wisniewski and Aaron Resto. That was the lineup again last season, although Vaughan usually ran instead of Barnewall.
Resto now runs as a freshman at Olivet Nazarene, and Phillips, his brother, has replaced him. Barnewall hurdles for Indiana State and just won the 110 hurdles Saturday in the school’s Gibson Invitational.
Last season at the state meet at North Central High in Indianapolis, Resto, Wisniewski, Vaughan and Raffin placed seventh with a 3:19.21.
Phillips wasted no time in establishing himself as his brother’s replacement with standout performances in indoor meets and has kept improving from there.
“Ben’s going crazy as a freshman. He’s splitting sub-50,” Raffin said, “and running in these big meets. These are big pressure meets with top-of-the-state teams that he’s running with and he’s holding his own as a freshman. It’s crazy to watch.”
Added Wisniewski: “Ben’s a special runner, dude. He’s out of this world. He’s going to be so good down the road. He’s a key part of our team. I don’t think we’d be here without him.”
Phillips said that he benefits from daily advice in practice from his senior relay mates.
“They always tell me to run my race,” he said, meaning don’t let the others in the race change your pace and finish strong.
Fueled by cheering friends from throughout the state that he made on the AAU track circuit, Phillips used that advice to perfection during the record relay. Passed early in his leg, Phillips didn’t panic, kept running his race and ultimately passed the runner back and gave Raffin a comfortable lead.
Wisniewski, a key force for the varsity in both hurdles races and all three sprints since his sophomore year, gets better every year and this year is no exception. He also has expanded his versatility by adding the long jump, excelling instantly.
Wisniewski attributes running faster this season to, “focusing on my form and making sure I’m racing myself and not anyone else, keeping my mind straight. My form is 100% better from last year. I feel way smoother. It’s a key way to save energy when I’m tired.”
Putting the school record behind them means, “now the expectations are a lot higher,” Raffin said.
How high?
“Winning state,” Vaughan said. “That’s the next goal.”