Kieran Barnewall leads Chesterton into Lake Central for the DAC track and field championships as Trojans seek first conference title since 2010

Tom Keegan
Onwardtrojans.com

Undefeated in DAC dual meets, the Chesterton boys track and field team will see how that translates to competing at the DAC championship meet at Lake Central on Wednesday.
The Trojans are gunning for their first DAC championship since 2010 and appear to have their best shot in years at landing it. Crown Point is defending champion and Merrillville won the three DAC championships before that.
Chesterton recorded the best mark of the spring in the DAC in five of the 16 events, and senior Kieran Barnewall participated in three of them. Merrillville also can be found at the top of the rankings in five events, three of which included sprinter/jumper Jaylen Ramsey.
Barnewall tops the conference in the 110 hurdles (13.99, broke his own school record), and the 300 hurdles (39.28). Merrillville’s John Peters (14.11) is Barnewall’s toughest competition in the shorter race and LaPorte’s Gavin Wilson (39.32) presents a challenge in the longer one.
Barnewall also ran a leg of the fastest 4x400 of the spring by a DAC school. Senior Aaron Resto, junior Cal Wisniewski, Barnewall and junior Louis Raffin were clocked in 3:22.21. LaPorte ran a 3:23.20.
Chesterton senior Nolan Johnston, a first-year high jumper, had the best mark of a DAC athlete this spring when he broke Matt Nover’s school record with a 6-10-1/4. He could face strong competition from senior teammate AJ Brandon, who cleared 6-8 indoors, and Portage’s Damien Kapuschat (6-5). Also, Crown Point’s Quinn Begley and LaPorte’s Destin Matzke cleared 6-4 this spring.
Trojans senior Owen Edlens’ early season discus throw of 163-4 stands as the best in the conference this spring. Edlen, eighth-place finisher in the shot put at state last season with a 55-10.5 throw, hasn’t performed as well yet this spring in that event, topping out at 50-2.75, fourth among DAC throwers.
If not for Merrillville’s Ramsey, Chesterton junior Nathan Vaughan would rank first in the DAC in two individual events and one relay. Vaughan was clocked in 10.81 in the 100 meters and had a 22-5.25 long jump, both topped by Ramsey. Vaughan also had the third-best time in the 300 hurdles (40.07), which he seldom runs, and the fourth-best 200 meters (21.96). He also anchored the second-best DAC 4x100 (42.52), ranking behind only Merrillville’s relay anchored by Ramsey. Weston Moore, Devin Throw and Cal Wisniewski run the first three legs of the relay for the Trojans.
Raffin’s 49.63 in the 400 meters has been topped only by Merrillville’s Mikel Smoot (49.31).
Trojans sophomore Spencer Martin ranks fifth with a 4:29.36 in the 1600 meters, but is only 1.56 seconds behind Lake Central’s Ben Perschon, who is second to Portage’s Shane Conroy (4:24.85).