Unconventional motivation gets the job done for Chesterton sophomore Daisha Lewis in the raced that qualified the 4x400 relay for Friday’s state meet; Kenedi Bradley seeded No. 1 in 100, No. 4 in 200

Unconventional motivation gets the job done for Chesterton sophomore Daisha Lewis in the raced that qualified the 4x400 relay for Friday’s state meet; Kenedi Bradley seeded No. 1 in the 100, No. 4 in the 200

Tom Keegan
Onwardtrojans.com
Sprinters’ bodies move so fast on the track it’s a wonder they even have time to think, but they do, according to Daisha Lewis, who sprints the third leg of Chesterton’s state-bound 4x400 relay team.
Lewis had just run the fastest lap of her life, helping propel Chesterton to a third-place finish with a 4:02.17.
You could get a thousand guesses as to what was going through her mind as she circled the Portage track and you still wouldn’t get it right.
“I was thinking about Big Macs the whole time because (Coach Lindsay Moskalick) said if I got 60 as my split I would get Big Macs, so I’m excited,” Lewis said.
She hasn’t collected her two beef patties, special Big Mac sauce, shredded lettuce, American cheese, pickles and chopped onions and layered buns yet, but Moskalick said she will treat Lewis after Friday’s state meet in Indianapolis at North Central High School.
“I was nervous but I knew that we could be top three,” Lewis said. “I was pretty confident, just worried about my performance, but we ended up getting third.”
A member of the talented sophomore class, Lewis has not participated in another sport at Chesterton, but said she likely will run indoor track as well as a junior.
“My coach said I’d be the top 400 runner next year when the seniors leave, so I really have to get better,” Lewis said. “I’m hoping to get 58 seconds next year.”
The seniors she referenced join her on the relay.
Gretta McCrovitz runs the first lap, followed by Aubrey Bamber, then Lewis, then Kenedi Bradley.
They earned a No. 26 seed in the event and are seeded 11th in the 4x400, which also is anchored by Bradley, who also is running in Chesterton’s only other two events, is the No. 1 seed in the 100 meters after tying her school record of 11.71 at the regional. She is the No. 4 seed in the 200, based on her 24.82 that placed her first in Portage last week. Bradley’s school record in the 200 is 24.66 and her personal record is 24.37, achieved at the New Balance Nationals in Philadelphia last June.
Saturday’s state meet starts at 2 p.m. but the first event for Chesterton is at 4, when Bradley runs in the 100 trials. Next, Bradley runs in the 200 trials at 4:40. The 100 final is at 5:25, the 4x100 at 5:45, the 4x400, the meet’s last event, is at 7:30.