Adding the 400 meters to her tool box, senior sprinter Kenedi Bradley leads the girls track and field team into a season that opens today at home vs. Gary West and Highland

Tom Keegan
Onwardtrojans.com

Fifth at state in the 100 meters as a sophomore. Second in the 100 and fifth in the 200 as a junior. What can Chesterton senior sprinter Kenedi Bradley do for an encore?
How about winning state in a new race for her, the 400 meters?
She has a long way to go, but given her blend of speed and strength, she has all the physical ability to make it happen and will get the proper training from Coach Lindsay Moskalick.
But it won’t be easy. It will take the right mental approach, starting with convincing herself that all the work will be worth it, and then going for it.
The 400 is a different challenge than the two shorter sprints. It’s more grueling mentally and physically and even requires a little strategy because it’s not an all-out sprint, but it’s close.
Bradley has a long way to go but plenty of time to get there.
She already holds the school record in the 100 (11.71) and 200 (24.66) and anchored the 4x100 that broke the school mark multiple times.
Bradley signed with Butler University, a factor in Moskalick expanding her range.
“We want to work on her being more versatile for her final season and get her more ready for her college seasons as well,” Mosklalick said of adding the 400 and 4x400 at times to Bradley’s plate. “She’s doing fine. We’re working on her confidence in knowing she can do this event.”
Bradley ran a leg of the 4x4 late in the indoor portion of the schedule. Indoor tracks are half the size of outdoor ones, so that meant two laps instead of one.
“She jogged the first lap and sprinted the second lap,” Moskalick said. “After that 400 leg, she said ‘I definitely can do this and I should have gone faster.’
I want to provide her with the opportunity to see where she sits amongst the state in all these events and then decide what she wants to focus on as we head toward the postseason.”
Bradley bettered her time in the 200 in the summer, running a 24.37 in the New Balance nationals at Franklin Field in Philadelphia, but it doesn’t count as a school record.
She and teammates open their season today at home vs. Gary West and Highland.
Bradley has a number of strong training partners/potential relay mates, including sophomore sprinter Addison Pack and 400-meter runners Gretta McCrovitz (59.21) and Aubrey Bamber to push her.
Freshmen Lilly Duracz and Macey Pack join the speedy mix as well. Leg muscle strains have put the plan to have the younger Pack run the hurdles on hold for now and she will concentrate on sprints.
Sophomore Allie Anderson is “someone I see having an impact on the team as well,” in the sprints, Moskalick said.
McCrovitz came within a fraction of a second and one place of qualifying for the state meet, “finishing fourth by a lean,” was how Moskalick put it.
“She trained really hard this offseason, so it will be exciting to see what she can do,” the coach said.
Depending on where Bradley runs, the talent is in place for the 4x100 and 4x400 relays to make it to state.
The same can be said for the 4x800, although it won’t be easy.
“The 4x8 this year in our region is definitely going to be a difficult group,” Moskalick said. “Lake Central is way up there in the state, Valpo, Crown Point, us, Munster. There are going to be five or six teams looking for a top three spot.”
The Trojans kept their long streak of qualifying for the state meet in the event going by delivering easily their best time of the year to finish third at the 2025 regional meet, even though graceful strider Allison Van Kley was sidelined by an Achilles injury. Hannah Haring, Taylor Kisic and Paige Clancy are sophomores now and anchor Veronica Wilgocki has graduated.
Van Kley, who also runs the 400 meters, ran in the 4x8 at state as a freshman and sophomore. To guard against injury and illness, Moskalick will have others ready to join the mix.
Sophomores Natalie Williams and Natalie White, both coming off a strong cross country season, give the team depth in the mile and two mile races, as does senior Lauren Kroft. The coach was encouraged at how well freshman Evie Portney fared running the mile in a distance medley relay indoors.
Several girls new to the hurdles, not all of them freshmen, have tried to pick up the event in practice and can look to proven veterans Lux Mountford and Harper Russell to see how it’s done. A senior, Mountford was a regional qualifier in the 300 hurdles and Russell competed in the same meet in the 100 hurdles.
The long jump has been the most crowded event in practice.
“We have about 13 to 14 girls wanting to do long jump,” said Moskalick, who coaches the girls on the event and as the most knowledgeable coach at the long jump in both programs, also helps out the boys’ staff when consulted.
Junior Arti Haney pulled off an upset, winning the long jump at the DAC championship as a freshman but was slowed by injuries as a sophomore. Bamber returns to the event where she has enjoyed success and Addison Pack also is jumping this season.
Junior Zoe Komp is the leading returning high jumper and is joined by newcomers.
“Coach (Kate) Conway is teaching them to pick it up,” Moskalick said of the high jump. “Hopefully, with each meet and practice they gain confidence and improve.”
Last season as a freshman, Claire Thomas rapidly gained confidence and improved in the pole vault, another event that’s difficult to master.
Thomas vaulted 8-6 at both the sectional and regional meets last season and already has gone higher, clearing 9 feet at the Northwest Indiana Championships, a March 14 indoor meet at Portage.
“Claire is a critical thinker and in an event like that where technique and being precise about things are so important, she will definitely thrive in that event,” Moskalick said. “She is doing a great job and we have new people. It will be exciting to see how they pick up the pole vault.”
Seniors Tegan Werner and Anna Miles lead the throwers. Werner has a 32-0.25 shot put and 96.05 discus throw in her past and Miles (30-9.25; 93-0) isn’t far behind.
“We have some veterans and we have some young people,” Moskalick said. “Coach (Chris) Richardson and Coach (Todd) Bacich have been doing a fantastic job with those girls.”
Overall, Moskalick likes the balance of the classes, starting with a strong senior class and working all the way down to the freshmen.
“We have seniors and underclassmen ready to pick up the reins when the seniors leave,” Moskalick said. “And that’s what you want for the program to keep evolving.”