Bradley wins sectional titles in 100 and 200, and Chesterton finishes second in team standings with 10 second-place finishes, all three relays, four individual running (Haring, McCrovitz, Russell and White) and three field (Bamber, Micchia, Thomas) events

Tom Keegan
Onwardtrojans.com

Sprinter extraordinaire Kenedi Bradley ran her best times of the season Tuesday night in winning the Chesterton sectional title in the 100 (12.02) and 200 meters (25.02) but still wasn’t ecstatic about them.
She owns the school record in both events, running an 11.71 and 24.66 for Chesterton last season and improving her 200 time at a national meet in Philadelphia with a 24.37, which doesn’t count as a school record.
At this point, Bradley’s running primarily for places and if she places high at state the times will take care of themselves.
Still, she sets time goals to try to improve where she places. They go hand in hand. Bradley brings four goals into the regional meet at Portage this coming Tuesday, May 26.
“My goal is to break 12 and 25 at the regional,” Bradley said. “Those are my goals, for sure. And hopefully get the 4X1 and the 4X4 to state. The girls and I really want it.”
All three of Chesterton’s relays, including the 4X800 placed second to Valparaiso, at the sectional to advance to the regional.
Bradley anchors both the 4X100 and 4X400 relays.
Freshman Lilly Duracz, sophomore Allie Anderson and junior Ava Rajski join Bradley on the 4X1. The 4X4 is particularly fast at the beginning, with senior Gretta McCrovitz blasting out of the blocks, and the end, with Bradley typically closing on the runner or runners ahead of her. Senior Aubrey Bamber and sophomore Daisha Lewis are solid running the second and third legs. The four girls covered the metric mile in 4:06.05 at the sectional meet. Valpo won it in 4:01.23.
The 4X1 ran a 48.48 to finish in second, just 0.48 seconds behind Valparaiso.
McCrovitz and Bambrey also picked up second-place points in individual events. McCrovtiz ran a 1:00.18 in the open 400 and Bambrey popped a long jump of 16-7.25 at a Chesterton pit that is more difficult than some.
Junior Harper Russell looked fast and powerful, running a 16.30 for second place in the 100 hurdles.
Sophomore Hannah Haring delivered in the clutch with a second-place finish in the 800, clocking a 2:20.51, and distance running classmates Natalie White (second in the 3200, 11:22.34) and Paige Clancy (5:20.88, third in the 1600) also ran well. Clancy finished 0.44 seconds out of second place and 0.49 seconds behind the winner.
Freshman Evie Fortney is the only non-sophomore on the 4X800 relay, running with Haring, Natalie Williams and Clancy.
Early in the 2024 cross country season, coach Lindsay Moskalick identified the Class of 2027 as a talented, committed one and the athletes have met and in some cases surpassed her high expectations.
And that was before Claire Thomas took up the pole vault as a freshman and Anderson joined the team as a sprinter this season.
Continuing her history of performing well in big meets, Thomas cleared 9-6 at the sectional.
Emerging junior thrower Alina Micchia also earned a second-place finish, throwing the discus 97-9.
So, the only of the 16 events that Chesterton did not finish first or second were the high jump, shot put, 300 hurdles and 1600 meters, and Clancy was less than a half a second slower than the winner of the closest distance event of the day.
The slew of second-place finishes enabled the Trojans to take second with 162 points by a huge margin over third-place Portage (82) and fourth-place LaPorte (54). Valparaiso took the championship with 203 points.
The rest of the team scores: 5. Washington Township 44, 6. New Prairie 35.5, 7. Marquette 16, 8. Westville 11, 9. Michigan City 5, 10. South Central 4.5.