Bryan Huseman, Spencer Martin, Weston Moore, Ryan Nix, Zarek Sierazy, Devon Throw, Nathan Vaughan and all three Chesterton relays win sectional titles and team wins third in four years

Tom Keegan
Onwardtrojans.com

As expected, the senior-led Chesterton boys track and field team dominated the Portage sectional last Thursday, scoring 207.75 points to 123 for second-place finisher Portage.
“Any time you can call yourself a sectional champion it’s a cool feeling to have,” Chesterton coach Bryan Nallenweg said. “Not a lot of people can say that.”
For the senior class, it marked the third time in four years the Trojans won the sectional meet. Chesterton won 7 of 13 individual events and all three relays. Counting the relays, 13 different Chesterton athletes took the short bus ride back to the high school as not just team champions but event champions as well. The breakdown by class, listed in alphabetical order:
Seniors (10): Ray Hundt, Spencer Martin, Patrick Mochen, William Morgan, Ryan Nix, Louis Raffin, Devin Throw, Nathan Vaughan, Cal Wisniewski, Zarek Sierazy.
Juniors (2): Bryan Huseman, Weston Moore.
Freshman (1): Ben Phillips.
The Trojans won two field events, two sprints, all three distance events and all three relays.
The winners and their marks:
100 meters: Moore 10.77; 200: Throw 22.03; 800: Sierazy 2:03.54; 1600: Martin 4:29.57; 3200: Nix 9:42.58; long jump: Vaughan 22-4.5; pole vault: Huseman 12-6; 4X100: Moore, Raffin, Phillips, Vaughan 41.92; 4X400: Mochen, Wisniewski, Phillips and Raffin 3:27.25; 4X800: Martin, Morgan, Sierazy, Hundt 8:11.36.
The Trojans placed first in 10 of the 16 events and that number would have been 11 if the team’s biggest star, senior Nathan Vaughan had not cramped up early in the 300-meter hurdles race. He hung in there through the end and placed third, which was all he needed to advance to Thursday’s regional meet at Valparaiso. Vaughan was scratched from the 4X400 meters relay and replaced by senior Patrick Mochen.
“The guys did what they needed to do and we have had some guys who outperformed where they were seeded and even in these conditions ran some season-best times, Devon being one of them,” Nallenweg said. “Bryan winning sectionals in the pole vault is pretty awesome. He’s worked so hard to get to where he’s at. Ryan Nix ran a really smart 3200 against some good competition in that New Prairie kid. Spencer ran a really, really good 1600. We kind of came and did exactly what we needed to do. We’re going to go get a ton of guys out to regionals and the more guys you have at regionals, the better shot you have to win it.”
Chesterton almost certainly would have won an 11th event if Vaughan had not run most of the 300-meter hurdles with a calf cramp. He managed to hang in there and finish in third place for an automatic qualifying spot at the regional meet.
Mochen, who had run his best open 400 time (51.94) for third place, just behind Phillips (51.89) replaced Vaughan in the 4X400.
“Any time you have to pull a guy from a race for an injury, it’s always going to be a concern, but hopefully it’s something relatively minor,” Nallenweg said of Vaughan. “We think it’s a calf cramp.”
Before cramping, Vaughan already had run the anchor of the winning 4X100 relay and took the long jump title.
Wisniewski’s performance in the 100 meters (10.93) stood out among Chesterton athletes finishing second and third to automatically qualify for the regionals. Moore took second in the 200 with a 22.11. Raffin ran a 40.19 for second in the 300 hurdles. Will Roberson (2:05.61 in the 800), Nick Jakel (9:55.44, 3200), Nolan Huley (5-10, high jump), Colin Kellogg 131-3, discus) and Carlos Leon (50-8.5, shot put) all placed third.
That list does not include those who received callbacks to fill out the regional fields. Even before callbacks, Chesterton guaranteed itself of having at least will have at least one athlete competing in every event except the 110-meter high hurdles.
For entertainment value, it was difficult to beat the 1600 and 3200 races. Martin was passed on the backstretch, took the lead right back and never surrendered it. New Prairie’s Braden Bachmann finished less than a second behind Martin and LaPorte’s Caleb Rose finished third and was within 1:29 of the winner. Nix was fourth in 4:33.40.
In the 3200 Nix ran behind Bachmann’s, pulled alongside him late, passed him on the backstretch of the final lap and steadily added to his lead, finishing almost six seconds ahead of him.
Nallenweg will remember the night for more than the outstanding performances and a brisk, cold wind. He’ll also remember the moment Vaughan took off his warmups, revealing three temporary tattoos, all of the same image: a smiling Nallenweg. Vaughan sported one on each upper arm and one on his right shoulder blade. Several athletes wore them.
“I had no idea that was happening,” Nallenweg said. “I look up and I see one on Nate’s arm and those guys are chuckling a little bit and I was like that’s pretty funny. I took a picture and sent it to my wife. She thought it was a pretty funny joke as well. I looked at it as a token of respect as well. I enjoyed that. That made the night even more enjoyable.”