Unified Track team finishes fifth at sectional, the highest place in six-year history of steadily improving program

Tom Keegan
Onwardtrojans.com

Sophomore Branden Wade scored four points for the Chesterton Unified Track team by finishing fifth in his flight with a long jump mark of 11 feet, 7-1/4 inches.
When it was suggested to Wade that if he’s this good already in his second year of jumping, he should be really good two years from now, he needed just one word to give the most honest of all possible answers.
“Maybe,” Wade said.
Since there is no way to forecast any athlete’s future with 100% accuracy, but Wade’s stated reason for doing the long jump is a strong indicator that he has longer jumps ahead.
“I do it so that I can get better at it,” Wade said.
Unified Track, directed by co-coaches Jamie Anselm and Renae Micchia and assistants Mark Coleman and Jack Sulkowski, blends students with Individual Education Programs and other students.
Only the top three teams advanced to the regional, and unlike with the boys and girls teams, either the entire team advances to the regional round by finishing in the top three or nobody does. Chesterton didn’t make the top three but did finish fifth, the highest place in the six-year history of the program with 89 points, just 10 points out of third place.
Many in sports believe that slow growth is real growth and speaks to a solid foundation in a program. Chesterton never has taken a backward step in where it places in the sectional. 2019: Ninth; 2020: COVID-cancelled; 2021: Ninth; 2022: Seventh; 2023: Sixth; 2024: Sixth; 2025: Fifth.
“We had a good season this year,” Micchia said. “Everybody made improvements.”
Senior David Shook had the most impressive mark of the meet among Chesterton athletes. A senior soccer player, Shook used to fill his springs playing club soccer. With that behind him, he decided to come out for Unified Track and under the tutelage of Micchia, a former Chesterton weights thrower, showed tremendous aptitude for the shot put. He threw a 45-4 at the sectional, easily the longest throw of the five flights, prompting Wade to tell Shook, “Hey, you’re going to be on the wall.”
Not quite, but a 45-4 for a first-year thrower is no joke.
“My friends wanted me to join last year, and I joined this year and I’m glad I did,” Shook said. “It’s a good community, fun to do, not a lot of stress.”
Senior Quinn Fleming, another soccer player, was the team’s “chief recruiter,” according to Micchia. He also was a good long jumper, finishing third at the sectional with a 17-6.5.
“George (O’Connor) did it, freshman year, and Sam (Macker) and I joined him sophomore year and we’ve been doing it ever since,” Fleming said. “It’s fun, especially this year because I don’t have club soccer, so I can fully commit.”
Fellow soccer player Luke Sparks did it his final two years of school.
Suzie Fink, Presley Rhyne, Skyler Larson and Morgan Steele took second in their heat in the 4x100 relay.
A sophomore in her second year on the team, Steele didn’t put much thought into deciding to join the team and doesn’t have to think at all when asked if she is glad that she signed up.
“It was something I did on a whim because I wasn’t doing anything in high school, so I decided to join,” Steele said. “It’s a great community. Everyone is super, super nice, and it’s super fun to just get out and run. It’s something you can do to hang out with people and enjoy a lot and there’s no pressure.”
Gavin Weiler, perennial standout in the Alley Oop for Awareness basketball game, showcased his speed with a 16.76 in the 100 meters, good for fifth in his flight.
Sarah Walters worked hard at perfecting her technique in the shot put and it showed. She threw a 15-2 to place fourth.
“Sarah has gone from 12 to 15,” Micchia said. “She has really improved, has done a really nice job this year. She has more oomph.”
So does Chesterton’s Unified Track team, a little more oomph each year.