Cruising under the radar and getting closer and closer to a magic milestone in the 800 meters, Zarek Sierazy primed for a breakthrough senior season

Tom Keegan
Onwardtrojans.com

The Golden Boot Award winner as MVP for the soccer team in his fourth varsity season in the fall and a prominent player throughout his career, Zarek Sierazy for most of that time has fallen into the category of a track athlete with strong potential.
Yet, once a runner reaches certain milestones, the future gives way to the present.
Off to a strong start to his senior season on the track, Sierazy is closing in on one such milestone, inching closer every race: breaking two minutes in the 800 meters.
He entered the season with a personal best of 2:05.09 and ran a 2:07.17 in the season-opening meet at home, winning the race.
Then, as was the case with everyone else, he was overshadowed by Nate Vaughan’s mind-blowing three-record day in a dual meet at Valparaiso that Chesterton won, 116-16.
Sierazy again won the 800, this time logging a personal best 2:04.32, finishing ahead of classmate Will Roberson, who last season hit the milestone with a 1:59.99.
“During workouts when we have to compete, we compete, so that helps a lot, I think,” Sierazy said.
Both runners performed well in the 4X800 at the Garry Nallenweg Chesterton Relays, where Sierazy said he ran a 2:02, inching closer to the milestone, and Roberson had the same time.
Mix in Spencer Martin, healthy again and running well in the 3200 meters, the 800 and particularly well in the 1600, which appears to be his sweet spot, and senior Ray Hundt with William Morgan as an option and the Trojans have the makings of a strong 4X800 relay team.
Sierazy said he scratched from the sprint medley relay Saturday because “I tweaked my hip a little at Valpo at the start line, but I feel good right now. I just wanted to play it safe.”
Distance coach Tom Moeller described Sierazy as “a lot more solid this year. He’s a few seconds faster, all the way around, than he was last year at this time.”
After his day was done Saturday, Sierazy already was looking forward to today’s meet at Lake Central to see what he can do against Timothy O’Brien.
“He runs a 1:57, so as long as I can stay close to him,” Sierazy said, not finishing the thought, but not having to because it was obvious he was talking about reaching the milestone that will put the word potential behind him and lower and lower times ahead of him.
“We had a nice meet overall, best times or near our best times from a number of people, Spencer being one of them,” Moeller said of his runners. “And Will Roberson had a good race. He had struggled this year. He had high expectations after last year and hadn’t quite met them yet, but today he did.”
At the meet at Valpo, Martin won the mile in 4:27.37, followed by Ryan Nix (4:33.47) and Ray Hundt (4:37.32). Nix won the 3200 (10:04.84), followed by Martin (10:08.31), Nick Jakel (10:20.71) and Nolan Harrington (10:36.39). Nix opened the season with a 9:56.89 in the 3200.
“We continued our success from Monday,” at the Chesterton Relays, Moeller said.