The talent Chanhassen has graduated on the track over the past three seasons — state champion Emily Castanias in distance, eight-time state qualifier McKenna Krause in sprints, state relay members Jill Wilder, Kylie Rumble, Anysia Brayboy, Tori Shear, and Carrie Yeakey — has been impressive.
Yet the Storm continue to compete, finding new talent to fill in on relays, and contend for conference and section titles.
This season is no different for Chanhassen. With the addition of Jedah Caldwell, an all-state sprinter last season at Centennial, the Storm look to fill out a line-up competitive from top to bottom.
“I probably have the most eighth-graders requesting to come up to the high school team ever. We have a bunch of eighth- and ninth-graders that will help us this year or sometime in the future. We’ll put them in places where we have needs like high jump and triple jump. Overall, I’m pretty optimistic with this group,” Chanhassen girls coach Chris Schriever said.
Caldwell, who moved into the district last summer, was third in the 200-meter dash at state last June, and fourth in the 100 meters. She had the fastest preliminary time in the 200 meters. The team plans to use her as a relay anchor and having work on her long jumping.
“She moved into the district in the summer and her mom contacted me and told me her daughter was somebody we could use on our team. I knew the name, but I couldn’t place her. Once I saw her times, I said, ‘Yep, I’m sure she could,’” Schriever said. “She’s 100 percent in on track. Very focused. Her top-end speed is unbelievable. We’re very excited to have her on our team.”
Caldwell is joined at sprints by a talented duo in sophomore Quinn O’Connor and eighth-grader Sophie Pawlyshyn. Senior Brittany Ness, a relay veteran, state qualifier in 2013, also returns for the Storm.
Schriever said Pawlyshyn will be extended out and will run some 400 meters along with sophomore Kelli Klingelhutz, junior Kali Winters and freshman Claire Shea.
Freshman Julia Bulat topped 800-meter runners at a time trial in Minneapolis March 14, running with senior Matilda Penner and Aanya Stensrud, and sophomore Anastasia Korzenowski in a recent meet on the 4x800 relay.
Korzenowski, who along with Penner and senior Grace Loeslie, gives Chanhassen depth in distance events, is expected to run relays for the first time in her high school career.
“Our 4x8 ran really well Saturday at Mankato. Julia Bulat did a nice job and Korzenowski ran a 2:19 split, so that was very encouraging,” Schriever said. “If (Anastasia) can run it, we’ll put her in there. That time this early is great. To run a 10:10 indoors, it was better than anything we expected.”
Field events continue to be a work-in-progress for the Storm. Top pole-vaulter Lee Stelten is hurt for now, leaving the team light in experience in jumps. Senior Katie Hagen looks solid in triple and high jump, with senior Emily Johnson the top thrower.
“I think (Emily) by the time we get to our championship meets she’ll be up there in the mid-to-upper 30s. That’s my guess anyways. Katie Hagen had a (personal-record), going five feet, so that was encouraging,” Schriever said.
For the Storm boys, senior David Zydowsky, a state qualifier the last two seasons in high jump, already has set the bar, scoring six feet, seven inches in the opening meet of the season March 21 in Mankato.
Upperclassmen rule on the track for Chanhassen with senior kenyon Brannon and Quinn Lanners top sprinters.
Newcomer Henry Weisman, a sophomore, has looked solid thus far in hurdles along with junior Nathan Ebert.
Junior Corey Johnson, and seniors Tyler Kobilarcsik and Grant Magnuson, are the team’s top distance guys. Kobilarcsik and Magnuson were state qualifiers in cross country, and Nordic and Alpine skiing this school year already.
Along with Zydowsky, seniors Maxon Hutton and Chad Mapes return in high jump, with Lanners and senior Robert Brantley top options with Zydowsky thus far in long and triple jump.
Senior Isaiah Kent-Schneider led all Storm athletes in shot put in the first two events.
“Overall, I expect good things,” Storm boys coach Andy Powell said.
Chanhassen is at the Lake Conference Relays on April 10 in Minneapolis.
INDOOR RESULTS
Chanhassen placed second in the girls standings at the Minnesota State University-Mankato event Saturday, scoring 68 points. East Ridge was first at 73.
Big points came from Caldwell, who won the 60-meter dash in 7.90 and 200 meters in 26.15. She also was third in long jump (16 feet) and anchored the 4x200 relay in a second-place time of 1:51.36. Other relay members were Ness, Pawlyshyn, and Erin Schneiderhan.
Klingelhutz was fifth in the 400 meters (1:03.55) with Korzenowski and Loeslie third and fifth in the 1,600 meters in 5:12.86 and 5:27.44.
Chanhassen’s 4x800 relay of Korzenowski, Penner, Bulat, and Stensrud was also second in 10:10.13.
Other top finishes came from Hagen in triple jump (eighth, 32-0) and high jump (seventh, 5-0) and Johnson in shot put (fifth, 32-9.75).
For the boys, which placed sixth with 38 points, Lanners was fifth in the 400 meters in 53.70, while Kobilarcsik was seventh in the one mile (2:08.81).
Chanhassen’s 4x800 relay of Kobilarcsik, Lanners, Johnson, and Magnuson checked in at 8:33.72 in a runner-up finish.
In field events, Hutton hit six feet, two inches, a career-best, with Zydowsky fourth in long jump at more than 20 feet. Lanners just missed 40 feet in triple jump with Kent-Schneider notching 43 feet in shot put.