TROY –The Ansonia Tigers track and field team had an unforgettable night of competition, delivering some of their best performances of the season while making program history in the process under the direction of boys head coach Clint Neal and girls head coach Craig Riethman.
“These are great kids on and off the track,” said Coach Neal. “They are multi-sport athletes. One hundred percent of our state qualifiers on the boys’ side all participated in indoor track, which was in addition to the other sports they were involved in at the time, so the foundation was established well before the season. These guys came into the season with goals already in mind.”
The Tigers program achieved 17 podium finishes, 3 regional champions, 10 athletes advancing to the State Level, and 11 events qualifying for the OHSAA State Championship at Jesse Owens Stadium on the campus of OSU, on June 6th and 7th.
“At the beginning of the season, we had our eyes on winning the WOAC first, and then after WOAC, it was let’s try to win district,” Neal stated. “We did both of those, and from there it was, how do we get the most people onto to state. It wasn’t in the front of my mind to try to win the region.”
The Ansonia boys’ team claimed the Regional Track and Field Championship, a historic first in school history. The girls’ team secured an eighth-place finish overall.
“On both the boys’ and girls’ sides, we have had tremendous leadership from our senior class, and that has filtered down,” said Coach Riethman. “As far as the sophomore class, you can see leaders developing to help maintain the culture that is in place right now.”
“There is a big emphasis on our warmups,” Riethman continued. “The last couple of years, we have put a lot of emphasis on that, and a big common theme that comes up daily is that the details matter. They take the warmups very seriously, and that is starting to filter down to the freshmen. You could see the freshmen grow as they went through the season in how they attacked practice.”
Four new Ansonia school records were set at Regionals.
4×100 Meter Relay 50.73: Lauren Warner, London Reichert, Olivia Creager, Rose Barga
4×200 Meter Relay 1:46.12: Lauren Warner, London Reichert, Olivia Creager, and Rose Barga
4×200 Meter Relay 1:30.51 Brayden Bromagem, Luke Ressler, Cade Shellhaas, and Nate Good
Pole Vault 15’8” Cade Shellhaas | Pole Vault 15’8”
State-bound Ansonia athletes:
First Place: Bennett Lehman | 1600 Meter Run, with a PR time of 4:22.49
First Place: Bennett Lehman | 3200 Meter Run, with a PR time of 9:39.78
“Bennett is a very special athlete who trains all year round with our coach Allen Newbauer,” said Coach Neal. “Even during basketball, there were times where before the game he would go in and get his miles in, or the very next day he would be getting his mileage in, and even the next day after that, showing up to an indoor meet even though they had a game later that night. Bennett is so invested in his running, and with the help of Coach Newbauer, he’s just at another level right now, where he’s bringing home two regional individual titles to himself.”
“With Bennett being such a high point getter, on the boys’ side, there are 20 points right away just for one athlete,” Coach Riethman added. “That goes a long way to helping win the region, setting the tone, laying the foundation.”
First Place: London Reichert | Pole Vault with a PR 12’2”
“London bought in even in junior high,” Coach Riethman said. “She has put so much time in not just in track, she is a multi-sport athlete. She has put in a lot of time with the pole vault in the barn with Coach Shellhaas, including indoor meets. She’s not just a track runner during track season; she focuses on and works on herself throughout the entire year, and she has for several years. It’s really paying off this year.”
Second Place: Cade Shellhaas | 110 Meter Hurdles, with a PR time of 15.01
Second Place: Cade Shellhaas | Pole Vault 15’8” School Record jump
Second Place: Brayden Bromagem, Layne Bowman, Luke Ressler, Cade Shellhaas, and Nate Good | 4×100 Meter Relay with a PR time of 43.80
Third Place: Ethan Sparks | 1600 Meter Run, with a PR time of 4:29.92
Third Place: Brayden Bromagem | 400 Meter Dash 49.95
Third Place: Brayden Bromagem, Luke Ressler, Cade Shellhaas , and Nate Good | 4×200 Meter Relay time of 1:30.51
Fourth Place: London Reichert | 200 Meter Dash, fourth place finish with a time of 26.22
Fourth Place: Nate Good | Pole Vault with a PR 14’8”
Fifth Place: Olivia Creager | Long Jump, 16’-4.25”
Sixth Place: Lauren Warner, London Reichert, Olivia Creager, Rose Barga | 4×100 Meter Relay 50.73
“We have all the right pieces here with our coaching staff,” Coach Neal noted. “We have all the pieces in place for our athletes to be successful.”
Coach Neal and Coach Riethman thanked the many who support the Ansonia Track and Field program.
“Jim Brewer has been a very consistent fan who will come to practice and help out where he can because he enjoys the success we have been having,” Riethman said. “He’s been an inspirational piece for us from the outset. We have had a stronger following in the last couple of years, and especially this year, not only with parents but with family and community support.”
“The support we have gotten from our administration and the board of education has been tremendous,” Coach Neal concluded.
