The CHS girls track and field team met their rivals, the Valparaiso Vikings, at Valparaiso High School (VHS) on Tuesday, April 19. The silent anticipation the girls had on the bus ride was tense. The girls knew from the beginning that this would be a close competition. Every second in a race and every inch in a throw would put either Chesterton or Valparaiso in the lead for a short while. The Lady Trojans knew this and contributed their absolute best during the competition. 

The night began and Chesterton senior, Bree Gentry, found herself just ten seconds behind first-place VHS runner Kaylie Politza in the 800-meter run. Soon after, junior Bridget Raffin fought for the first-place finish in the 100-meter hurdles where she missed the mark by less than one second and placed second behind VHS runner Ramaya Hall. 

With 14 events remaining, Chesterton ignored the Viking success and took on the 100-meter dash. The Trojan spirit was endless, athletes gathered themselves against the track and cheered relentlessly for senior Camryn Dunn, certain she would dominate the competition. Dunn, as always, finished first in the event and elevated the enthusiasm and anticipation for the night. However, Dunn was not satisfied with just one first-place finish. Later in the meet, she finished first in the 200-meter dash, a third time in the 400-meter run, and again with her 4×400-meter relay team that included senior Isabella Smith, Gentry, and Raffin. However, the Trojans faced the unexpected tragedy of second place in the 4×800-meter relay race. 

Soon, the 1600-meter run began, where Chestertons senior All-American runner, Bailey Ranta, specializes. Ranta finished first place with the Vikings at a close second. In the 4×100 meter relay, senior Kailee Komisarcik and juniors Brianna Hardsock, Ingrid Hurst, and Olivia Kosak placed second behind VHS by a devastating 0.64 seconds. At this point in the competition, the hunger to dominate Valparaiso for the night began to grow more rapidly. Ranta competed in her second event, the 3200-meter run, where again she took first place. In the 300-meter hurdles, Raffin placed second behind VHS which continued the “back and forth” momentum of the competition. 

The result of the meet came down to the field events. Senior Carly Balas encouraged the team with a first-place finish in discus and senior Madison Davis took second place in shot put. The Vikings dominated in pole vault taking first, second, and third place for the night, and barely achieved first place in both long jump and high jump where Kosak trailed in second for both events. 

The conclusion of the night was bittersweet. Numerous Chesterton athletes achieved new personal records in their events against the Vikings, which, in regards to the Trojans, is a victory. However, Valparaiso just barely defeated Chesterton by 2.7 points (68.33-65.66). The Lady Trojans performed exceptionally for the night and will compete against Lake Central and Michigan City on Tuesday, April 26.