Caleb Riordan | Ameritime Sports Writer
The Jefferson R-7 Blue Jays achieved four varsity personal records at the Northwest Last Chance Meet on Oct. 22.
Jefferson came into the day not knowing what to expect. Specifically, the weather conditions were not what the Blue Jays were used to.
“We were nervous about how our athletes would perform,” assistant coach Nicole Boyer said. “While they had become accustomed to running in the 50s and 60s, we had a huge temperature jump to a high of around 85.”
It didn’t seem to matter. Jeremiah Chipps, CJ Johnson, Bradley Glass and Jack Hueter all set their PRs.
“I think the main factor for me was preparation,” Johnson said. “I was very prepared for the meet. I really wanted to get my first sub 19 of the year. I prepared well all week and ended up having a very good meet.”
Johnson’s time was 18:52 which was good enough for 14th place. Chipps placed 10th, the highest on the team, with a time of 18:16. Bradley Glass ran a 19:48 and Jack Hueter finished at 20:96.
While there were no other PRs on the varsity squad, there were certainly other runners who had a good day as well. Ian Ehrhardt ran a 20:17, Matthew Glass finished at 22:14 and Christian Stark crossed the finish line at 20:30. Some notable finishes for the girls were Kaelyn Nilson, who ran a 23:14, and Hannah Wigger finished at 24:11.
The junior varsity boys had a solid day as well. Sam Hawley placed fourth and finished with a time of 20:32 which was a PR of his own. Alex Breeze finished with a time of 21:41 and Landon Hill came in at 24:11.
“We are encouraged by their progress this week,” Boyer said. “We expect that will continue through the state meet!”
The next challenge for Jefferson will be districts. That meet takes place Friday, Oct. 30 at McNair Park.
