NEWS CHRONICLE PHOTO BY STEVE BRANT – STC senior Tyrus Clegg participates in the WAMAC conference long jump. Clegg finished 13th for the Trojans.

GRINNELL — The STC boys track and field team concluded the indoor portion of their schedule with their trip to the annual WaMaC conference indoor meet in Grinnell on Tuesday, March 25.

The Trojans’ sprinting squad was led by senior Cody Blocker, a two-time qualifier in the State Track meet, including running the second leg of last season’s 3A third place Distance Medley relay team. Blocker secured two top-10 finishes for STC in Grinnell, including 10th place in the 60 meter dash (7.46) and an 8th place finish in the 200 meter dash (24.85).

Blocker’s busy night continued, as he also ran in two relay teams that finished in the top 13. The 4×200 team of Blocker, junior Nick Upah, senior Tyrus Clegg, and sophomore Michael Henry finished in 11th place with a season best time of 1:38. In the last race of the meet, the 4×400 team of Blocker, freshman Ryan Brant, junior Carver Cecak, and sophomore Josiah Houghton finished in 13th place with a time of 3:54.

For the STC distance runners, the highlight of the night was the 1600 meter run. It is an event that has been a recent strength for the Trojans, with 2024 graduates Tommy Tyynismaa and James Brant being a constant and commanding presence in the event over the last four years. A new batch of Trojan runners looked to carry on the tradition–and they did not disappoint. STC finished with two runners in the top-10 of the race, with junior Barrett Jesina finishing 5th (4:52) and senior Jerome Kapayou finishing 9th (5:07). For both Jesina and Kapayou, their times represented personal bests.

“I felt really good about the 1600,” Jesina said after the race. “It was a P.R. for me by about 10 seconds.”

NEWS CHRONICLE PHOTO BY STEVE BRANT – STC junior Barrett Jesina (second from right) and senior Jerome Kapayou (far left) make their moves in the pack during the 1600 meter race.

Jesina, who missed several games at the end of the basketball season with a stress fracture in his ankle, noted that he is feeling back to full strength.

“My ankle feels a lot better. I tried to stay with the runner ahead of me and I was able to pass him in the end to get into the top five,” he said.

With Jesina’s brother, freshman Brady Jesina, coming in 13th (5:17), the Trojans showed that they will continue to be reckoned with in the 1600 for several seasons to come. Adding to the solid performance by the distance squad was Barrett Jesina’s eighth place finish in the 800 meter run (2:15).

STC also secured an eighth place finish from their 4×800 team of Houghton, and juniors Logan Richards, Wes Hanus, and Rayden Hill (10:36). The Distance Medley team of freshman Ethan Page, Brant, Cecak, and Kapayou finished 9th for the Trojans with a time of 4:13.

In field events, the Trojans were led by two top-15 finishes in the long jump. Clegg finished 13th with a jump of 18 feet, 4 inches. He was followed closely by Henry, who finished 14th with a jump of 18 feet, 2.5 inches.

EWS CHRONICLE PHOTO BY STEVE BRANT – Senior Cody Blocker leads off the STC 4x400 relay team. The Trojans finished 13th in the event with a time of 3:54.

Up next for the Trojans is one of their two home meets this outdoor season. The STC Early Bird meet will be held on Tuesday, April 8 at the high school track. This will be followed by a short road-trip to Marshalltown for the annual Kenny Dean Relays on Thursday night, April 10.