NEWS CHRONICLE PHOTO BY STEVE BRANT – STC sophomore Scout Ridout clears that last hurdle in the shuttle-hurdle relay during the rain-shortened meet at Benton on March 30.

Weather is always a factor during the springtime track and field season, but the 2026 season has gotten off to a particularly challenging start. Both the STC boys and girls teams have had multiple meets cancelled in the opening weeks of the outdoor season. The one early meet that did start — at Benton on March 30 — was canceled about halfway through due to a pop-up thunderstorm. However, the Trojans were finally able to get full meets in last week in Iowa City and Le Grand.

Both teams traveled to Iowa City on Saturday, April 11, for the annual Eastern Iowa Track & Field Festival. Running against top athletes from all classes, the STC girls were led by sophomore Scout Ridout. Ridout earned two top-10 finishes: sixth in the 200 (27.34) and eighth in the 100 hurdles (16.38). Sophomore Maylee Rucker finished in 21st place for the Trojans in the 100 with a time of 13.55. Freshman Willow Fonua competed in the 400, where she finished in 19th place (1:10.85). The girls also put together two relay teams for the trip, including a sprint medley team that finished 11th (2:00.52) and a 4×200 group that finished in 20th place (2:06.53). The spring medley team was made up of Ridout, Rucker, junior Olivia Hala, and sophomore Brylee Nelson. The 4×200 team included Rucker, Nelson, senior Naomi Peshel, and sophomore Jayva Gomez.

The boys team also had a solid performance in Iowa City, led by senior Cadel Conner who finished as runner-up in the 1600 (4:21.47). Fellow senior and distance runner Barrett Jesina competed in the 3200, where he finished in 13th place (9:56.60). Junior Josiah Houghton rounded out the individual competitors when he ran the 400 and finished in 17th place (53.75). The boys relay teams were led by an 11th place finish from the 4×800 team of Jesina, senior Carver Cecak, sophomore Henry Martinez-Alvarado, and sophomore Jonathan Lambert.

Following the meet in Iowa City, the boys were able to travel to Le Grand on Monday night, April 13, for the annual East Marshall Boys Invite. The Trojans were led by Conner and Jesina, who both earned individual championships. Conner won the 800 with a time of 2:03.16. Jesina took the 1600 with a winning time of 4:53.72. Other individual highlights for STC included: Houghton (2nd, 58.38), senior Wes Hanus (fifth, 1:03.63), and freshman Jet Chyma (sixth, 1:04.15) all finishing in the top-10 in the 400 hurdles. Sophomore Alfredo Villa (12.41) finished in fourth place in the 100. And, along with Conner’s championship, Cecak (fourth, 2:11) and sophomore Brady Jesina (sixth, 2:14) also earned top-10 finishes in the 800.

The boys also found success with their relay teams in Le Grand. They were led by a pair of top-five finishes from their sprint medley team and 4×100 team. The sprint medley team came in 5th place (1:42.30) and was made up of sophomores Izak Schroeder and Ryan Brant, Villa, and Houghton. The 4×100 team secured fifth place (45.79) and consisted of sophomore Ethan Page, Villa, sophomore Tucker Chandonia, and Schroeder.

NEWS CHRONICLE PHOTO BY STEVE BRANT – STC seniors Barrett Jesina (second from left) and Cadel Conner (far right) start out of the gates in the 3200 during the rain-shortened meet at Benton.

The Trojans (63 points) finished in fifth place as a team out of 12 teams participating at East Marshall.

Up next for the boys track & field team is the Bomber Relays on Tuesday, April 21, at Ballard High School in Huxley. The next girls competition will be on Thursday, April 23, when they travel to Newton High School for the annual Cardinal Invite. The boys team will also be competing at Newton on the same date.