When Red Jacket’s boys 4x800-meter relay team ran a time of 9:52.22 at a Rochester Winter Track League meet on Dec. 22, the four boys had no idea it was a school record.
Devan Halton, Andrew Doody, Ben Knowlton and Walter Schaertl heard the good news from their coach, Mike Schaertl, the following morning. Doody said he was “shocked.”
“I was really excited because it was right in the beginning of the year and I knew we could probably go for it again,” Halton added.
The Indians have re-broken the record twice since then. The four ran their best time of 9:39.68 at the Rochester Relays meet on Jan. 26.
The previous indoor school record of 9:56.4 was set in 2010 by Jason Woodard, Matt Woodard, Bryce Spadafora and Shane Devlin.
This year’s relay team has shed 17 seconds over the course of the year. Coach Schaertl said the record is impressive because of how young the relay team is: Halton is a junior, and the other three are freshmen. Doody is in his first year of indoor track.
“All of us have gotten really fast, especially the other three people on the team. They’re freshmen so they definitely stepped up their game,” Halton said. “If it wasn’t for them we wouldn’t be anywhere. I didn’t think anyone was up with me until they joined track and stepped it up.”
Knowlton, Doody and Schaertl had been friends for years, and Knowlton believes that has contributed to the team’s chemistry. The four push one another every day at practice.
“In practice we all run together and when we finish practice, we finish practice together,” Knowlton said.
Coach Schaertl said he took Knowlton, Halton and Walter Schaertl to run 5Ks almost every other weekend. Doody, the younger brother of cross country star Shealyn Doody, has improved through the course of the season.
“He’s been running with Devan, Walter and Ben, and as the season went on he got better and better,” the coach said. “He went from the fourth fastest of those kids to the fastest. He found something he could do really well, he’s loving it and he’s pushing all the other kids.”
Athletic Director Rick Yehl said he hasn't gotten a new indoor record plaque made yet, because he believes the four will improve their time before the season is over. The boys want to keep lowering their time as the season goes on — and then take aim at the school’s outdoor record in the spring.
When Red Jacket’s boys 4x800-meter relay team ran a time of 9:52.22 at a Rochester Winter Track League meet on Dec. 22, the four boys had no idea it was a school record.
Devan Halton, Andrew Doody, Ben Knowlton and Walter Schaertl heard the good news from their coach, Mike Schaertl, the following morning. Doody said he was “shocked.”
“I was really excited because it was right in the beginning of the year and I knew we could probably go for it again,” Halton added.
The Indians have re-broken the record twice since then. The four ran their best time of 9:39.68 at the Rochester Relays meet on Jan. 26.
The previous indoor school record of 9:56.4 was set in 2010 by Jason Woodard, Matt Woodard, Bryce Spadafora and Shane Devlin.
This year’s relay team has shed 17 seconds over the course of the year. Coach Schaertl said the record is impressive because of how young the relay team is: Halton is a junior, and the other three are freshmen. Doody is in his first year of indoor track.
“All of us have gotten really fast, especially the other three people on the team. They’re freshmen so they definitely stepped up their game,” Halton said. “If it wasn’t for them we wouldn’t be anywhere. I didn’t think anyone was up with me until they joined track and stepped it up.”
Knowlton, Doody and Schaertl had been friends for years, and Knowlton believes that has contributed to the team’s chemistry. The four push one another every day at practice.
“In practice we all run together and when we finish practice, we finish practice together,” Knowlton said.
Coach Schaertl said he took Knowlton, Halton and Walter Schaertl to run 5Ks almost every other weekend. Doody, the younger brother of cross country star Shealyn Doody, has improved through the course of the season.
“He’s been running with Devan, Walter and Ben, and as the season went on he got better and better,” the coach said. “He went from the fourth fastest of those kids to the fastest. He found something he could do really well, he’s loving it and he’s pushing all the other kids.”
Athletic Director Rick Yehl said he hasn't gotten a new indoor record plaque made yet, because he believes the four will improve their time before the season is over. The boys want to keep lowering their time as the season goes on — and then take aim at the school’s outdoor record in the spring.
