MANCHESTER – In what could be an end of an era, the Craftsbury Academy(CA) track and field team won multiple titles once again at the Division IV state championships last week.
Seniors Alex Califano, Matthew Califano, Silas Hunt, and junior Charlie Kehler all pulled in state title medals for the CA high school track and field team last Thursday at The Track at Knapp Field in Manchester. Alex Califano ran a personal best time to capture the individual state title in the 3000m, edging Arlington’s Christopher Whalen by five one hundredths of a second. It was Califano’s first state title in the event, where he finished runner-up to his brother Matthew last spring. Matthew finished fourth on Thursday. Alex was also strong in the 800m event, finishing runner-up to Whalen. Senior teammate Silas Hunt finished fourth, sophomore Soren Stelma-Leonard finished fifth, and freshman Theo Alexander eleventh for the Chargers. Hunt was also a challenger in the 1500m, finishing runner-up to Whalen, who took home his third title of the afternoon. The Califano brothers, Hunt, and Kehler also teamed up in the 4X800m relay to dust the field and capture the state title by an eye popping 47 seconds. Green Mountain’s Ian Bernier, Liam Wright-Schroeder, Max Peebles, and Joachim Gibson claimed runner-up honors. It was the third straight 4X800m relay title at States for CA. Hunt, the Califano brothers, and Stelma-Leonard also had a respectable third-place finish in the 4X400m relay, finishing behind Green Mountain. CA freshman Kosmos Glestos posted a top-twenty finish in the discus and shot put and Alexander finished eleventh in the javelin. On the girls’ side, sophomore Adelina Augsberger captured a third-place finish in the 400m behind state title winner Grace Diedrich of Arlington. Diedrich also bested the field in the 200m, with Augsberger finishing sixth and senior teammate Sadie Skorstad finishing eighth. Augsberger also had a strong seventh-place finish in the 100m event, behind state champion Mia Currier of Rivendell Academy. CA freshman Arwen Alexander finished eighth in the 800m, with Northfield’s McKenna Knapp besting the field to capture the state title. Fellow freshman Natalie Hill finished twelfth in the shot put and fellow freshman Natalie Hill posted a ninth-place finish in the discus event. Northfield edged Arlington 130-111 to claim the girls’ overall title and Richford bested Green Mountain 137-112 to capture the boys’ overall state championship.
“Overall, I would say our season was a success! We had lots of athletes place at multiple events at States, while having many students try new events that they hadn’t tried before. All in all, everyone improved, and more importantly, we had a good time! Despite losing five seniors from the program, I think the future of track and field at CA is promising,” said head coach Sarah Hunt.
Alex Califano, Matthew Califano, Silas Hunt, and Sadie Skorstad will all graduate this spring as state champions. The Califano brothers and Hunt were key members of the 2022 boys’ team to capture the program’s first ever Division IV boys’ overall state title. Skorstad captured her first regular season title in the 400m last month at St. Johnsbury Academy and teamed up with Ida Eames, Rachel Bjerke, and Anika Leahy in 2022 to set the Division IV state record at States. Charlie Kehler had a stellar junior season for the Chargers, capturing three individual titles this spring and should return to the program to lead a group of promising underclassmen. With the merging of athletic programs between Hazen Union and CA this coming fall, this could very well be an end of an era for a Charger program that rose to elite status in Division IV the past decade.
