CRAFTSBURY – The future is looking bright for the Craftsbury Academy (CA) track and field program with strong numbers coming out for the team this spring in head coach Kyle Anderson’s second season.
It was a full reboot of a highly successful CA program in 2025 under Anderson, with the graduation of several state champions. His young team of ten strong competed in their first-ever Division III State Meet at Burlington High School last June. Everyone has returned for the Chargers in 2026, with six new freshmen coming out for the team. With a solid mix of experience and youth, the arrow is pointing up for CA’s program under Anderson.
“Last season was our first year competing at the D3 level, and it took some time adjusting to the new standards. I’m looking forward to seeing our veteran athletes continue to work toward meeting the state qualifying standards. We had a lot of success in year one and are preparing to be even more competitive this season across all events,” said Anderson.
Soren Stelma-Leonard leads a returning core for CA after a strong junior campaign that was capped off by a podium finish at states in the 1500m. Sophomore Nora Van-Gulden also returns after a promising first season at the varsity level that saw her finish in the top 10 in the 800m at states. Owen McKibbin, Theo Alexander and Natalie Hill also return for the Chargers after qualifying for States in Burlington. Arwen Alexander, Kosmos Gletsos, Raz Mille and Kille Burner all narrowly missed out on qualifying for states after strong developing seasons for the Chargers.
“This is still a young team, and everyone is showing a lot of potential. We’ve had a good month of practices, and our group of new athletes is adding depth to the team. Based on how everyone is working so far, we anticipate seeing major progress all around. Ten of our runners have their eyes on mid to long-distance events, which gives the team an opportunity to be competitive in relays. This is where we can leverage our depth of skill and talent to be competitive at meets and possibly States,” said Anderson.
Thetford Academy was a runaway winner for the boys state championship last season in Division III. Peoples Academy outlasted Bellows Falls to capture the girls state title.
CA was scheduled to open the season on Tuesday at BFA St. Albans. They will have another week of practice before traveling to Colchester on April 28.
