Brookfield to send 5 athletes to track and field nationals in Philly
Jun. 9—BROOKFIELD, Ohio — Late next week, Ryan Tetrick and several other members of the Brookfield boys track and field team will make their way into Pennsylvania.
The final destination is Philadelphia, the host of the 2023 New Balance Nationals Outdoor meet.
Tetrick, along with the sprint medley team of Brett Carsone, Ta'Hari Wester, Aiden Jones and Christian Davis, will compete at nationals over the weekend.
It's Tetrick's second trip to the meet, finishing 14th in the Rising Stars shot put last year. He recorded an attempt of 43 feet, 7 inches in 2022.
He will compete in the hammer, shot put and discus . In the hammer, Tetrick wants to throw at least 160 in the discus and the hammer. In the shot put, he wants to clear 60 feet.
"If I do what I want to do and meet the goals that I want to meet, I'll be very happy," Tetrick said.
Tetrick is coming off a ninth-place finish at the OHSAA Division III Track and Field Championships. He threw 51-5 1/4 in the shot put at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium at Ohio State.
"It sucks, but I'm gonna lose anything," Tetrick said. "It's still all there. For nationals, I'll be all right."
He's put up strong numbers for three seasons, but Tetrick also lost a season due to COVID-19 in 2020.
"He didn't even throw in middle school. What he did from sophomore year to senior is unbelievable," Brookfield track coach Adam Hughes said. "He put in so much work."
The medley team will feature two state qualifiers in Jones and Davis. Hughes said he expects Carsone to start things off with the 100, then Wester takes the next 100, Jones handles the 200 and Davis is responsible for the 400.
Nationals is the continuation of a strong season for Davis and Jones. The sprint duo were among the top runners in Trumbull County this year, and they earned spots in state final events in Columbus.
Jones took seventh in the boys 100-meter dash with a 10.89. He also came in eighth in the 200 after running 22.36.
Davis was seventh in the 400 after clocking a 50.01. The junior put together a solid performance despite a pulled hamstring.
For Jones and Davis, it was a learning experience. Jones said there was a lot of pressure due to the large crowd and the environment.
"It's a great experience to make it to state as a sophomore and him as a junior," Davis said. "We're gonna come back next year and hopefully come first in state."
But here's one more meet left. Tetrick is the lone senior competing for Brookfield. It's not about the numbers but the experience.
Yes, he wants to have a strong showing. But he also acknowledges that its unique to have a city like Philadelphia as the site of his final high school meet.
"I've been training hard and I know to just relax now," Tetrick said. "There's nothing to worry about. It's the last one, to just have fun."
