By TYLER HENRY
Salina Post contributor
The Southeast of Saline track and field teams finished out the 2022 regular seasons strong with a first and third-place finish at their first home track meet in 14 years.
The boy's team wrapped up a dominant end-of-season run, winning each of their last three meets to make it five of seven on the year while the girl’s team tied their best finish of the season in third.
All in all the purple and white accounted for 26 spots on the podiums and claimed 11 gold medals in front of their home crowd.
On the boy's side, Chase Poague finished what he began back in March, winning the 100m dash and both the 110 and 300m hurdles to sweep every one of his entries in those three events in all seven meets this season.
For good measure, Poague broke Steve Fritz’ school record in the 300m hurdles with a time of 38.66, taking down a record that had stood since 1986.
Dylan Sprecker joined both of those elite clubs winning the 400 and 1600 at his home meet. In the mile, Sprecker set the new school record with a time of 4:15.72, and on the season won every race he entered in the 400, 800, 1600, and 3200.
More individual wins came as Tate Nurnberg grabbed gold in both the triple jump and high jump and the SES relay teams were in form winning both the 4x1 and 4x400m races.
Michael Murray added second-place finishes in the 100 and 200m dashes and tacked on a bronze medal in the long jump.
SES would take all three steps on the 400 podium as Nakari Morrical-Palmer and Omar Calzada came home to finish second and third behind Sprecker. Morrical-Palmer added a third-place finish to the Trojan tally in the 200m dash.
Drake Augustine added a silver medal in the 800, Connor Casselman added another in the triple jump and Jude Golden rounded out the second-place finishers in the javelin.
Caden Parry and Damion Jackson wrapped up the laundry list of Trojan podium finishers, taking bronze in the 110m hurdles and 3200 respectively.
It was also a great day on the girl’s side of things with Jentrie Alderson leading the charge, winning the 800 and 1600, where she set a new school record with a time of 4:58.34.
Cali Augustine made it a 1-3 Lady Trojan finish in the 800 and Ashley Prochazka finished strong, coming home third in both the 1600 and 3200 while Ivie Douglas rounded out the podium finishers claiming bronze in the shot put.
Both teams will rest up ahead of the league meet in Republic County on May 12 looking to qualify for regionals on May 20.