Dominating performances from two Chisholm Trail Track and Field student athletes have given them the opportunity to compete in a prestigious track meet this summer.
Seniors Hayden Norwich (shotput) and Collin Lusk (triple jump) are both eligible to compete in the United States of America Track and Field (USATF) U20 Championships in Eugene, Ore. at Hayward Field on the campus of the University of Oregon in July. They would be the first eligible to compete from EMS ISD in several years.
According to their website, USATF is based in Indianapolis and is the National Governing Body for track and field, long distance running, and race walking in the United States.
To qualify for the championships, the athletes have to meet certain criteria in the event(s) they compete in. USATF events are separate from UIL sanctioned Track and Field meets.
In the shot put, Norwich set a personal record (PR) of 62'9.5" over spring break, ranking him third in the state, and fourth in the nation, according to athletic.net. Currently, the qualifying standard is 59'8.5''according to the USATF website.
Lusk set a PR and a new school record in the triple jump with a 47'3"at the Byron Nelson Relays in early March before spring break. His jump put him ninth in the state, and 16th in the nation. The qualifying standard in the triple jump is 47'3" according to the USATF website.
Fellow seniors Dadrian Calhoun and Connor Neuse are close to qualifying in the triple jump and the 100-meter respectively. Calhoun sits 0.5’’ from fulfilling the standard in the triple jump, and Neuse needs to shave 0.12 seconds in the 100.
Anyone who places in the top 2 in July, can participate in the USATF U20 World Championships in Budapest, Hungary in August.
“I’ve always been interested in the U20 events and what the qualifying marks are,” Norwich said. “I was scrolling through their website and saw that my most recent throw qualified me. Competing in something like this has always been a dream of mine.”
“I honestly didn’t know that I had qualified,” added Lusk with a laugh. “He {Hayden Norwich} texted me and told me that my jump at the Byron Nelson Relays qualified me. Hard work pays off.”
Both student athletes commented on how surreal the moment was for them, seeing they were eligible to compete, all the hard-work put in during practices, meets and workouts, as well as the major injuries they had to battle and overcome to get to this point. Lusk broke his leg in the middle of track and field season a few years ago, and Norwich suffered a torn labrum during football season last year. Both said that the mental aspect coming back from injury played a big role and wondered if they were ever going to be the same again.
Norwich and Lusk have been competing in track and field since they were in middle school. Lusk was originally a football and basketball player, until his coach convinced him to go out for track and field.
After their high school careers are over, Norwich will head to Abilene Christian University and Lusk to the University of Houston. The pair both received track and field scholarships. But before they do that, the duo has high expectations for the remainder of the year. They want to compete in the state track meet: Lusk wants to clear 25 feet in the long jump, and 50 feet in the triple jump. Norwich wants to hit 70 feet in the shotput and dethrone the top thrower in the state.
Going to Oregon, they stated they won’t be nervous, but said “at the end of the day, it’s another track meet, and we’ll go out and compete. We’ve been in high pressure meets before.”