Lancers head into new season
seeking to repeat league title

By Aaron Pyle
Morning Sun Staff

The Southeast High
School track and field
teams are looking to build
on a fantastic 2021 season.
Coaches Nick R. Cheney,
Nick Cheney and Laney
Lawson helped lead the
Lancer boys to a Three
Rivers League title, their
first title since 2001.
“Overall, we had a good
season last year, winning
boys Three Rivers League
championship and qualifying 10 for state and three
state medals,” Coach
Cheney said.
Key losses from last
year’s team include Hunter Newcomb and Cody
Gath. They made history
last season by qualifying
for state in the pole vault,
and it marked the first
time in school history that
two athletes have medaled
in state in the same event
as Newcomb finished fifth
while Gath placed eighth.
Newcomb was also the
TRL and regional champion in the pole vault.
The Lancers return
eight state qualifiers, including Cullen Mutz. Last
season, the Southeast
junior qualified for the
4×100 relay, 300-meter intermediate hurdles and
110-meter high hurdles.
Mutz finished the season
as the regional champ
and placed sixth in the 300
hurdles.
Additional state qualifiers include Audrey Jacobs
(1600), Logan Bois (110
hurdles), Cash Windsor
(4×100), Drake Guymon
(4×100), Matthew Martinie
(4×100), Matthew Fleck
(4×100) and Deric Mitchell
(4×100).
Coach Cheney noted
that he expects shot putter
Ryan Wilkins and javelin
thrower Jace Fowler to
make an impact this season.
“I feel like they have a
good chance to qualify and
medal at state,” he said.
Cheney has set the bar
high for this year’s team.
“This year, we expect
to win boys league again
and qualify 10 or more to
state,” he said. “The goal
is to get four or more state
medals.
“Matthew Martinie has
a chance to get three to
four state medals if he
works hard this season.
Cullen would have had
the same chance and a
chance to win state in 300
hurdles. I will have to see
how he progresses this
season goes with a torn
ACL. Girls hope to place
fifth place in the league,
with more than two girls
out this year. Hope to get
in boys 4×800 and 4×100
again. They will have a
chance to medal.”
Overall, the Southeast
Lancers have 28 athletes
out for this year’s team.
“We are all working
very hard so far this year,”
Cheney added.
The Lancers open the
season at 3 p.m. Thursday
at the Galena Invitational.