The Dexter Leader
A Heritage Newspaper
Weekly Publication
Top distance group leads Dreads
By Don Richter, Sports Editor
PUBLISHED: April 12, 2007
Dexter's boys' track and field team shared the Southeastern Conference White Division title last year with county rival Chelsea.
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This season, the Dreadnaughts aim to claim the championship outright.
"We should a deep team this year," said Dexter coach Chris Hanlon, entering his fourth season. "This is an interesting year because the seniors this year were freshmen when I started. They've had four years to develop."
And what a group they've become.
Leading the Dreadnaughts will be arguably, one of the strongest and most talented distance units in the state. Dominating the group will be multiple members of Dexter's five-time state championship cross country team.
Spearheading the bunch will be Dan Jackson. The senior standout and Notre Dame signee finished second in the state last year in the 3,200-meter run. Earlier this year, he placed sixth in the nation in the 3,200-meter run at the elite Nike meet in Landover, MD.
Another top performer will be junior Bobby Aprill, who finished first in the state at last fall's Division II cross country final, nipping Jackson by a tenth of a second for the individual title. He also was fourth in the 3,200-meter run at last season's state meet.
Others comprising the group include senior Ryan Neely, who'll run at Harvard next year, sophomore Jason Bishop, who placed in the top 10 at last fall's cross country final and was the highest finisher in his class, junior Alex Hess and junior Ben Steavenson.
In throws, junior Michael Schultz and senior Curtis Blackwell will score points for the Dreadnaughts.
In high jump, Dexter will be led by junior Ryan Kantola and junior Kevin Novak.
"Ryan has already set a PR (personal record) in his first meet," Hanlon said. "And Kevin matched his PR in the first meet."
Juniors Adam Umstead and Peter Burgett will join Kantola in the long jump, while senior Larry Gunderson, junior Nick Butler, junior Adam Cares and senior Dillon Krug return to bolster one of the area's best pole vault units.
"We're deep and developing in the pole vault," Hanlon said.
In hurdles, senior Nate Cook and Butler return for the Dreadnaughts.
Senior Steve Burgett, junior Ross Seagram, sophomore Tate Sanders, Umstead and Cares will be Dexter's sprint corps.
The Dreadnaughts have to replace one of state's best sprinters in Scott Chevalier, who finished second in the 100 meters at last year's Division II meet. He's now a member of Saginaw Valley State University's men's track and field team. Dexter will also miss the services of graduated seniors sprinter Ryan Seagram and high jumper Brad Whitehead.
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