- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 1,151,498
- Reaction score
- 59
ROCHESTER — Rochester twins Tristan and Jack Stanton often compete in close proximity, but in separate track and field events.
Tristan not only excels in the long jump and triple jump, but also the 4x100 and 4x200-meter sprint relays. Whereas Jack prefers the vertical thrill of the pole vault.
Area's best athletes: See the top 25 boys track and field performers so far around Springfield
Boys state qualifiers: Here are the Springfield area's 2026 state qualifiers for boys track
Each were cornerstones to the boys’ first Class 2A team sectional title on Wednesday, May 20, when they qualified for the state finals in each of their events.
“It’s fun to be a part of history like that,” Tristan said. “I’ve got a lot of teammates that have helped me along the way, especially in the relays. I definitely couldn’t have done it by myself.”
It was a testament to their steady growth and leadership ever since they’ve been immersed in track since junior high, according to Rochester coach Matt Blaise.
“They’re going to leave a pretty big hole at the top of our lineup next year and I just can’t say enough good things about them as people what they’ve done to reinvigorate our program,” Blaise said.
Tristan possesses the school record in the triple jump at 45 feet, 7 inches, not to mention two sprint relays.
He also ushered a long jump record of 22-9 ½ before that was eclipsed by sophomore teammate Khordell Gregory’s 23-3 ½ at the Troy Triad Sectional.
Tristan uncovered a new appreciation for the sport alongside football beginning sophomore year, and he will resume track at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh.
Girls state track results: See top girls track and field state results in the Springfield area
Class of 2026 signings: Here is every signing and commitment around Springfield from 2025-26
He was indeed a prominent receiver this past fall and raked in 46 catches for 867 yards and eight touchdowns en route to the Class 4A championship game.
Tristan ranks as high as fourth in the triple jump in Class 2A, according to athletic.net. He is also ninth in the long jump against a more crowded field.
He embraces the competitive atmosphere of the state meet at Eastern Illinois University in Charleston. He said everyone is dialed in.
“Obviously I’m grinding and I really want to have huge goals at state this year, but I think having fun more than anything is huge right now because once I get into college, it’s going to get real serious,” Tristan said.
Jack is making his second ever state appearance after going 12-8 ¾ at sectionals.
Not unlike Tristan, he produced a personal best of 14-3 ¼ at the Rochester Rocket Invitational in April.
“Since like freshman year, I’ve just been working on getting better and better inches at a time,” Jack said. “To see it start paying out and actually scoring the team points at meets, it feels really good.”
Jack undertook pole vault after a few years of gymnastics — including the trampoline.
“Seventh grade track, we got a Google form to decide what events we wanted to do and I thought pole vault sounded really fun,” Jack said. “I was a gymnast before and I feel like it’s acrobatic, so it kind of spoke to me a little bit.”
Getting started can be awkward, but the initial phase can be soothed over by a quality coach such as Alexander Page in Jack’s case. Those personal bests only ramped up with assistant coach Steve Bradford this season and he is currently tied with former teammate Evan Alexander for the third-best pole vault in school history.
Matt Bane reached a staggering 16 feet from the 2010 state finals.
Jack, who intends to study engineering at University of Illinois, said he just wants to soak up his final meet and described his brother as a valuable resource and outlet for all things track.
“It’s awesome to have someone motivate and push you on the track because we still practice together,” Tristan said. “We do sprint workouts together, so we push each other. But when it comes to our competition, it’s all separate.”
This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: Rochester twins make track history with elusive team sectional title
Continue reading...
Tristan not only excels in the long jump and triple jump, but also the 4x100 and 4x200-meter sprint relays. Whereas Jack prefers the vertical thrill of the pole vault.
Area's best athletes: See the top 25 boys track and field performers so far around Springfield
Boys state qualifiers: Here are the Springfield area's 2026 state qualifiers for boys track
Each were cornerstones to the boys’ first Class 2A team sectional title on Wednesday, May 20, when they qualified for the state finals in each of their events.
“It’s fun to be a part of history like that,” Tristan said. “I’ve got a lot of teammates that have helped me along the way, especially in the relays. I definitely couldn’t have done it by myself.”
It was a testament to their steady growth and leadership ever since they’ve been immersed in track since junior high, according to Rochester coach Matt Blaise.
“They’re going to leave a pretty big hole at the top of our lineup next year and I just can’t say enough good things about them as people what they’ve done to reinvigorate our program,” Blaise said.
You must be registered for see images attach
Tristan leaps to new heights
Tristan possesses the school record in the triple jump at 45 feet, 7 inches, not to mention two sprint relays.
He also ushered a long jump record of 22-9 ½ before that was eclipsed by sophomore teammate Khordell Gregory’s 23-3 ½ at the Troy Triad Sectional.
Tristan uncovered a new appreciation for the sport alongside football beginning sophomore year, and he will resume track at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh.
Girls state track results: See top girls track and field state results in the Springfield area
Class of 2026 signings: Here is every signing and commitment around Springfield from 2025-26
He was indeed a prominent receiver this past fall and raked in 46 catches for 867 yards and eight touchdowns en route to the Class 4A championship game.
Tristan ranks as high as fourth in the triple jump in Class 2A, according to athletic.net. He is also ninth in the long jump against a more crowded field.
He embraces the competitive atmosphere of the state meet at Eastern Illinois University in Charleston. He said everyone is dialed in.
“Obviously I’m grinding and I really want to have huge goals at state this year, but I think having fun more than anything is huge right now because once I get into college, it’s going to get real serious,” Tristan said.
Jack raises the bar
Jack is making his second ever state appearance after going 12-8 ¾ at sectionals.
Not unlike Tristan, he produced a personal best of 14-3 ¼ at the Rochester Rocket Invitational in April.
“Since like freshman year, I’ve just been working on getting better and better inches at a time,” Jack said. “To see it start paying out and actually scoring the team points at meets, it feels really good.”
Jack undertook pole vault after a few years of gymnastics — including the trampoline.
“Seventh grade track, we got a Google form to decide what events we wanted to do and I thought pole vault sounded really fun,” Jack said. “I was a gymnast before and I feel like it’s acrobatic, so it kind of spoke to me a little bit.”
Getting started can be awkward, but the initial phase can be soothed over by a quality coach such as Alexander Page in Jack’s case. Those personal bests only ramped up with assistant coach Steve Bradford this season and he is currently tied with former teammate Evan Alexander for the third-best pole vault in school history.
Matt Bane reached a staggering 16 feet from the 2010 state finals.
Jack, who intends to study engineering at University of Illinois, said he just wants to soak up his final meet and described his brother as a valuable resource and outlet for all things track.
“It’s awesome to have someone motivate and push you on the track because we still practice together,” Tristan said. “We do sprint workouts together, so we push each other. But when it comes to our competition, it’s all separate.”
This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: Rochester twins make track history with elusive team sectional title
Continue reading...
