GOSHEN - Going into the IHSAA Goshen Regional, LaVille head track and field coach Kathe Beehler knew her kids were coming off a good week of practice. The four Lancer boys' track and field participants have been working toward this moment. When the final event concluded, valuable experience was gained for sophomore Cole Stafford and a new personal best was achieved by senior Matthew Schaeffer. And the icing on the cake was a regional championship for senior Michael Good and a new regional and school record was set by Lincoln Hulsey. Both Good and Hulsey also qualified for the IHSAA State Finals on June 1 in Bloomington, Indiana. "It was a beautiful night to compete!" Beehler said after the meet.  "They all had goals and a plan in place that they were able to execute!  This is what we train all season for and when you want to have those big performances! "I am so proud of all of our kids that were able to put together those performances to make it to the regional meet and then step up to the challenge!" Stafford entered the regional seeded 10th and was placed in the first heat. The sophomore finished fourth in his heat, and 10th overall in ultimately a race against the clock. "Coming in, Cole was seeded 10th which placed him in heat one," said Beehler. "It was all going to come down to the time he was able to run! He put together a great race and finished where he was seeded! He's gained experience of the feeling at the regional meet and hopefully he will be back there next year!" Being seeded in the top 10 in the shot put and discus, Good opened with the shot put.  Unfortunately, the senior scratched on his three attempts and did not place. Across Foreman Field, the pole vault was being contested. Hulsey and Schaeffer were seeded in the top six and both pushed themselves and the field of competitors in an exciting close to the pole vault event. Schaeffer opened by successfully clearing 12'-0" and 12'-6". When the bar moved to 13'-0",  he broke his pole on his second attempt at 13'-0". When a vaulter breaks their pole, they are not penalized for the jump.  And even though he missed his second attempt, the LaVille senior cleared his final jump to move further in the competition. He ultimately converted 14'-0" to set a new personal record before being eliminated at 14'-6". "Matthew had a scare with his pole breaking," noted Beehler. "He was able to recover from that step back up on the runway and vault to a PR of 14' and 6th place! That was his goal!" While the pole vault competition continued to the final four, the discus was nearing completion. Being one of the final throwers, Good executed a new school record of 178'-3" to become the regional champion and advance to the state finals. "Michael had a really good week of practice hitting the 170' plus mark multiple times!" Beehler said of Good, who sat out the 2023 season to rest his shoulders.  "He knew he was capable of it and put it together at the right time!" Then as the skies began to darken, the pole vault moved to the final two jumpers. Regional champion bragging rights and possibly a new regional record came down to a battle between Hulsey and Tipton's Caleb Farr. As the bar moved up to 15'-6", Farr was injured when he came down in the pole pit, forcing him to withdraw.  Hulsey was left alone to set the new regional and school record at 15'-9.25" and punched his ticket to Indiana University-Bloomington on June 1. "Lincoln thrives on competition. Going in he was seeded 2nd coming out of sectional. He was confident in what he was going to do and had a plan that he was able to execute! Good spent his preparation week focusing on technique and execution. "I think the difference tonight was the focus level at practice this week, and the points and drills coach (Isaac) Eash had me hitting in practice," Good said after time well-spent.  "We knew what needed to be fixed, and we’re getting there. Breaking my own school record is pretty cool, for the 3rd time too. I knew it was gonna be a big one as soon as I released it. A regional champion is huge, especially having not even done track last year. Bloomington is going to be huge, lots of distractions, but I just have to go down and utilize my practice sessions. I just have to be the best there on Saturday. The rest of the year is behind me now. I would really like to hit that 180’ mark!" As for Hulsey, his year-round practice has aided in his improvement and he wanted to leave a mark on his career. "I felt great and had a rest day Wednesday," said the new regional pole vault record holder.  "It was a warm day, we had a tail wind. Pretty much perfect pole vault weather. I wanted to leave my name at a meet before I leave high school sports. I tried to do it last week at Penn but fell short, so I was super determined to do it today." After successfully clearing 15'-9.25", Hulsey opted to go for 16-feet. Although Hulsey was not successful at 16'on this day, he is still determined. "I have no doubt in my mind that I can clear 16 feet," said Hulsey. "Competition is what I thrive off of. So next week I'll have the best in the state around me and bet I can do it. I don't want to get in my head and know that I'm going to get a chance at winning the state meet for pole vault. I am going to be as relaxed and ready as I can be heading into the state meet."  Good and Hulsey are both ready to put in another good week of practice. 2024 IHSAA Boys Track & Field Championships Goshen Regional Team scores: Penn 96, Warsaw 71, Elkhart 64, Concord 57, South Bend Saint Joseph 46, Mishawaka 38, Northridge 27, Columbia City 23, LaVille 23, South Bend Adams 23 Tipton 20, Kokomo 16, Maconaquah 16, Manchester 13, North Wood 12, Goshen 12, Culver Academies 11, South Bend RIley 7, South Bend Washington 7, Tippecanoe Valley 6 Bremen 5, Cass 5, Mishawaka Marian 4, Western 4, Trinity Greenlawn 4, Jimtown 4, Madison-Grant 3, Pioneer 3, Eastern (Greentown) 2, Triton 1, Fairfield 1 LaVille Results 400m - Cole Stafford 10th seed, finished 10th 51.88 Pole Vault - Lincoln Hulsey 2nd seed, finished 1st 15'-9.25" *New IHSAA Regional Record Matthew Schaeffer 6th seed, finished 6th 14'-0" Shot Put - Michael Good 6th seed, finished no distance Discus - Michael Good 1st seed, finished first 178'-3" *New school record