Grads earn scholarships, keep playing

Chugiak High School’s winningest distance runner in recent years transfers his distance-pounding endurance abilities to Idaho this fall as a freshman at Boise State University.

Ty Jordan was joined by family, friends as well as school coaching staff on April 27 in the school’s library as he signed on to run as part of the Broncos well-developed track and field team.

Jordan currently holds the CHS record for the 1600 with a time of 4.15.499 seconds. It is a record he set on May 30, 2015 at the Alaska School Activities Association 4A state championships.

His CHS coach Melissa DeVaughn Hall said Jordan won every one of his cross country meets this year including regions and state. For the current track year, he is undefeated in the 1600 and 3200 distances.

On May 7 of this year, Jordan posted 4.25.14 in the 1600 on the second day of the Anchorage Invite held at Dimond High School, according to his online athlete profile on Athletic.net.

On March 18, 2016, Jordan crossed the 3200 meter finish line in 9:40.945 on the first day of the Mini B at the Dome in Anchorage.

Challenging records in the longer distances is a career goal for Jordan.

“He wants to break our school record in the 3200,” Devaughn Hall said, noting she is confident Jordan can do that in the remaining 2016 outdoor track season. She, similar to the young man she coaches, already looks toward his collegiate career. “Ty has worked diligently to achieve his goal of running at the D1 level.”

D1 refers to Division 1, which is the highest level of competition for the National Collegiate Athletic Association. Of the nearly 1,300 NCAA institutions, only 351 colleges and universities are classified as D1.

As of April 11, records listed on the Track & Field News website lists the 1600 (mile) collegiate record in the 1600 at 3.52.88.

Along with signing his paperwork for Boise State, Jordan also received a scholarship from the Anchorage Running Club – a move that was a surprise for him.

Jordan and his parents, Tom and Jill Jordan of Chugiak, toured several schools during high school academic breaks before Ty determined he wanted to attend Boise State.

“I really liked the area there,” he said. “And the program has the same goals as I do.”

Alexis Trombley 

She will study architecture when not blocking goal attempts against her team next fall as Alexis Trombley begins her college soccer career at Hawkeye Community College in Waterloo, Iowa.

Trombley graduated from Chugiak High School Monday afternoon with a 2.9 grade point average and four years of experience as the Mustangs’ varsity girls’ soccer goal keeper.

Her mother, Denise Demetree-Trombley, said her daughter has played soccer since she could walk.

“She was always kicking something around,” Demetree-Trombley said at her daughter’s collegiate signing in the CHS library on May 6 as she took a break from her duties as the principal at Alpenglow Elementary School.

Alexis’ high school soccer coach, Paul Brehemer, said he immediately saw dedication and potential in her from the first time she walked on the field as a freshman.

“Even from the start, she had a mature attitude about her game,” Brehemer said. “She was constantly asking what she could do to improve.”

Brehemer thinks the other sports Alexis played at CHS – girls basketball and flag football and track and field – as well as wrestling in middle school gave her an edge in soccer because she learned how to play aggressively keeping her focus on performance in the game.

During Grad Blast 2016 Monday night at the Harry J. Mc, Alexis told The Star that her participation in wrestling helped her with getting in to shape and disciplining her own personal game.

“Wrestling is a self-sport in which you can basically be the best as what you put the effort in to yourself,” Alexis said.

Her older brother, Kody Trombley, inspired to do wrestling. Her neighbor and best bud, Irene Sexton, also influenced Alexis.

Except that influence led Alexis to the hardwood and the hoops.

“This girl,” Sexton said as she hugged Alexis in the CHS library, “she had never played basketball, but she said to me, ‘teach me,’ and she just gave it a try.”

It was the same story with flag football, yet her lack of experience did not hold her back, according to Tony Grissom, the CHS coach.

“She is a tough competitor,” Grissom said. “I have seen her take some hits that would have taken others out. She is one of those individuals that will always belong to the heart of Chugiak High School.”

That is a sentiment that Alexis echoed at Grad Blast.

“It is like a family here,” she said when asked what she will miss about being a Mustang. “The structure here is what really allowed me to by myself, to excel in soccer and to succeed in my academics.”