Suffering from an injury his junior season, senior Milan Cieslak knew that he was robbed of his chance at breaking the school’s 200 meter record.  

Going into his senior season this spring, breaking the record was on the forefront of his mind.

With the previous La Salle record being 22.46 seconds for the 200 meter, Cieslak on March 14 at Valley Catholic High School surpassed that time, creating a new standing record of 22.35 seconds. 

“I was not expecting the first meet. I knew I was close; I just didn’t know if everything would align and then it hit, [I was] just super hyped,” Cieslak said.

The atmosphere around him was pure joy as his teammates and coaches shared the same excitement as himself. It took Cieslak a few moments to process his accomplishment, but he was well aware of the excitement surrounding him.

On Wednesday, April 3, he rebroke his record, setting the new one at 22.28 seconds.

“It feels pretty good,” he said. “I’m not slowing down.”

Breaking the record has been a long term goal for Cieslak. “I’ve definitely, definitely worked hard for it,” he said. 

Cieslak started his track career as a freshman but due to a separate injury his season was halted. It wasn’t until his sophomore year that he became able to take the sport more seriously.

Despite the setbacks found in injuries, his dedication to the sport and countless hours spent training has already paid off so far this season.

Looking ahead to the rest of the season, Cieslak has confidence that he will be breaking more records if he continues to stay healthy. The 100 meter is the next record he hopes to break. “I got that on lock,” Cieslak said. Furthermore, he is attempting to win at the state championship this season.

Since being on the La Salle team, Cieslak enjoys the community and the leadership role he has taken on as a senior. “I’ve been able to guide people and help them and definitely push people,” Cieslak said. 

Cieslak’s favorite events are sprint events, specifically the 100 meter and 200 meter. As far as competing in long distance events, “it’s not for me,” Cieslak said.

Outside of the La Salle track team, Cieslak participates on a club team — Resolute Track Club — year round. “It’s definitely less people [and] I feel like our coach is able to connect with us a little more,” Cieslak said. “It’s a little more intense.”

For plans after high school, Cieslak’s ideal path would be running on Washington State University’s track team. “That’s the big goal,” he said. After the high school season he will continue to participate on his club team throughout the summer and work towards training to become a collegiate athlete. 

Cieslak encourages younger athletes to try new things like he did with track to spark passion and joy. “There’s something for everyone and I think you just got to give it a try,” he said.