UNIVERSITY PARK — Jesse Myers is off and running toward more state track and field accolades.
Myers, the State College Area High School junior boys sprinting standout, captured three gold medals at the second State College Invitational indoor track and field meet on Wednesday, Jan. 17, at the Penn State Multi-Purpose Facility and the Horace Ashenfelter Track.
Centre County athletes and relay teams combined for 10 gold medals. Along with State College, Bellefonte, Grace Prep, Penns Valley and St. Joseph’s sent representatives to the meet, which attracted 18 schools.
Myers placed first in both the 200 meters and the 400 meters. He also posted a blistering 22.05-second leg to help Nathan Alexander, Landon Bassett and David Brown to the win in the 4-by-200 relay with a time of 1 minute, 34.02 seconds.
Myers ran the open 200 in 22.03. He completed the 400 in 50.93.
The Little Lions had five gold medalists in all. Nathan Haas prevailed in the shot put with a best throw of 45 feet, 9 inches, while the quartet of Henry Adams, Owen Coughlin, Sam Endres and Owen Vaira were the first to finish the meet-opening 3200 relay with a time of 8:08.52.
Bellefonte jumper Zane Hummel also represented the Centre County boys in the top spot at the medal stand by leaping 21-8.25 in the long jump.
State’s Max Bodner was runner-up in the high jump, clearing 5-10, while teammate Isaac Opperman was the second in the 3000-meter run, turning in a time of 9:20.06.
The Little Lions team of Adams, Vaira, Aidan Bradbury and Micheal Noel also garnered silver, timing 3:35.69 in the 1600 relay.
Individually, Vaira was third in the 800 with a 2:01.24, Endres was third in the mile with a 4:34.26 and their teammate, Adam Bell, was third in the pole vault with a 13-6.
Bellefonte was third in the boys 4-by-200, as well. Aden Howell, Mikah Delos-Reyes Hall, Sherman Lowry and Collin Sharp combined to run 1:39.92.
Other Centre County boys to place in the top eight were Alexander (fourth, 60; seventh, 200), Bodner (fourth, long jump), Hummel (fourth, triple jump), Lowry (fourth, 60 hurdles), Brown (fifth, 60 hurdles), Howell (fifth, long jump), Bassett (sixth, 60; eighth, 200), Yarnell (sixth, 60 hurdles), Opperman (seventh, mile), Adams (eighth, 800); State College’s Theo Opperman (fourth, 3000; eighth, mile), Stephen Fowler (fifth, mile), Adin Yarnell (seventh, 400), Kaden Asendorf (eighth, shot put), Jonathan Money (eighth, 400) and Spencer Stevenson-Peck (eighth, pole vault); Bellefonte’s Alex Crist (fifth, 800), Logan Proctor (fifth, shot put), Ethan Wilson (sixth, triple jump) and the Red Raider 1600 (fourth) and 3200 (fifth) relay teams; and Penns Valley’s 800 relay (seventh) and Greyson Kimler (eighth, 60 hurdles).
State College’s Devon Jackson and Sarah Tate, Bellefonte’s Victoria Schellenberg and the Lady Little Lions’ 4-by-800 team members added gold medals to their mantle on the girls side of the meet.
In addition to running the mile in 5:26.18 to beat her teammate, Chloe Poindexter, to the finish line, Jackson teamed up with Poindexter, Brooke Shellenberger and Devyani Wahdia to notch a time of 9:52.70 and win the relay.
Tate, meanwhile, flashed a 9.46 in the 60 hurdles. Schellenberg’s winning height in the pole vault was 9-0.
In addition to Poindexter, State College’s Malia Abdullah, Sanai Abdullah, Clare Banker and Abigail Bigger, Bellefonte’s Althea Helms, Penns Valley’s Miley Hubler and St. Joseph’s Brynn Wright earned silver medals.
Malia Abdullah timed 8.00 in the 60 meters, while Sanai Abdullah recorded a 16-5.25 in the long jump — less than 2 inches from gold. Meanwhile, Banker cleared 8-0 in the pole vault to finish behind only Schellenberg. Bigger ran the 3000 in 1:52.73.
Helms finished 4 inches from winning the triple jump with a 34-5.5. Hubler was runner-up with 4-10 in the high jump. Wright clocked 2:32.14 in the 800 run.
Malia Abdullah also captured a bronze medal with a 26.88 in the 200 dash. State College’s Emma Raish placed third in the 3000 meters with a time of 12:24.67. The Lady Little Lions’ 1600 relay of Malia Abdullah, Jackson, Shellenberger and Molly Dell copped bronze with a 4:26.92.
Bellefonte also got a relay bronze medal when Ashleigh Aukerman, Annie Cernuska, Alyssa Hopkins and Anna Tyson made it to the line in 11:17.90. Tyson also snagged an individual bronze by high jumping 4-8, with teammate Madison Miller placing third with a 30-0 shot put.
Rounding out the area girls that medaled at the meet were Helms (fourth, 400), Shellenberger (sixth, 800), Cernuska (eight, 800), Alyssa Lipski (fourth, shot put); State College’s Autumn Swisher (fourth, 3000), Josie Younkin (fourth, high jump), Julia Bigger (fifth, mile), Stella Roop (fifth, pole vault), Izabel Sokhon (fifth, triple jump; seventh, long jump), Sarah Kocher (fifth, 200; eighth, 60), Ainsley Laws (sixth, triple jump), Lanie Herlocher (seventh, pole vault), and the Lady Little Lion 800 relay (fourth); Bellefonte’s Sara Proctor (fifth, long jump), Josie Underwood (seventh, high jump; seventh, triple jump), Lynzie Simpson (eighth, shot put), and the Lady Raider 800 relay team (sixth); St. Joseph’s Abby Ridenour (fifth, 3000), Evelyn Reynolds (seventh, mile) and Leah Wright (seventh, 3000); and Penns Valley’s Abby Stitzer (fifth, 400).
Susquehanna Invitational
SELINSGROVE — Hummel was the proud owner of gold and bronze medals after Bellefonte and Penns Valley performed at the Susquehanna High School Invitational at Susquehanna University’s James Garrett Sports Complex on Sunday, Jan. 14.
The Red Raider junior won the long jump with a best distance of 21-2.75 and took third with a 41-6 in the triple jump.
Helms had the best meet for the area competitors on the girls side, placing third in the long jump (16-1), fourth in the 400 and fifth in the triple jump. Tyson also won a bronze medal with a 4-8 high jump.
Howell had the next-best showing to Hummel for Centre County boys, placing sixth in the long jump. Crist was seventh in the mile, as were the Raiders in the 4-by-200. Bellefonte’s Logan Proctor and Grady Garrison were eighth in the shot put and mile, respectively.
The Lady Raiders’ 1600 relay was fourth. Miller placed sixth in the shot put. Schellenberger was seventh in the pole vault.
