SHIPPENSBURG — The high school track and field season reached its midpoint over the weekend with Centre County teams spread over three large invitational meets, and State College’s Jesse Myers put on a show at the 97th running of the Jack Roddick Invitational at Shippensburg University’s Seth Grove Stadium on Saturday, April 20.
Myers swept the dashes to spearhead the Little Lions’ team championship effort.
On the girls side, State College’s Sanai Abdullah captured the long jump.
A day earlier, Penns Valley’s Abby Stitzer won the girls 800-meter run at the 26th Bald Eagle Invite at Lock Haven’s Hubert Jack Stadium, where St. Joseph’s Colin Simander beat the field in the boys 2,000-meter steeplechase.
Meanwhile, on Friday, April 19, in Windber at the 75th West Central Coaches Meet, Bald Eagle Area’s Owen Dechow and Kaiden Gates secured boys gold medals in the 800 meters and the high jump.
Myers timed 10.63 seconds in the 100, 21.90 in the 200 and 48.63 in the 400 for his triple golds. State College’s 70 team points were 30 more than second-place Carlisle in the 59-school meet.
The Little Lions’ 3,200 relay copped a silver medal with a time of 8 minutes, 2.31 seconds. State’s 400 relay came home with bronze with a 43.35 finish.
Sam Endres also finished third, completing the 3,200 in 9:25.72.
The top eight finishers in each event medaled. Nathan Haas, Isaac Opperman and Owen Vaira each were fifth in the discus, 3,200 and 800, respectively; Haas, Owen Coughlin and Schaffer Sohn placed seventh in the javelin, 3,200 and steeplechase and Coughlin in the 1,600; and the 1,600 relay team took eighth.
Abdullah’s winning distance was 17 feet, 11 inches.
Malia Abdullah handed in the next-best showing for a Lady Little Lion by taking fourth in the 100. Devon Jackson placed fifth in the 1,600, Chloe Poindexter was sixth in the 800 and Molly Dell (steeplechase), Sarah Tate (100 hurdles) and the 400 relay all finished seventh. Alyssa Lipski garnered eighth in the discus.
Bellefonte’s Zane Hummel garnered a pair of jumping medals, placing seventh in the triple and eighth in the long.
Stitzer, who also was fourth in the 400, clocked in at 2:20.39 in the 800. She claimed two of the Lady Rams’ four medals at Lock Haven, with Chamiqua Gentzel’s throw of 107-7 in the javelin getting bronze and Lillyanna Smith placing fourth in the 3,200.
Tyler Mast’s fifth in the javelin led the Penns Valley boys, which also got a sixth from Greyson Kimler in the 300 hurdles and sevenths from McClain Reamer on both the 1,600 and 3,200 runs. Vince Smith also took seventh in the steeplechase, as did the Rams’ 1,600 relay.
All three of St. Joseph’s medals at the meet were in the steeplechase. Simander won with a 6:45.88 time. On the girls’ side, Brynn Wright took fourth and Abby Ridenour fifth.
Bellefonte didn’t win any gold, but Althea Helms garnered silver in the long jump with a 17-0.5 and the triple jump with a 35-3.75 and won bronze in the 400 with a 59.58. In addition, the Lady Raiders’ Anna Tyson was runner-up in the high jump by achieving 4-10.
Dechow’s gold in Windber came with a time of 2:09.21. Gates high jumped 6-2 for his victory.
Dechow also was third with a 10:47.27 3,200 run. The BEA boys 4-by-800 was second, running 8:53.53. Gavin Brooks took third in the high jump with a 6-0.
Other Eagle medalists included Ethan Hoover (fourth, long jump), Maksim Kronin (tied for fourth, pole vault), Ethan Shirk (fifth, 300 hurdles), the 400 relay (fifth), Alex Wagner (sixth, 1,600) and Talon Thomson (eighth, javelin).
The BEA girls’ Claudia Irvin won four individual medals, taking silver in the javelin with a 101-7, fifth in the 100 hurdles and triple jump and sixth in the 300 hurdles.
Khloe Cunningham (2:34.61) and the 3,200 relay (10:58.95) won bronze, as did Grace Crestani in the shot put (30-6). Crestani also was fifth in the discus.
Olivia Taylor placed fifth in the 400, Sydney Bender sixth in the 100 and seventh in the high jump, Heidi Eveleth sixth in the pole vault and Rebekah Guenot eighth in the 3,200.
State College crushes Central Dauphin East
STATE COLLEGE — State College crushed visiting Central Dauphin East on both sides of the ledger, the Little Lions winning 119-31 and the Lady Little Lions prevailing 106-40.
Myers took the 100 and 200, Haas the discus and javelin, David Brown both hurdles, Opperman the 1,600, Sohn the 3,200, Vaira the 800, Adam Bell the pole vault, Andre Pak-Blyzniuk the shot put, Max Bodner the long jump and Adin Yarnell the 400 for the Little Lions.
The State boys also took the 400 and 1,600 relays.
Lydia Tate and Sarah Tate keyed the girls, the former winning the javelin and shot put, the latter both hurdle races.
Other Lady Little Lion winners were Lipski (discus), Sanai Abdullah (triple jump), Sophie Baylis (1,600), Devon Jackson (800), Emma Raish (3,200), Stella Roop (pole vault), Izabel Sekhon (long jump), Josie Younkin (high jump) and the 3,200 relay.
Bellefonte boys nearly sweep
CLEARFIELD — The Bellefonte boys beat host Clearfield, 106-43, but lost to Hollidaysburg on criteria after both teams scored 75 points on Tuesday, April 16.
The Red Raiders were first in all three relays. Alex Crist took the 800 and 1,600 runs, Caleb Vinnedge captured the 3,200 and the disc and Collin Sharp prevailed in the 100.
The Lady Raiders beat Clearfield, 106-43, but dropped a 78-72 decision to Hollidaysburg. Helms was first in the 200 and long jump, Madison Miller triumphed in the shot put and javelin, Tyson took the high jump, Emma Harter won the discus and Victoria Schellenberg posted the best height in the pole vault.
The Lady Raiders also won the 4-by-800.
BEA teams go 1-2
WINGATE — Both Bald Eagle teams won once in a four-team meet with Bedford, Huntingdon and Penn Cambria on Tuesday, April 16. The Eagles were 78-71 winners against Huntingdon, the Lady Eagles 107-40 victors over Penn Cambria.
Gates won the high jump and Dechow the 3,200 on the boys side. Rachel Bryan won the girls shot put.
Penns Valley splits
SPRING MILLS — The Penns Valley boys topped visiting Bishop Guilfoyle, 110-35, but fell to Tyrone on Tuesday, April 16.
Kimler (300 hurdles), Mast (javelin), Tavan Price (3,200), Matt Ruoff (pole vault) and Chase Shelley (100 hurdles) won events for the Rams.
The Lady Rams registered a 104-21 win over BG but also dropped the meet to Tyrone. No event results were available.
