LOCK HAVEN — The State College Area High School girls track and field team has been chasing Altoona so far this spring, but, with the District 6 championships just a couple of weeks away, the Lady Little Lions finally ran the Lady Lions down at the 27th LHU High School Classic on Friday, April 26, at Lock Haven University’s Hubert Jack Stadium.
Behind Malia Abdullah’s gold medals in the 100-meter and 200-meter dashes, State College captured the girls team championship, with room to spare, over Altoona at the meet, 145.5-86.
State’s Jesse Myers triumphed in the 100 and 200, and Owen Coughlin and Nathan Haas each won gold in one event and silver in another to power the Little Lions to the boys team championship with 148 points.
Abdullah finished the 100 in 12.55 seconds and the 200 in 24.68 seconds. Teammate Sadie Kocher was runner-up in the shorter sprint with a time of 13.21.
The Lady Little Lions took home five gold medals. Molly Dell won the 2,000-meter steeplechase with a time of 8:18.91, Devon Jackson bested the field with a time of 11:11.38 in the 3,200 and Josie Younkin prevailed with a 5-foot, 2-inch high jump.
Other Lady Little Lion individual medalists included Alyssa Lipski (second, discus), Izabel Sekhon (second, long jump; third, triple jump), Chloe Poindexter (third, 800), Lydia Tate (third, shot put), Julia Bigger (fourth, 3,200), Sophie Dillon (fourth, steeplechase), Kocher (fifth, 400), Emma Raish (fifth, 3,200), Lacey Sheaffer (fifth, steeplechase), Devyani Wadhia (fifth, 1,600), Clare Banker (sixth, pole vault), Stella Roop (seventh, pole vault) and Brooke Shellenberger (eighth, 800).
State’s 1,600 and 3,200 relays were second and the 400 relay was third.
Myers clocked 10.60 in winning the 100 and 21.51 in taking the 200, while Coughlin got the gold with a time of 2:00.18 in the 800 and Haas the gold with a 165-11 in the discus.
Haas was runner-up in the javelin and also fifth in the shot put, while Coughlin placed second in the mile.
The Little Lions’ Adam Bell won the pole vault by clearing 14-0.
State’s other individual boys medalists were David Brown (second, 110 hurdles; second, 300 hurdles), Andrew Pak-Blyzniuk (second, discus), Avery Selber (third, steeplechase), Nathan Alexander (fourth, 100; fifth, 200), Miles Ballard (fourth, steeplechase), Ryan Caldwell (fourth, 800), Henry Adams (sixth, 400), Griffin Selber (sixth, 1,600), Henry Smith (sixth, javelin), Stephen Fowler (seventh, 1,600) and Theo Opperman (eighth, 1,600).
The Little Lions 3,200 relay was third. The other two relays each placed fourth.
Bald Eagle Area, Bellefonte and Saint Joseph’s also sent athletes to the meet.
Bald Eagle’s Kaiden Gates continued his domination of the boys’ high jump by taking gold at the invitational, clearing 6-2.
The Eagles’ Beau Taylor took fourth in the 300 hurdles and Maksim Cronin seventh in the pole vault. Sybil Thompson garnered third in the girls steeplechase, with Olivia Taylor placing seventh in the 400 and the Lady Eagles’ 4-by-400 taking sixth.
Saint Joseph’s Colin Simander was runner-up in the boys steeplechase, while the WolfPack’s Brynn Wright was eighth in the girls steeplechase.
Bellefonte’s Alex Crist was the boys bronze medalist in the 1,600 meters.
Demans/Brookville Invitational
BROOKVILLE — With a 9-3 pole vault, Victoria Shellenberger accounted for Bellefonte’s lone gold medal at the rescheduled Demans Team Sports Brookville Invitational on Saturday, April 27.
Alyssa Hopkins (800), Madison Miller (javelin, shot put) and Josie Underwood (triple jump) were silver medalists for the Lady Raiders, with Madyson Miller (800), Sara Proctor (long jump) and the 400 relay claiming bronze.
The remaining Bellefonte girls medalists were Emma Harter (fourth, discus; seventh, shot put), Proctor (fifth, 100; sixth, triple jump), Madyson Miller (fifth, triple jump; seventh, long jump), Madison Miller (fifth, discus), Underwood (fifth, high jump; sixth, long jump), Aalyn Cernuska (sixth, 100 hurdles, seventh, 300 hurdles), Hopkins (sixth, 1,600), Ashleigh Aukerman (eighth, 1,600) and Violet Peffer (eighth, pole vault).
For the Bellefonte boys, both the 400 and 1,600 relays finished second, as did Kaven Smith-Kirk in the high jump and Caleb Vinnedge in both the 1,600 and discus.
Keith Eicholtz (fourth, pole vault; sixth, 400), Collin Sharp (fourth, 100, 200 and long jump), Ethan Wilson (fourth, 800; fifth, triple jump), Logan Proctor (fourth, shot put), Vinnedge (fifth, 800), Jeff Barnyak (fifth, both hurdles and shot put), Aden Howell (fifth, long jump; sixth, triple jump), Ryan Horn (sixth, shot put), Neil Alterio (seventh, javelin), Jaden Gabrovsek (seventh, 100 and 200), Isaiah Johnson (eighth, 1,600), Smith-Kirk (eighth, 200), Landon Langille (eighth, 110 hurdles) and Trey Wagner (eighth, 300 hurdles) rounded out the Red Raider medalists.
Bellwood-Antis Invitational
BELLWOOD — Abby Stitzer took the gold in both the 400 (1:00.82) and 800 (2:23.01) and Penns Valley teammate Lillyanna Smith won the 3,200 (11:55.82) and was third in the 1,600 to highlight the meet for area performers at the Bellwood-Antis Invitational on Monday, April 29.
Because of a clock issue, not all the results were available by press time. Only the top six places medaled.
BEA’s Gates and Penns Valley’s Tyler Mast copped boys golds in the high jump (6-0) and javeline (156-11), respectively.
Back on the girls side, Penns Valley’s Chamiqua Gentzel placed second in the javelin and Ayva Fetterolf third in the 3,200. Bald Eagle’s Grace Crestani took second in the shot put, the Lady Eagle 3,200 relay was third and Taylor and Khloe Cunningham finished sixth in the javelin and 800, respectively. Philipsburg-Osceola captured two medals, with Baylie Vroman claiming bronze in the javelin and Olivia Hutton sixth in the shot put.
BEA boys won five other medals, with Beau Taylor runner-up in the 300 hurdles, Owen Dechow third in the 800, Gavin Brooks fourth in the high jump and fifth in the discus and Carnell Noone sixth in the long jump. For Penns Valley, Ty Watson was fourth in the long jump, matching the place of the Rams’ 4-by-100 relay, while Greyson Kimler took sixth in the 300 hurdles.
Penn Relays
PHILADELPHIA — State College’s quartet of Sam Endres, Logan Basset, Owen Vaira and Isaac Opperman took part in the prestigious Penn Relays on Friday, April 26, at Penn’s Franklin Field.
The Little Lions ran in the distance medley relay, where they finished 13th with a time of 10:40.94.
Raider relay sets record
TYRONE — Bellefonte’s boys 4-by-800 team set a school record as the Red Raiders swept Huntingdon, Martinsburg Central and host Tyrone in a Laurel Highlands Conference meet on Tuesday, April 23.
The Lady Raiders beat Huntingdon and Central to offset a team defeat to Tyrone.
The Bellefonte distance relay timed 8:22.00. Barnyak (shot put), Crist (1,600), Eicholtz (pole vault), Vinnedge (3,200) and Zane Hummel (triple jump) won individual events for the Raiders.
Annie Cernuska (800, 1,600), Hopkins (3,200), Madison Miller (javelin) and the 3,200 relay brought home event wins for the Lady Raiders.
BEA, P-O compete
PHILIPSBURG — Dechow prevailed in the 800, Gates in the high jump and Beau Taylor in the 400 as The Bald Eagle boys beat host Philipsburg-Osceola and Bishop Guilfoyle in an LHAC meet that also included Bishop Guilfoyle on Tuesday, April 23.
The Eagles also came in first in the 3,200 relay.
Hutton was a dual winner for the P-O girls in the discus and javelin. The BEA girls duplicated the boys’ two team wins, sparked by Crestani’s victory in the shot put.
Gentzel, Hubler win
BELLWOOD — Gentzel and Miley Hubler were Penns Valley’s event winners in a LHAC triangular with Clearfield at Bellwood-Antis on Tuesday, April 23.
Gentzel won the javelin and Hubler the high jump.
The Lady Rams also won the 4-by-800.
Wolves drop four
DUNCANNON — Saint Joseph’s came out on the short end of all four of its dual scores in a Tri-Valley Athletic Association meet at Susquenita with East Juniata on Tuesday, April 23.
The WolfPack didn’t have any event winners.
