Cambria Heights girls, United boys claim Heritage track and field titles

BLAIRSVILLE – Regular-season champion Cambria Heights carried its strong spring into Tuesday's postseason stage, winning the girls title at the Heritage Conference Track and Field Championships, while United claimed the boys crown.

The Cambria Heights girls, the 2026 regular-season champions, snapped Conemaugh Township's run of back-to-back titles with a well-rounded showing Tuesday at River Valley High School.

In a field of 10 teams, the Highlanders edged United by four points – 120–116 – and finished 10 points ahead of defending champion Conemaugh Township.

Cambria Heights senior standout Brielle McMillen left with three wins – the 100 meters in 13.06 seconds, the long jump at 17-0 1/2, and the triple jump at 34 feet, 111/4 inches – and also chipped in a fifth-place finish in the high jump.

"I came in determined to win the long and triple jumps for the fourth Heritage title of my career," McMillen said. "The 100 was more of a toss-up, but I'm really happy with my time and grateful to have won it.

"I've been putting in the work since freshman year, so it means a lot to keep growing and seeing improvement in those events."

Highlanders coach Tammy Nagel appreciated her team's response after losing a group of seniors from a season ago.

"It was a complete team effort," Nagel said. "We lost a core group of seniors, and a lot of girls had to switch events for the good of the team. They did that for each other, and I think that it showed in our performance."

The Highlanders' Rachel McClellan clocked 16.02 to take the 100 hurdles and later placed second in the triple jump.

United extended its streak to four straight boys' titles, using six first-place finishes to post 118 points in a tight 10-team race. Marion Center closed to within eight points, and Conemaugh Township followed in third with 107.

Logan Lichtenfels swept the hurdles, winning both the 110-meter (14.96) and 300 (40.53), while Matthew Beaver claimed the 800 in 1:58.97 and contributed to victories in the 1600- and 3200-meter relays. Lichtenfels, Kaz Stokes and Luke Shepler rounded out the 1600 relay squad, and Hayden Hill, Stokes and Shepler joined Beaver on the 3200 team. Carter Payne added important points, clearing 6-3 to win the high jump.

United boys coach Matt Grata emphasized how close-knit this year's group has become.

"We set long-term goals back in August, and being Heritage Conference champions is always one of them," Grata said. "We had a little bumpy road in the middle of the season, working through some injuries, but if we play our cards right, you never know. I can't emphasize enough how family-like the atmosphere is on this team.

"We broke several school records today. Logan broke one in the 110, Matt Beaver broke the 800, and we broke our (400 relay) record again.

"We had to move a couple of guys around, and nobody grumbled. They know their role, and they trust our system.

"We had this on our radar, and next is (Indiana) county on Thursday, then District 6, and we'll see how many guys we can get down to Shippensburg."

Northern Cambria junior Daniel Farrell delivered one of the meet's standout efforts in the triple jump, breaking his own personal best, establishing the Heritage Conference meet record, and setting a new program mark with a leap of 47-33/4.

With only 13 entries, officials combined the field into a single flight – a change that initially threw Farrell off. It didn't last long. After using his first two attempts to sort out his steps, he uncorked a jump that even caught him off guard.

"I thought there were going to be two flights, and when I found out we were only doing one, I wasn't warmed up, and my steps were messed up a little," Farrell said. "I had to bring speed down the runway.

"I'm hoping I didn't top off right there, and I don't go down from here. Last meet, I hit 46 for the first time and wasn't expecting 47 today. I was aiming for it, but definitely not expecting it."

Farrell followed his triple-jump showcase with a long-jump win and a key leg on the Colts' winning 400 relay, joining Levi Czar, Colton Brawley, and Zak Kirsch.

Northern Cambria's boys placed fourth with 90 points. River Valley (58) and Cambria Heights (57) followed, with Purchase Line (49), Homer-Center (48), Penns Manor (35), and Portage (28) rounding out the standings.

Conemaugh Township's Hudson Lease swept the distance events, taking both the 1600 and 3200.

"I don't think I did as well as I could have," Lease said. "But I knew if I ran a decent race I'd be in good shape, so I was happy with that."

Portage's Josh Papcun added a win in the 800 with a 51.09.

Other girls multi-event winners included Northern Cambria's Emilee DePetro, who won the 200 and 400 and helped the 1600 relay with Sophia Fry, Alyssa DePetro, and Laney Vasil, and United's Olivia Henning, who swept the 1600 and 3200 and ran on the winning 3200 relay with Katerina Dishong, Payton Kolarik, and Aaliyah Long.

Conemaugh Township's Molly Hunsberger won the 800, teammate Baylee Sleek took the high jump, and United's Maya Ressler claimed the pole vault.

"I'm happy with my performance today," Depetro said. I put a lot of big expectations on myself, and I'm happy I was able to achieve everything I did today."

Portage finished fourth in the girls' standings with 77.5 points, followed by River Valley (74), Marion Center (63), Northern Cambria (62), Purchase Line (36), Homer-Center (34.5), and Penns Manor (9).

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