Seven meet records set at at the Mercer County Invitational

WILMINGTON – The final step of the regular season, the annual Mercer County track meet, saw many local athletes take full advantage of their last chance before districts.

Seven records were broken at the meet, including three by Grove City athletes. Milena Sciullo broke the triple jump record, Aleah Morgante broke the pole vault record and Jesse Pazehoski broke the 110 hurdle record.

Josslyn Hancock of Hickory also broke two records of her own, setting new marks in both the 100 and 200. The final two records went to Mercer's Maggie Jewell in the 3200 and the West Middlesex girls 4x800 team of Brooke Rudzik, Maria Fuentes, Presley Schneider and AnnaSophia Viccari.

It didn't take long for the first record of the day to fall. In the first event of the day, the girls 4x800, West Middlesex's relay team of Brooke Rudzik, Maria Fuentes, Presley Schneider and AnnaSophia Viccari shattered the meet record with a time of 9:31.46. The old record was 9:46.96 set by Slippery Rock in 2024.

"That was awesome. We finally went for it and tried our hardest, so it was awesome to finally get a good time in it," Rudzik said.

Mercer's relay of Addie Mausser, Sophia Spragale, Emily Blough and Maggie Jewell finished second (9:56.50) and Slippery Rock's relay of Leah Perez, Rebecca Springirth, Lylah Robare and London Galino took third (10:29.99).

Lakeview's relay team of James Alexander, Malachi Phillips, Seth Phillips and Ryker Harold won the boys' side with a time of 8:20.81.

Wilmington came two seconds behind at 8:22.61 with Jackson Webber, Josiah Johnston, Tully Caiazza and Bryce Johnston. Greenville took third (8:36.49) with Conner Blackhurst, Aidan Bailey, Vinny Covert and Tyler Enterline.

After the prelims and a short break, it was time for the rest of the track events to run. It started with the girls 100 hurdles, where West Middlesex's Lilian Kildoo earned the gold medal with a time of 16.13.

"I'm feeling really really great. I've been battling an achilles injury for a few weeks. I've been on and off the field. I took two weeks off, came back, took another week off. So I'm really glad to be here and really appreciative of my coaches for having my back," Kildoo said. "I've been working for this my whole life. I've looked up to others along the way to get here. I just can't thank my coaches enough."

Second and third went to a pair of Slippery Rock teammates. Rhenna Humphrey took silver (17.04) and Camryn Green took bronze (17.34).

In the boys 110 hurdle, the second record of the day fell to Grove City's Jesse Pazehoski, who ran a time of 14.26.

"My start was pretty good, getting out as fast as I could. I was focusing on beating Kare'Mez (Norris) to the first hurdle, then just maintaining. Trying my best to keep good form throughout the race," Pazehoski said. "Going into the postseason for districts, it's exciting to be first. Hopefully I'll get a chance to go to states."

He broke Khalil Houston of Hickory's time of 14.50, a record set last season. Pazehoski finished second in that race.

"Me and Khalil were really good friends, so that was exciting. I'm glad I was able to get the record from him. I'm happy with it, just a really good race," Pazehoski said.

Second place went to Kare'Mez Norris of Sharon with a time of 15.69, and third went to Jasir Hughes of Farrell at 16.22.

Yet another record fell in the girls 100 as Hickory's Josslyn Hancock ran an 11.86, a top 10 time in the state this season.

"I just did my warm up like normal today. I had a few extra layers on because it was a little cold. I did a block start or two and felt prepared, so I felt good going into the race," Hancock said. "I love being able to represent the area I live in. I know we are a smaller district, so it feels good to show everyone that a smaller area can still run times like this."

She also broke the meet record, beating out Farrell's Yasmine Harden's time of 12.24 set in 2016.

"I'm so happy about it. I was a little nervous coming into it because the weather wasn't going to be very warm, but I was able to come through and run close to my PR," Hancock said.

Sienna Bernardi of Grove City grabbed second in the race with a time of 12.53. Wilmington's Maya Jeckavitch finished right behind with a time of 12.58.

The Sharon Tigers dominated the boys 100 with two finishing in the top three. Terrian White won with a time of 10.93 and his teammate Salvatore Donatelli took third at 11.19.

"This is my first time breaking the 11s. It has been a goal for me for a while now. Been trying to break my times, so it feels good to break that time," White said. "I was going to be last night thinking about how they had me seated fourth. I wanted to get to the top because I knew I could do it. I put my mind to it all day, got prepared and got it done."

Hickory's Sebastian Bromley earned second with a time of 11.02.

The first individual distance event of the day came next with the girls 1600. Reynolds' Ali Elliott came out on top with a time of 5:21.43.

"I'm pretty happy. There were some athletes who didn't compete today, so that opened it up for me to win. I was pretty calm today, usually I'm a little nervous. I stayed relaxed and was happy with that" Elliott said. "Last year in the two mile I false started, so this was my redemption."

Elliott will not be eligible for the postseason due to her transferring from Sharon to Reynolds this year.

"This was my last race here, so it was a great race for me to go out on," Elliott said.

Second place went to Emily Blough of Mercer with a time of 5:26.06. Third was Hickory's Cascia Linn at 5:28.81.

On the boys side it was Miles Jenny of Grove City leading the pack with a time of 4:38.61. Hickory's Andrew Emmorey took second at 4:41.98, then Grove City's Logan Leskanic took third, narrowly beating out Wilmington's Tully Caiazza by a few milliseconds at 4:53.08.

The second relay of the day was the 4x100. The girls from Reynolds claimed the gold with a time of 50.82. The team consisted of Harmony Merchant, Adalynne Maurer, Ava Murcko and Gemma Schellenbarger.

Second place went to Hickory's team of Ashlynn Horvath, Abby Wierzba, Reagann Anderson and Josslyn Hancock with a time of 51.10. Third was Slippery Rock's Madison Gearhart, Rhenna Humphrey, Samantha Montgomery and Deeliah Thangiah with a time of 52.96.

On the boys side, it was Sharon's team of Kare'Mez Norris, Salvatore Donatelli, Bodhi Paknis and Terrian White claiming first with a time of 43.09.

Second went to Hickory's Sebastian Bromley, Denver Lewis, Jamal Calhoun and Kelvin Morrison with a time of 43.59. Third was Farrell's Jasir Hughes, Kujuan Campbell, Montique Reddick and Kyreece Mitchell.

Over in the girls 400, Wilmington earned a gold medal with Maya Jeckavitch, who has been dealing with injury all year long, running a time of 1:02.07.

"First I talked to God about it and envisioned my race. I trusted he would get me through it. Throughout the race I knew I had to just keep going. I heard people around screaming that I had to move. Just hearing people help me really motivates me throughout the race," Jeckavitch said. "I'm just so grateful to be here. None of this would be possible without God. I am over the moon about it and super happy."

Second went to Taylor Pears from Mercer who ran a 1:02.70, and third was West Middlesex's Presley Schneider at 1:03.14.

Parker Nay of Reynolds won the boys race with a time of 51.42.

"It's a great feeling. Motivation is up right now. It was hard with my hammy, I pulled it earlier, but I wrapped it up and sucked it up. Just came out to do what I do," Nay said. "I've been in PT all this week to get ready for today. It was hard, but you do what you have to do. You stick to your gameplan, sleep, rest and eat, all that. This means a lot of the team, for the program. It means a lot to my family, my coaches, all the people that cheered me on. It's a great feeling."

Hunter Doerflinger of Slippery Rock won second with a time of 52.04 and Grove City's Nick Earman took third at 52.67.

Slippery Rock's Lydia Springirth captured the 300 hurdles with a time of 50.10.

"I'm feeling really happy right now because I haven't won an invite yet. It was really windy at the beginning so I knew I had to push it. I saw the girl in lane six in front of me, so I caught up to her. I had a bad hurdle and she came back, but I passed her again at the end," Springirth said. "I'm so happy, especially because I'm just a freshman. This is just so exciting."

She was joined on the podium by her teammate Camryn Gerken, who took bronze with a time of 50.41. Silver went to Abygail Bishop of Grove City at 50.23.

Jesse Pazehoski captured his second gold medal of the day in the boys 300 hurdles. He ran a time of 39.21.

Salvatore Donatelli of Sharon followed with a time of 40.93 and Jasir Hughes of Farrell was third at 41.70.

Brooke Rudzik of West Middlesex claimed her second gold medal of the day in the open 800, running a time of 2:24.99.

"I started off the race pretty good. I came out a lot slower than I wanted to. The last lap I just ran as hard as I could and finished hard the last 200," Rudzik said. "It's really awesome. It was a really good race with hard competitors, so it was really awesome."

Reynolds' Ali Elliott finished second with a time of 2:27.06. Slippery Rock's Kasey Yeager took third at 2:28.33.

James Alexander of Lakeview won the boys race with a time of 1:58.70. He was followed by Grove City's Andrew Gildersleeve (2:01.75) and Wilmington's Bryce Johnston (2:03.40).

"I'm feeling like in a strategically different race I can go faster. I think that was a good test to see where my leg speed is at. I'm coming away from today with learning more than I would have with a PR," Alexander said. "I won the country my sophomore year, but the time was much slower. Feels good to get on top with a much better time than I've had previously. Felt good to race all the great competition here in Mercer County."

The final open sprint of the day was the 200. Hickory's Josslyn Hancock claimed first with a new meet record time of 25.24.

"I'm so grateful I was able to do it today. I was nervous with the weather, but it ended up being to my advantage," Hancock said. "I went over to the line feeling a bit more fatigued from the other races. I told myself I was going to give it all I got. Put it all out and there and don't leave anything."

Hancock broke the old record of 25.33 set by Michaela Rose of Lakeview in 25.33.

Wilmington's Maya Jeckavitch finished second at 26.25 and Reynolds' Harmony Merchant took third at 26.63.

On the boys side it was Eli Herster of Sharon winning the crown with a time of 22.89.

Silver went to Levi Toth of Grove City at 23.34, while bronze went to Slippery Rock's Hunter Doerflinger at 23.38.

Maggie Jewell dominated the final distance event of the day, winning a gold medal for Mercer and breaking a meet record with a time of 11:00.92.

"I knew the record was in reach, it was above my PR. I was really hoping for it. I was going for the win, but knew that if I pushed myself, it would hopefully come along with it and it did," Jewell said. "I think it was my sophomore year, I was runner up. Then I was fifth last year. So to finally get the county win is really cool for me."

Jewell broke Greenville's Jesi Christiansen time of 11:10.51, set in 2001.

Josie Jones of Grove City took second at 11:13.88, while Hickory's Mira Moschillo took third at 11:25.02.

Sharon's Justin Sims crushed the boys race, winning gold with a time of 10:08.91.

Second went to Seth Phillips of Lakeview at a time of 10:23.29. Third was Hickory's Andrew Emmorey at 10:31.26.

The final event on the track for the day was the 4x400, where the West Middlesex relay of Presley Schneider, Maria Fuentes, AnnaSophia Viccari and Brooke Rudzik finished the same way they started, winning gold. They ran a 4:09.65.

Second place went to Wilmington with Isabella Melnik, Lyndlea Rhoades, Jayla Thompson and Maya Jeckavitch at 4:14.12. Third was Grove City's Sienna Bernardi, Ava Hannon, Josie Jones and Jennifer Wilson at 4:16.26.

The events saw several three-event winners. In the jumps, Milena Sciullo dominated with wins in the triple, long and high jumps. In long jump she jumped 17-6, she cleared 5-7 in high jump, and broke a meet record in triple jump at 40-4.75.

It's definitely a good feeling to be back at all three and being healthy and able to make it through all three this time, I'm really excited about that," Sciullo said. "Being out here again, jumping again, working towards bigger goals, it just all feels great."

She broke her own record of 37-7 set back in 2024.

"It means a lot for me to get back in the 40s and know it's still there. It's been a minute, my shins have been an issue this season. I just worked on healing them, getting back to 100, and the jump was still there," Sciullo said. "Honestly my first jump was not the best. Second jump fouled and ran out of it. Then I got a little angry and then my third jump felt really good. I was really glad."

Second place in the long jump went to Reynolds' Ava Murcko, while Samantha Montgomery of Slippery Rock took third (16-7.5). Second in the triple jump was Grove City's Sienna Bernardi (38-7), while Montgomery took another bronze at 34-9.5.

Lucy Briggs and Adalynne Maurer tied for second in high jump at 5-1.

In the girls pole vault, Grove City's Aleah Morgante broke a meet record by clearing 12-6.

"I was pretty excited about it. I knew it was set a while ago, but I wasn't sure how long it was. I just wanted to jump a higher height to get consistent on the upper 12s again," Morgante said. "I first came in at 11-6, which I was excited about. My first attempt was good, but I almost went out at 12 feet. I cleared it third attempt. I just kept going up in poles. I just needed to figure out the timing again."

She broke Greenville's Rebekah Petty's record of 12-3 set in 2013.

"I'm just really excited for everything coming up," Morgante said. "I'm going to start tapering down and be ready for districts. I'll probably do just one workout this week if that, and really focus on technique."

Grace Stephens of West Middlesex took third clearing 11-6, and Wilmington's Lyndlea Rhoades finished in third at 10-6.

Sharon's Victorya Byler dominated the girls' throws with wins in both the shot put and discus. She threw 43-7.5 in shot put and 129-7 in discus.

"I'm really happy, I just broke the school record in shot put by a long shot. I'm just feeling really proud of myself right now. A lot of hard work. I just have to give it all to my coach. She's put me through the work and got me to where I am right now," Byler said. "It was all about staying warm and staying loose today. Keep a good mindset. Mindset of knowing I had the possibility to win today, and I knew I could get it done."

Grace Mozes from Commodore Perry took second in the shot put (39-11.5) and third in the discus (108-1). Wilmington's Macy Garnder finished second in discus (108-11) and Grove City's Sophia Slivka took third in shot (34-2.25).

Sharon's Danielle Currie won the javelin with a throw of 112-7. Second was Wilmington's Alyssa Flick (109-11) and third was Mercer's Zoey Seidel (109-6).

The boys' throws were dominated by Grove City's DeLathian Boanes. He won the shot put with a throw of 59-10 and won the discus at 164-4.

"It's pretty awesome. This is my first time winning the discus. I'm always excited to compete at MCA season. I got it done today," Boanes said. "I've worked for it. It's been a great season so far, so to come out here and show everybody in the county what I'm made of is awesome."

Silver in the discus went to Jake Birkner of Lakeview (134-6), while Slippery Rock's Trenton Reich captured bronze (128-8).

Maddox Syner of Reynolds took second in the shot with a throw of 53-9. Grove City's Malachi Whitley took third at 44-6.5.

The javelin gold went to Daniel Mariacher of Grove City with a throw of 170-1. Syner took second at 167-2, and Ethan Johnson from Lakeview was third at 151-10.

Grove City also controlled the jumps with Jonah Stucchio winning both the long and triple jump. Stucchio jumped 22-8 in the long jump and 46-2.75 in the triple.

"I'm feeling pretty good. First week back off an injury, well first week back to my full approach at least. To hit some good consistent numbers, it's pretty good," Stucchio said. "It's been a struggle getting back, but seeing that I can do this and having the numbers to prove it, it really brings your confidence up a lot."

Peter Krahe took second in both the long jump (21-8.5) and triple jump (45-1). Sharon's Cyleim Smith finished third in triple jump (41-4.75) and Mercer's Tyler Heckman took third in long jump (21-0.25).

Stucchio also took a silver medal in the pole vault with a jump of 14-6. Wilmington's Ethan Johnston took gold by also clearing 14-6 in fewer attempts. Third went to Grove City's Charlie Miller at 14-0.

The final event was the boys' high jump, where Isaac Williams from Reynolds claimed first with a jump of 6-1. Mercer's Ben Godfrey cleared 5-11, and Hickory's Marzair Gardlock also cleared 5-11 for a third place finish.

The final step before states is the District meet at Slippery Rock University on Saturday.

GIRLS

3200 relay - West Middlesex (Brooke Rudzik, Maria Fuentes, Presley Schneider, AnnaSophia Viccari), 9:31.46; 100 hurdles - Lilian Kildoo (West Middlesex), 16.13; 100 - Josslyn Hancock (Hickory), 11.86; 1600 - Ali Elliott (Reynolds), 5:21.43; 400 - Maya Jeckavitch (Wilmington), 1:02.07; 400 relay - Reynolds (Harmony Merchant, Ava Murcko, Adalynne Maurer, Gemma Schellenbarger), 50.82; 300 hurdles - Lydia Springirth (Slippery Rock), 50.10; 800 - Brooke Rudzik (West Middlesex), 2:24.99; 200 - Josslyn Hancock (Hickory), 25.24; 3200 - Maggie Jewell (Mercer), 11:00.92; 1600 relay - West Middlesex (Presley Schneider, Maria Fuentes, Brooke Rudzik, AnnaSophia Viccari), 4:09.65; Shot put - Victorya Byler (Sharon), 43-7.5; Discus - Victorya Byler (Sharon), 129-7; Javelin - Danielle Currie (Sharon), 112-7; Long jump - Milena Sciullo (Grove City), 17-6; Triple jump - Milena Sciullo (Grove City), 40-4.75; High jump - Milena Sciullo (Grove City), 5-7; Pole vault - Aleah Morgante (Grove City), 12-6

BOYS

3200 relay - Lakeview (Ryker Harold, Malachi Phillips, Seth Phillips, James Alexadner), 8:20.81; 100 hurdles - Jesse Pazehoski (Grove City), 14.26; 100 - Terrian White (Sharon), 10.93; 1600 - Miles Jenny (Grove City), 4:38.61; 400 - Parker Nay (Reynolds), 51.42; 400 relay - Sharon (Kare'Mez Norris, Salvatore Donatelli, Bodhi Paknis, Terrian White), 43.09; 300 hurdles - Jesse Pazehoski (Grove City), 39.21; 800 - James Alexander (Lakeview), 1:58.70; 200 - Eli Herster (Sharon), 22.89; 3200 - Justin Sims (Sharon), 10:08.91; 1600 relay - Grove City (Nick Earman, Harrison Saltrick, Peyton Miller, Jesse Pazehoski); Shot put - DeLathian Boanes (Grove City), 59-10; Discus - DeLathian Boanes (Grove City), 164-4; Javelin - Daniel Mariarcher (Grove City), 170-1; Long jump - Jonah Stucchio (Grove City), 22-8; Triple jump - Jonah Stucchio (Grove City), 46-2.75; High jump - Isaac Williams (Reynolds), 6-1; Pole vault - Ethan Johnston (Wilmington), 14-6

Copyright 2026 Tribune Content Agency. All Rights Reserved.