State College picks up multiple honors on indoor all-state track and field teams

State College couldn’t have done much better on the all-state teams announced Monday night by the Pennsylvania Track and Field Coaches Association.

Five of State College’s individual student-athletes were named all-state in indoor track and field, as was a boys’ relay team, while Artie Gilkes was named the Boys Coach of the Year a week after his team won the state title.

The Little Lions’ Stanley Hamilton was the lone first-team all-state selection with a spot in the triple jump. During the state meet at Penn State, Hamilton turned in an impressive distance of 48 feet, 3.25 inches in the event — 2.25 inches better than his brother, Lance Hamilton, who was named second-team all-state in the triple jump.

The Hamilton brothers were one of just two pairs of teammates across the state who finished on the first- and second-teams in the same event. North Allegheny’s Zachary Kinne and Daniel McGoey were the others in the 3,000-meter run.

State College put forth a solid effort in the pole vault, on both the boys’ and girls’ sides, and it was rewarded with a pair of third-team all-state picks in Lyndsey Reed and Luke Knipe. Reed fought off a severe ankle injury at states to finish fourth, while Knipe took third.

The boys’ 3,200-meter relay team also earned third-team all-state honors with a state time of 7 minutes, 54.33 seconds. The group consisted of Joe Messner, Marc Allerheiligen, Henry Ballad and Zachary DeCarmine.

Jake Hefkin earned an honorable mention in the long jump.

Overall, State College boasted one first-team selection, one second-teamer, three third-team picks and one honorable mention — in addition to Gilkes winning Boys Coach of the Year.

The outdoor track and field team starts practice March 11, with the season slated to begin March 26 against Mifflin County.