How Centre County track and field athletes fared at the Mountain League Championships
Many Centre County track and field teams competed against each other Tuesday for the last time of the season.
It was Hollidaysburg’s boys and girls teams that stole the show, with both crowned Mountain League champions at the league championships at Bellefonte. Red Raiders track and field head coach Seth Miller said the championships both boosted the profile of the sport in the area and allowed his school to host an event that brought stiff competition.
“I thought we did pretty well,” Miller said. “Hollidaysburg — we knew they were going to be the team to beat. They’re just a lot deeper than we are, but overall I was pleased with our efforts on the girls and boys side. There were lots of PRs (personal records) today. Lots of kids came out to compete today, which was fun. That’s what I like about that meet — eight schools that are pretty much evenly matched and everyone has someone to compete against. It’s just a really fun meet.”
Below are the Centre County medalists in the Mountain League Championships.
Bald Eagle
Bald Eagle took home a gold and bronze medal in the pole vault with Kevin Taylor (12-03.00) and Chase Thompson’s (11-03.00) jumps. Abby Hoover was victorious in the girls discus finals with a throw of 101-04.00 and her teammate, Katie Snyder, took bronze with a throw of 93-00.00. Hoover was barely edged out in the girls javelin, finishing second (113-00.00). Snyder also took bronze in the shot put with a toss of 29-09.25.
“We were very pleased with our team’s effort,” head coach Ronald Hoover said. “They battled the entire meet and several athletes set personal records.”
Matthew Knepp’s toss of 126-02.00 in the discus throw was good enough for second place. The Eagles got on the board with a third place finish in the 4x400 (3:39.07). Kieran Jodon finished in the shot put with a throw of 42.65 feet.
Bellefonte
The biggest win for the Bellefonte boys was in the shot put. William Spratt took the circle and took one big gliding step, tossing the metal ball 43.25 feet for first place. The Lady Raiders took center stage in the 3,200-meter race when Emma Liadis finished first with a time of 13:11.23 and Ashleigh Aukerman took a time of 13:34.56 for second.
Eric Bennett finished second in the 800-meter run with a time of 2:08.50. Chase Ebeling placed third in the 1,600-meter run (4:48.09). Ebeling (10:17.30) and Caleb Vinnedge (10:27.49) took second and third in the 3,200-meter race respectively. Bellefonte’s 4x400-meter team had a second place finish (3:38.70) and the 4x800-meter team took third (8:50.71). Landyn Miller took third in the triple jump with a distance of 41-00.00. Spratt took third in the discus throw (124-06.00).
Penns Valley
The Lady Rams and Rams teams had four groups of winners. Sisters Anna Stitzer and Abby Stitzer took first place in their respective races. Anna Stitzer took first in the 1,600-meter race with a time of 5:36. Abby Stitzer had a time of 2:28 to pace all runners.
On the boys side, Micah Good was the lone individual winner. He took first place in the 400-meter dash, sprinting past the competition in 53:65. Penns Valley’s 4x100-meter team showed up big with Logan Crater, Zach Braucht, Tanner Ilgen and Good finishing with a time of 44.76 for first place.
Penns Valley track and field head coach Garrett Milner understood the challenges of having less athletes to compete in certain events. However, it didn’t stop his program from having multiple winners on both the girls and boys sides.
“I thought we competed really well,” he said. “I thought we lacked depth in some events and that hurt us a little bit. From an individual standpoint, we had a lot of kids with PRs (personal records) and first-places. That was great to see.”
Alexis Durn also finished second in the girls 1,600-meter race with a time of 5:42 and the 4x800-meter relay team of Durn, Ann-Marie McMurtrie, Ayva Fetterolf and Abby Stitzer took second with a time of 10:58.
Colin Niewinski also had a second-place finish in the boys javelin throw with a toss of 153-11. Braucht took second-place in long jump with a jump of 20-2.5. Braucht finished third in the 100-meter dash (11.33) and Jack O’Donald placed third in the 400-meter dash with a time of 54.85.
Philipsburg-Osceola
Philipsburg-Osceola standout javelin thrower Kalista Butler did what she does best — hauled back and tossed the metal spear as far as she could. Her heave of 113-10.00 earned her first-place in the event. Reilly Vroman also continued to excel in the shot put. The senior finished first with a toss of 31-08.50 in the girls event.
Chad Muckey had a time of 4:32.67 in the boys 1,600-meter run to finish second. Kylie Timko finished third in the girls 1,600-meter race (13:52.32).
