LebCo Track and Field Season Update: May 8

Girls Update: On the track, the Dutchmen were led by sophomore Kendall Cooper, the LebCo champ, as she took three firsts (100m, 200m, 400m). While Donegal hung around, it was in the field where Annville-Cleona broke away, taking 1^st place in 5 of the 6 events. Senior Claire Hoover won two of those events, the Discus and the Javelin.

Boys Update: Annville kept it close in their match-up against Donegal, but did not prevail.  As part of the valiant effort, sophomore Landon Hostetter, won the 1600m and 3200m, the event in which he won the LebCo championship.  Freshman Oliver Miller finished made it a sweep in the distance category, as he won the 800m.  Other 1^st place winners for the Dutchmen were: Discus – Jon Shay (So.); Triple Jump – Ali Konneh (Jr.); High Jump – Wes Heller (So.).

Girls Update: Once again, the depth of Cedar Crest was on full display, as many individuals continued to show improvement.  This will be key in their Section 1 showdown with McCaskey. Among those was junior Lizzie Lowe, who once again led a sweep of the 800m, this time in a LebCo season-best time of 2:20.7.  Freshman Eliana Schneider ran 2^nd to Lowe, then went onto win the Javelin (133’9”) and High Jump (5’4”).  Against Penn Manor, the Lady Falcons won 15 of the 18 events, with Schneider as the only winner of multiple individual events. Three days later, Schneider would set the LebCo Meet record in the Jav and would also join Lowe, Emma Pavlesich, and Kaddel Howard in setting the 4x400m record. Against Penn Manor, the sophomore Pavlesich won the 400m (1:02.1).  Senior Alyssa Vandett won the 100m (12.8) and sophomore Ava Scheier won the 200m (26.4) in some of the fastest times in the county so far this season. The Wamsher twins also continued their development in the 300 IM Hurdles, as the freshmen went 1-2, this time with Makenzie (50.7) edging Hayden (51.4). Other event winners were: Shot Put – Sophia Rosenberg (Sr.); 1600m – Maggie Chernich (Jr.); 3200m – Maddie Lowe (Jr.); Triple Jump – Emma Spittle (Jr.); 100 High Hurdles – Shannon Dorsey (So.); Pole Vault – Ruby Wolfe (So.); Discus – Nachali Manon Aquino (Fr.).  It is worth mentioning that Kaddel Howard (Fr.) did not compete in this meet, but set two individual records, was part of a relay record, and was named the Female Athlete of the Meet in a dominating performance at the LebCo Championships.

Boys Update: The Falcons stayed on pace for repeating as Section 1 Champs and did so in convincing fashion.  In the sprints, Gabe Lewis clocked a hand-timed 10.6 to win the 100m and then finished 2^nd to Nick Garman in the 200m, with both young men clocking a 22.1.  Kyle Rauchut rounded out the short sprints by winning the 400m with a 52.7.  The three seniors were major factors in the Cedar Crest LebCo Championship and joined junior Leo Tirado on Thursday evening to set the 4x100m meet record (42.33).  Among other highlights in the dual meet was senior Ethan Heisey leading a Falcon sweep of the 300 IM Hurdles and sophomore Tristan Longdoing the same in the Shot Put.  Junior Reed Fretz won the 110m High Hurdles in one of the county’s fastest times this season (15.4).  There were two other individual winners in the win over Penn Manor: 3200m – Owen Perhonitch (Jr.); Triple Jump – Dylan Groff (So.).  Groff would go onto win the Javelin at the County Meet, throwing an impressive 157’3″. There were many other names that popped up at the Lebanon County Championship Meet and they will be needed in today’s match-up against McCaskey.

Girls Update: It has not been a secret that this Lady Raider squad is full of athletes. In defeating Northern Lebanon, this fact was on full display as ELCO stayed on pace to win the Section 3 title for the 5^th straight season. Senior Samantha Nelson held her own in the throws, winning the Shot Put, Discus, and Javelin. Jacey Hentz, also a senior, won the 100m High Hurdles and the Long Jump.  In the Long Jump, Hentz beat out fellow senior Carissa Bender, who went onto win the event at the County Championship. Against Northern Lebanon, Bender did win the 100m. When it comes to friendly competition, this is playing out in the Triple Jump between Mya Rapp (Sr.) and Makenna Haas (So.), with Rapp winning the dual meet and then Haas winning silver, with Rapp taking bronze at the County Meet. Other winners for the Lady Raiders in the win over the Vikings were: 200m – Riley Braun (Sr.); 800m – Izzy Zwally (Sr.); 300m IM Hurdles – Sara Miller (Jr.); 1600m – Shawna Donough (So.).

Boys Update: Following the loss to Octorara, the Raiders rebounded and handled the challenge from the visiting Vikings, winning 14 of 18 events in the process.  Junior Jackson Conners was a winner in the 110m High Hurdles and the Long Jump. Luke Macchione, also a junior, won the 300 IM Hurdles and the Triple Jump.  In the Triple Jump, he beat senior Alden Stickler, who would go onto become the LebCo champ in the event. When it comes to championships, senior Colin Daub has been winning everything lately, including the Shot Put and Discus in the dual meet before winning both at the LebCo Meet and then the Discus at the Henderson Invite.  Other individual winners for ELCO against Northern Lebanon were: 100m – Jake Williams (Jr.); 800m – Chad Keller (So.); 200m – Harrison Kramer (So.); High Jump – Justin Smucker (So.). One noticeably absent athlete from this meet was junior Camden Marquette who popped back up on Thursday and won the 800m in a LebCo best 2:00.86.

Girls Update: Lebanon versus Hempfield seems like a David versus Goliath type of matchup, but the Cedars competed hard and took their share of points from the Black Knights. Leading the way was senior Mileyska Calderon as she won the 200m (26.78) and the Long Jump (17’7”).  Also winning two events was sophomore thrower Liliana Harrison, as she won the Discus (103’) and Shot Put (36’9”).  Junior Dora Lopez finished 2^nd to Harrison in the Shot and went onto win the Javelin.  Junior Triple Jumper Zariyah Whigham continued her tear and jumped 35’8.5” to take 1^st. Senior Luissana Polanco Lora cleared 9’ to win the Pole Vault.

At the LebCo Championship Meet, the top-end talent shown through for the Cedars.  Calderon finished 2^nd in the 200m (26.42) to Kaddel Howard and earned silver in the Long Jump as well. Harrison won both the Shot Put and Discus.  Whigham again set a new Lebanon record, putting together a jump that measured 36’4.75” to win gold.

Boys Update: Hempfield is a very solid team and limited the Cedars in the areas where they are usually best.  Junior Tyler Long was able to pick off a 1^st place in the 400m (54.96) as the only Lebanon winner on the track.  In the field, seniors Zahir Stoner and RJay Spivey Nickerson went 1-2 in the High Jump.  Emanuel Mason (Sr.) threw a 44’9” to take 1^st in the Shot Put.  While he did not win, sophomore Nate Trace jumped a respectable 41’9” in the Triple Jump and set a new personal best.

At the LebCo Championship Meet, Lebanon did not take any 1^st places, but had several excellent performances.  Junior Ramon Urena Batista was 2^nd in the 800m (2:02.72) and 1600m (4:37.17).  Sophomore Gavin Sheetz declared himself a member of the talented crop of underclassmen running the 3200m in the county, finishing 3^rd with a 10:08.16.  Junior sprinter Jalik Hill finished 3^rd in the 400m (52.47) and 4^th in the 200m (23.39).  Emanuel Mason continued building on his previous performance in the Shot Put with his top throw measuring 45’9”, placing him 5^th.

Dual Meet Records:

Girls: 3-4 overall, 3-3 in Section 3

Boys: 2-5 overall, 2-4 in Section 3

Recent Results: 

May 1 @ ELCO

Girls: ELCO 113, Northern Lebanon 27 Scoresheet

Boys: ELCO 99, Northern Lebanon 51 Scoresheet

Up Next: The Vikings will finish up on the road at Octorara.  The Octorara Boys are deep, which will create a fair amount of good competition for Northern Lebanon as they prep for Leagues. While their Girls are not quite as deep, they are talented in many areas and will challenge the visitors to do their best.

Top Male Performances Through May 5

Girls Update: Milton Hershey created a challenge for the Lady Cougars, but Palmyra did their thing to earn the victory. Sophomore sprinter Delaney Miller did not win an event, but her 3^rd place in the 100m and 2^nd place in the 200m helped to break up what would have otherwise been a Milton Hershey sweep of the sprints. Once the middle distance/distance events started, Palmyra fared much better.  Sophomores Ellie Schaffer (800m) and Avery Rohrer (3200m) earned wins, while junior Abby Berarducci led a Palmyra sweep of the 1600m. Also leading a sweep was senior Olivia Appleby who threw 127’2” to take 1^st in the Javelin, ahead of teammates Sofie Price (So.) and Xerena Topos (Sr.). In terms of picking up points in the throws, Vanessa Flores (Sr.) took 1^st in the Discus.  Cali Halbleib (Sr.) ran her season-best time to win the 100m High Hurdles, while Carmen McConaghy (Jr.) won the 300m IM Hurdles.  In both races, it was freshman Isabella Temple who finished 2^nd, experience she used when she went on to win the 300 IMs at Thursday’s LebCo Championship Meet.  Against the Spartans, senior Pole Vaulter Kaylie Groff cleared 11’6” to win, while fellow senior Lydia Stoner won the High Jump. For Stoner, she went onto clear 5’4” and win gold at the County meet.  As a team, Palmyra finished 2^nd at the County Meet.

Boys Update: Milton Hershey was all that stood in the way of Palmyra repeating as the Keystone Champion. In taking a quick glance at the results sheet, you may quickly take note that the Spartans put forth quite the challenge . . . you may even think that perhaps Milton Hershey won the meet given the number of 1^st places they were able to nab.  However, Palmyra’s talent and depth overcame this threat, allowing the Cougars to celebrate at the end of the day. In terms of depth, Palmyra took 1^st place in 8 individual events, with all of them being won by a different member of the black and orange. As with most of the season, it was sophomore Tyler Burgess and junior Jonathan McDannell going 1-2 in the 300 IM Hurdles to take key points. This is the same order they finished to win gold and silver in the 110m High Hurdles at the LebCo Championship meet two days later, with Burgess also winning the 300 IM Hurdles.  Senior Jose Morales won the 200m and freshman Cornelius Cummings took 1^st in the 3200m.  While those were the only 1^st place performances, there were several 2^ndand 3^rd places that allowed the Cougars to rack up points.  It was in the Field, where they steadily broke away.  Mason Bucks (Jr.) went 14’6” in the Pole Vault to lead a Palmyra sweep of the event.  Jonathan Beam (So.) did the same in the Javelin with his winning throw of 129’5”. Eli Becker (Sr.) took 1^st in the Discus, then finished 2^nd just behind 1^st place winner Andrew Manning (Jr.) in the Shot Put.  Randy Nihm (Sr.) also cleared 5’10” to win the High Jump.  After winning the Keystone Division on Tuesday, then finishing 2^nd in the Lebanon County Championship, the Palmyra Boys again used their depth to win the team title at Saturday’s Blue Streak Relays.