On Sunday, the annual Pennsylvania Track & Field Coaches Association (PTFCA) Indoor State Championship took place at Penn State University. To qualify for the meet, an athlete must have made the qualifying mark in an indoor meet this season. SIX Lebanon County athletes did just that and were selected to compete in this prestigious event. The efforts of those athletes resulted in four medals being brought home from Happy Valley.
A season ago, Cedar Crest Kaddel Howard burst onto the scene by winning the 400m as a freshman. She then went on to win the event during the Outdoor season. On Sunday, the sophomore earned her third State Championship in the event, winning the race with a 54.93. The time was much faster than the 55.57 that carried her to victory in 2023. Shortly after, Howard ran the 200m and earned a bronze medal with a time of 24.62.
Howard was not the only LebCo athlete to medal at this year’s State Championship. Palmyra’s Mason Bucks, who as a wrestler medaled at the South Central Regional Championship on Saturday, battled injury to compete in the Pole Vault. He finished 5th with a top height of 14’6”. Teammate Jacob Burgess finished 7th in the Long Jump, marking a top leap of 21’9.5”.
Below is a list of all the performances from our local athletes. Please join us in congratulating them on a job well done and wishing them the best of luck as they will now prepare for the Outdoor Track & Field season.
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Girls Results
Cedar Crest
Kaddel Howard, Sophomore
400m: 54.93 1st place
Howard ran her first lap in 25.61 before closing in 29.32 on her way to winning her second staight Indoor State Championship and her third overall. The next closest competitor ran a 55.32.
200m: 24.62 3rd place
Howard was just .03 out of 2nd place, as she was just a hair behind Mimi Duffy of CB West. The winning time in the event was a 23.73 run by Avery Lewis of Friends’ Central, who repeated as champion.
ELCO
Makenna Haas, Junior
Triple Jump: 35.9.5″ 12th place
Haas used her third and final jump to log her longest distance, placing her just out of reach of the finals.
Boys Results
Lebanon
Ramon Urena Batista, Senior
800m: 1:59.87 18th
Urena Batista opened the race with an impressive 56.05 through the first 400m (2 laps). He went on to break the 2:00 barrier in the tough conditions that the indoor environment offers.
Palmyra
Mason Bucks, Senior
Pole Vault: 14’6″ 5th place
Bucks finished 11th in this event last year before placing 2nd at the Outdoor State Championship. This year, despite being injured, he improved his height by a full foot over what he did at this meet in 2023.
Jacob Burgess, Junior
Long Jump: 21’9.5″ 7th place
Burgess used consistent jumping to earn a medal. Earning his spot in the finals gave him a total of six attempts. Three of the last four were his highest totals, as he went 21’9.5″, 21’9″, and 21’8.5″.
Tyler Burgess, Junior
60m Hurdles: 8.34 11th place
During the 2023 Outdoor season, Burgess earned two medals in the hurdle events. Indoor hurdles however can be very fickle. His 8.34 placed him just out of reach of the finals. An 8.29 would have qualfied him for the next round. With that said, his time would have placed him 5th in the finals. While he didn’t medal, look for Burgess on the podium once again in May.
