Girls Track & Field: 2023 LebCo All-County Team

With the high level of competition displayed by LebCo’s female Track & Field athletes throughout the spring season, narrowing it down to name the top in each discipline was not an easy task.  As a result of the impressive resumes of so many athletes, the voting was tight.  However, once the votes were tallied, there were two unanimous selections that included Kaddel Howard (sprints) and Lizzie Lowe (distance), both of Cedar Crest.

In addition to being named the Sprinter of the Year, we are proud to also announce that Kaddel Howard has also been named as the 2023 Lebanon County Female Track & Field Athlete of the Year by LebCoSports.com.

When looking at the list below, you may notice that some of the selections appear twice.  This speaks to the versatility and overall athleticism of some of the talented young women who compete for our local teams.

One final note, as we would like to thank everyone who took time to review the nominees and then vote.  For more information on the nominees, you can go back to the nominations by clicking here.

First Team All-County

Lebanon County Female Track & Field Athlete of the Year / Sprinter of the Year

Kaddel Howard – Cedar Crest, Freshman

For the young Howard the list of accomplishments amassed during her first year of varsity track is as equally long as it is impressive.  It ended with her winning gold in the 400m at the PIAA State Track and Field Meet with a time of 53.50, setting a new Lancaster Lebanon League record.  In that race, she beat her next closest challenger by 1.33 seconds.  Earlier in the day, she was a member of the Cedar Crest 4x800m team as they finished with a 7^th place medal.  After solid runs by her teammates Eliana Schneider, Lizzie Lowe, and Grace Tadajweski, Howard ran a blistering 2:14.78 anchor leg to cap off the event.

The week prior, she broke the District 3 record in the 400m in taking 1^st place.  The 4x800m also took home District silver.  During the season, Howard also set the Lancaster Lebanon League record in the 200m with a 24.01, which was run at the Lebanon County Championships. She also set a Cedar Crest record in the 100m with a season-best run of 11.7.  She would have brought home additional hardware, but Howard missed the Lancaster Lebanon League Championships due to injury concerns.

With her win at States, Howard joined Wendy Nelson as the only Cedar Crest females to win outdoor track & field gold (Nelson won the 1600m & 3200m in ’86). If our research is correct, Howard also became the first female from Lebanon County to win an individual gold medal since 1991 when Palmyra’s Heather Reifsnyder did so in the Javelin.  Annville-Cleona’s Andrew Batula was the last male when he won the High Jump in 2008.  The lesson here is that it is not easy to win a State Championship, something that Howard has now done with three years of high school remaining.

Distance Runner of the Year

Lizzie Lowe – Cedar Crest, Junior

Lowe had an outstanding junior campaign, ending it with a State medal for her role ­in the Cedar Crest 4x800m Relay Team’s 7^th place finish. This performance broke the team’s own school record set earlier in the season.  Lowe’s season best open 800m time of 2:20.7 was the best run by a LebCo female this season.  In the two-lap event, she finished 10^th at the District 3 Championships after winning bronze at the Lancaster Lebanon League Championships. At the Lebanon County Championships, she won the 800m while also placing 3^rd in the 400m.

Hurdler of the Year

Jacey Hentz – ELCO, Senior

The Mount Saint Mary’s bound Track & Field star is a versatile athlete, with the Hurdles being just one discipline where she excels.  Her 100m High Hurdle skills earned her a silver medal at the Lancaster Lebanon League Championships, as she was involved in a photo finish just .01 seconds behind the winner.  Hentz went onto compete in the event at Districts, placing 16^th.  It is worth mentioning that she did qualify for States in two other events, the Pole Vault and the Long Jump.

Jumper of the Year

Mileyska Calderon – Lebanon, Senior

In earning a 4^th place medal in the Long Jump at States, Calderon won what is believed to be Lebanon’s first female to accomplish this feat.  She picked a strange year to do it, as Lebanon was without pits throughout the season due to construction.  However, her hard work resulted in a career-best jump of 18’3.25” when it mattered most.  This broke her own school record of 18’1”, which she had measured when she had won the Black Knight Invitational earlier in the season.  It will be worth watching to see what Calderon will do when she arrives on Millersville’s campus next season, as they will have runways on which she can practice daily.

Thrower of the Year

Samantha Nelson – ELCO, Senior

For those paying attention to her progression throughout the season, they would have noticed that Nelson seemed to be consistently getting better each week.  This consistency paid off, as she won two medals at the PIAA State Track and Field Championships.  Her 132’8” throw in the Javelin was her best throw of the year and it won her a 4^th place medal.  In the Discus, Nelson placed 8^th. At the Lancaster Lebanon League Championships, she placed 2^nd in the Discus and 4^th in the Javelin before finishing 5^th and 3^rd in those events at Districts.  With the way she ended her high school athletic career, Nelson will be one worth watching as she plans to continue competing at Southern Utah.

Second Team All-County

Sprints: Kendall Cooper – Annville-Cleona, Sophomore

Distance: Mackenzie Stellmach – Annville-Cleona, Freshman

Hurdles: Isabella Temple – Palmyra, Freshman

Jumps: Jacey Hentz – ELCO, Senior

Throws: Eliana Schneider – Cedar Crest, Freshman

Link to the Nomination Descriptions

All-County Honorable Mention

Sprints: Mileyska Calderon – Lebanon, Senior

Distance: Abby Berarducci – Palmyra, Junior

Hurdles: Shannon Dorsey – Cedar Crest, Sophomore

Jumps: Eliana Schneider – Cedar Crest, Freshman

Throws: Olivia Appleby – Palmyra, Senior