Boys Track & Field: 2023 LebCo All-County Team

It was an exciting season for the LebCo Track & Field male athletes, which resulted in five individual medals and a relay that also medaled.  The talented field made the voting tough, and in most cases the votes were close.  This is not a surprise based on the accolades of so many.  Once the input from the coaches and the fans was taken into consideration, there was only one athlete who was a unanimous selection in his discipline: Sprinter of the Year Gabe Lewis.

As in the selection process on the Girls side, the Sprinter of the Year was also chosen as the top Track & Field athlete.  Therefore, we are happy to announce that Gabe Lewis has been chosen as the 2023 Lebanon County Male Track & Field Athlete of the Year by LebCoSports.com.

We would again like to thank everyone who took time to review the nominees and vote who you thought best deserved to be honored.  This is a tough ask, as there are so many deserving athletes competing for LebCo schools.

For more information on the nominees, you can go back to the nominations by clicking here.

First Team All-County

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

Gabe Lewis – Cedar Crest, Senior

Among Pennsylvania’s 100m runners in 2022, Lewis finished 7^th. Over the course of the next nine months, Lewis worked hard to improve upon that mark during his senior season.  Once he hit the track, he showed that the hard work had paid off and was recording times that were far faster than his junior season.  For the Falcons, Lewis led an extremely fast sprint delegation that made it tough for opposing teams to score during dual meets and giving Crest a huge advantage.  In fact, the Falcons fielded the top three fastest 200m runners in LebCo with Lewis followed closely by Nick Garman and Kyle Rauchut. After Lewis won the 100m and 200m at the Lebanon County Championship Meet, the focus turned to beating McCaskey in the final dual meet of the season.

At McCaskey on May 8^th, Lewis was leading the 100m when he suffered a hamstring injury.  In his absence, Lewis’s teammates continued to impressively compete and Cedar Crest clinched the Section 1 title.  However, the injury put Lewis’s personal goals in jeopardy.  After resting during the Lancaster Lebanon League Meet, Lewis was able to appear at the District 3 Championships in hopes of making it back to States.  Given the amount of racing this would take, there were questions as to if his hamstring would hold.

Not only was his injury a non-issue, Lewis hit the gas at Districts. In the 100m, his 10.78 earned him a bronze medal.  He also a member of the 4x100m that placed 2^nd and the 4x400m that placed 3^rd.  Walking away with three District 3 medals put the injury concerns in the rearview mirror.

At States, Lewis ran his season-best time of 10.67 in the prelims.  In Saturday’s finals, he placed 6^th to take home his 2^nd State medal in the 100m.  While a personal accomplishment, the team accomplishment that came later in the day may have been more meaningful.  The 4x100m team that consisted of Leo Tirado, Rauchut, Garman, and anchored by Lewis finished 3^rd. Their time of 41.89 as the fastest time in the history of the Lancaster Lebanon League.  The foursome ran together one last time at the New Balance National Meet held in June at Franklin Field.  At that meet, they finished 19^th, winning their heat by .01 in exciting fashion. Lewis will now continue racing in Philadelphia when he attends Saint Joseph’s next season.

Distance Runner of the Year

Landon Hostetter – Annville-Cleona, Sophomore

Hostetter has developed himself into the area’s top distance runner in a crowded field of talented, young 3200m runners.  He won the Lebanon County Championship in the 3200m and then showed that he was ready for a bigger stage when he ran a PR at the District 3 Championships.  His silver medal winning time was 9:48.79, the best among all LebCo Boys. At that meet, he also picked up a second silver in the 1600m.  At States, Hostetter went onto finish 25th in the 1600m (4:34.81) and 23rd in the 3200m.  With a lot of high school races remaining, Hostetter’s work ethic and drive to compete will continue to push him to new limits.  His journey will be worth watching, beginning with the upcoming cross country season.

Hurdler of the Year

Tyler Burgess – Palmyra, Sophomore

Burgess asserted himself as the top hurdler in the Mid Penn Conference, taking gold in the 110m High Hurdles and the 300m IM Hurdles.  He then turned his attention to Districts, where he finished 4^th in the 110m and took bronze in the 300m.  Qualifying for States in both events, he showed that he still had more to prove, saving some of his fastest runs for the biggest stage.  This resulted in Finals appearances in both events, walking away with a 7^th place medal in the 110m High Hurdles and a 6^th place medal in the 300m IM Hurdles.  His season best times were 14.63 and 38.95, both the fastest among all LebCo Boys. He undoubtedly benefitted in training daily with junior Jonathan McDannell, who ranked 2^nd among all LebCo Boys in the High Hurdles.  Considering his current trajectory and the fact that Burgess still has two more years left, you can expect to hear more about him standing on podiums and collecting medals.  It will just be a matter of what color those medals will be.

Jumper of the Year

Noah Gunderson – Annville-Cleona, Senior

In 2022, Gunderson finished his junior being the best High Jumper at the Lancaster League Championship Meet and the District 3 Championship Meet, before placing 5^th place at the PIAA State Championships.  Unfortunately, a quad injury slowed his return to competition in 2023.  While frustrating as a senior, he returned to full strength late in the season, poised to use his skills to make another solid postseason run. At the Lancaster Lebanon League Meet, Gunderson cleared 6’6” to win his second straight league title. He then defended his District 3 crown by clearing 6’7”.  At States, he repeated the high- flying acrobatics in clearing 6’5” and earned a silver medal.

Thrower of the Year

Colin Daub – ELCO, Senior

Daub put together a fantastic senior campaign, winning the Discus at Henderson Invitational as a precursor to taking home gold at the Lancaster Lebanon League Championships. At Districts, he had a top throw of 150’7”, finishing 9^th.  This throw was nearly 7’ longer than the 2022 measurement that got him into States.  Daub’s top throw of 155’9” in the Discus came at Leagues and was the best by any LebCo thrower by over 22’. He won the Lebanon County Meet in both the Discus and Shot Put, while also placing 5^th at Leagues in Shot.  Daub will continue throwing next season when he attends Shippensburg University.

Second Team All-County

Sprints: Jose Morales – Palmyra, Senior

Distance: Cornelius Cummings– Palmyra, Freshman

Hurdles: Ethan Heisey – Cedar Crest, Senior

Jumps: Mason Bucks – Palmyra, Junior

Throws: Dylan Groff – Cedar Crest, Sophomore

Link to the Nomination Descriptions

All-County Honorable Mention

Sprints: Jalik Hill – Lebanon, Junior

Distance: Ramon Urena Batista – Lebanon, Junior

Hurdles: Luke Macchione – ELCO, Junior

Jumps: Reed Fretz – Cedar Crest, Senior

Throws: Eli Becker – Palmyra, Senior