Pennsylvania’s track and field postseason is set to kick off.
For area teams, the first step in that process begins with Saturday’s Mid-Penn Championships, set to be held at Chambersburg’s Edwin H. Sponseller Track & Field Complex.
The host Trojans will be looking to compete for team titles, while two other squads from the Local.News1 coverage area — Waynesboro and Greencastle-Antrim — each boast several athletes who could compete for medals.
We’ve selected this start-studded event as our Meet of the Week.
In the weeks and months to come throughout the high school sports season, we plan on spotlighting multiple teams and sports with our Meet of the Week. Any big upcoming games or meets we should know about? Send suggestions to Andy Sandrik via email at [email protected].
Mid-Penn Track & Field Championships
Start time: Saturday, 9 a.m., at Edwin H. Sponseller Track & Field Complex, Chambersburg
What’s at stake: The entire Mid-Penn Conference, 31 teams, will be in attendance with athletes vying for medals. This meet also serves as a last opportunity to qualify for the District 3 postseason.
Meet the Tribe: Two Waynesboro girls — Jaeda Dockman and Breanna McIlquham — are seeded in the Top 8 of their respective events … Dockman is seeded No. 2 in the high jump with a leap of 5-4 and will be challenging top-seeded Josie Younkin of State College, who checks in with a seed height of 5-6 … Dockman will also be competing in the long jump, an event where she is seeded eighth (16-11.75) … McIlquham will be aiming to make maves in both hurdles events. She’s seeded seventh in the 300 hurdles (48.65) and 10th in the 100 hurdles … Alie Briegel will have a busy day on the track. She is seeded ninth in the 400, 10th in the 100, and 14th in the 200 … Camryn Bonner is the No. 9 seed in the pole vault, while Ella Dingzon checks in as the 17th seed in the shot put … Medal hopes for the Waynesboro boys rest on the shoulders of thrower Ben Williams, who is seeded fifth in the javelin (169-4), ninth in the shot put (48-4.5), and 16th in the discus … A handful of other Tribe athletes will be aiming to improve upon their seeds, including Gabe Blake (15th, 300 hurdles), Joshua Lynch (15th, pole vault), Owen Shockey (17th, 100 hurdles), and Devin Barger (17th, 3,200).
Meet the Blue Devils: Jaylynn Schmuck has been making headlines for the Greencastle girls for her recordbreaking efforts in the triple jump. She landed a hop, skip, and leap of 36-11 at the Route 16 Last Chance Invite earlier this week to not only break the Blue Devils school record, but also establish herself as the No. 4 seed for Mid-Penns … Schmuck is also seeded No. 4 in the long jump (17-3) … Kadence Abbott is the ninth-seed in the 300 hurdles (48.90) … Greencastle has two relays that could contend for a spot on the awards stand: The 4×100 (7th seed) and 4×800 (11th) … A number of other Blue Devil girls will be looking to improve upon their seed, including Emily Angelini (14th, high jump), Anna Sullivan (15th, 400), Aqueelah Houge (16th, 100), and Caroline Barnes (17th, discus) … On the boys side, the Greencastle athlete with the best chance to medal is Spencer Long, who is seeded No. 8 in the 200 (22.34) … Other Blue Devil boys that could make a splash include Logan Bohrer (11th, 3,200), Noah Parks (11th, 800), Joel Amstutz (14th, 800), and Joe Lofton (16th, pole vault).
Meet the Trojans: Chambersburg has visions of crowning a team champion in front of the home crowd on Saturday. The Trojans fell just short last season with the boys taking second and the girls placing third … Senior sprinter Blake Mallast will be aiming for the podium in both the 200 and 100, events where he is seeded first and third, respectively … Jon Dawe, a junior seeded second in the 300 hurdles, will be seeking a podium finish, as will Chambersburg’s fourth-seeded 4×100 relay squad … Dominick Onomastico is the seventh seed in the 3,200 (10:13.74), while Trever Luther (long jump) and Luke Mertz (pole vault) both enter their events as No. 8 seeds … Speedster Antonio Harrison II will be a threat to medal in the 100 (8th seed) and 200 (12th) … Other Trojan boys aiming for a spot on the awards stand include Aiden Alleman (9th seed, 1,600), Julian Clark (14th, 1,600), Jude Grillo (14th, shot put), and Kaden Rife (16th, 1,600) … All three of Chambersburg’s relays — the 4×800 (2nd), 4×100 (4th), and 4×800 (7th) — are seeded in the Top 8 … Alaina Morris, a senior pole vaulter, is the biggest medal threat for the Trojans as she is seeded second with a vault of 11-6 … Sienna Scott and Mikaela Sistrunk, both seeded fifth in the high jump with a height of 5-1, will challenge the rest of the Mid-Penn, and each other, for medals … Natalie Quinn is seeded sixth in the 3,200 (11:39.10), while Maddie Holtry is the No. 7 seed in the 400 (1:02.88) … A number of other Chambersburg girls will be looking to improve upon their seeds and land a spot on the awards stand, including Madelyn Koons (9th seed, 3,200), Addyson Brubaker (10th, 200), Cameron Bender (10th, javelin), Serafina Richards (11th, discus), Olivia Coy (11th, triple jump), Jaxin Frazer (12th, long jump), Marlee Jackson (14th, 100 hurdles), and Addison Zimmerman (15th, long jump).
