Schuylkill Haven, PA - May 15, 2024: Coming off their stellar Eastern Pennsylvania Conference and Colonial League performances last week, the Parkland High School boys and girls, and the Notre Dame Green Pond High School boys and girls, excelled at the PIAA District XI Track & Field Championships Tuesday and Wednesday at Blue Mountain High School. However, the “home field” advantage for the Schuylkill County teams may have had something to do with their teams stepping up and making a statement in many events. Also of note were the records that fell, especially late in the day on Wednesday when the track sizzled as the lights came on. The Parkland boys had an athlete, or athletes, place in 11 events. Parkland’s Andrew Beers led the way with three gold medals, winning both hurdle events, including a new DXI record in the 300’s, and along with teammates Alex Kelchner, Nate Janukowicz, and Tyler Rothrock, won the 1600 meter relay, also setting a new record with a time of 3:20.62. Janukowicz also won gold in the 200 meter dash. The Parkland boys owned the distance races, placing 2nd, 3rd, and 4th in the 1600 and taking 1st and 2nd in the 3200; Ethan Willard won the 3200. And, Parkland’s Julius Reyes, with a throw of 160-00, took home the gold in the discus. In other AAA boys action, Nazareth’s Gio Mastromonaco won both the 800 meter run (1:52.93) and the 1600 meter run (4:16.85). Joey Flail of Schuylkill Haven won the 100 meter dash (11.01) and Blue Mountain won the 4x100 relay and the pole vault. The Parkland girls won all three relay events and placed high in five different events to standout from the pack. Lana Hurwitz won two gold medals, the 800 meter run and as a member of the 1600 meter relay team. In AAA girls, Maggie Scalzo of Easton stayed perfect, winning both hurdle events. Alena Murray of Stroudsburg won the AAA 100 meter dash and the high jump, while teammate Lindsey Pelaez won the triple jump. Southern Lehigh’s Alexandra Lea won the AAA 200 meter dash (24.64) and placed 2nd in the 400 meter dash, a race that saw Stroudsburg’s Julia Grant blaze to a new record in 55.54. Emma Shafinsky of Nazareth leaped to 17’6.5” on her final attempt to win the gold in the long jump. Rosalind Gergely of Blue Mountain won both the shot put and javelin. Notre Dame Green Pond’s AJ Sasso led the AA boys, setting a new record in the 800 meter Run (1:54.53) and the team as a whole placed athletes in seven events, including Joe Phillips who won the 100 hurdles in 14.78 and the winning 4x800 relay team. Bethlehem Catholic’s Robert Williams won the 200 meter dash in a blistering 21.89, setting a new AA DXI record in the event. Matthew Machalik of Palmerton won the 100 meter dash, Alek Gorski of Nativity BVM won the 400 meter dash, Duke Ebert of Allentown Central Catholic won the 1600, and Albin Petschauer of Marian Catholic won the 3200. The Notre Dame Green Pond girls placed athletes in 10 events, 6 of them being gold medals. Savina Steele led the NDGP girls as she won both hurdle events, the 400 meter dash, and ran a leg on the winning 4x400 relay. Steele gets our vote for MVP of the meet. Lauren Bower of NDGP won the 800 meter Run and the NDGP 4x800 relay won the gold. Hailey Jenkins of Catasauqua and Viktorya Luckenbach of Pine Grove went back and forth in the sprints, with Jenkins claiming the fastest girl on the track (regardless of AAA or AA) by winning the 100 meter dash in 12.28 (pictured below) and Luckenbach winning the 200 meter dash in 24.62 (pictured below). Anna Schaeffer of Schuylkill Haven won both the 1600 and 3200 meter runs. Palmerton was aces in the AA jumps as Emma Snyder (high) and Nataly Walters (long and triple) swept the events while Northwestern Lehigh dominated in the weights and the pole vault.
