Wyoming Area’s Drew Mruk, center, stands atop the podium after winning the gold medal in the Class 2A javelin event at the PIAA Track and Field Championships on Friday in Shippensburg.
                                 Tom Robinson | For Times Leader

Wyoming Area’s Drew Mruk, center, stands atop the podium after winning the gold medal in the Class 2A javelin event at the PIAA Track and Field Championships on Friday in Shippensburg.

Tom Robinson | For Times Leader

Wyoming Area junior

wins PIAA Class 2A

javelin with big throw

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SHIPPENSBURG — Drew Mruk took the lead on his second javelin throw.

The Wyoming Area junior expanded his advantage on the fourth attempt.

By the time he stepped up for his last throw, Mruk already had a state championship secured. All that was left was to chase history.

Mruk unleashed a career-best throw for the second straight competition, but unlike last week’s record-setting effort in the District 2 Championships, the final throw of 211-9 fell short of establishing another meet record.

“When I was getting ready, I tried to envision everything I did last week and just transfer it into this week,” Mruk said. “It worked – and I gained a foot, too.”

With uncertainty overnight about whether the meet would start on time or even be able to be held Friday because of the call for hours of thunderstorms, Mruk avoided distraction. He was ready as part of the first wave of athletes competing when the meet started, as scheduled, at 9 a.m.

“I didn’t even think about it last night,” Mruk said. “I actually slept pretty well, fell asleep at 10.”

Mruk came in as the top seed and lived up to it.

After one throw, he was second to Ligonier Valley’s Miles Higgins, the only other thrower to surpass 200 feet.

Mruk wound up winning with a throw that ranks among the top 10 in the nation by high school athletes this season, according to milesplit.com.

“This means everything,” Mruk said. “All the hard work, even the hours put in during the offseason, this feels great.”

Wyoming Area, which swept Wyoming Valley Conference Division 2 boys and girls titles this season, made an immediate impact.

The Class 2A girls 1600-meter run was the first race to be completed, resulting in the first medals awarded at the two-day meet.

Madelyn Keating from Wyoming Area placed third, leading three District 2 runners to the medal stand.

“Good way to start the meet,” said Keating, who goes after two more medals Saturday as the third seed in the 3200 and as part of the eighth-seeded team in the 3200 relay. “First race of the state meet; first race of the day; my only race today.

“I’m thankful to be on the medal stand. I’m really happy with how I performed.”

Keating dropped her personal best and the school record by several seconds to finish in 5:02.27 and put within reach the possibility of next season becoming the first Wyoming Area girl to break five minutes in the 1600.

“I was super close to that,” Keating said.

The medal was the first in track for Keating, who earned one in cross country as a sophomore.

The effort was the start of a big day for the Warriors.

Mruk followed with his title later in the morning.

Aaron Crossley was one of three Class 2A boys and five total District 2 sprinters to make the final in the 100-meter dash. He qualified eighth with a time of 11.29 seconds.

Nico Sciandra, a state medalist last year, missed by one place of returning to the finals in the 300 hurdles, taking ninth.

The Warriors have two more shots besides Crossley Saturday.

Mruk is seeded 11th in the shot put.

Rocco Pizano, the only District 2 boy competing in four events, is tied for the 12th seed in the triple jump.