Nanticoke jumper Nevaeh Baran and Dallas javelin thrower Hunter Pitcavage each earned top seeds in the PIAA Track and Field Championships with their performances in last week’s District 2 Championships.
Baran is the top seed in the triple jump after going 39-11 on the way to district gold. She is also third in Class 3A girls in the long jump.
Pitcavage is seeded first in Class 3A boys.
Athletes are seeded for the meet at Shippensburg University Friday and Saturday based on their efforts in 12 district championships around the state.
Baran’s triple jump was more than a foot longer than any of the other 27 competitors that qualified to compete at Shippensburg. Her long jump of 19-1¾ ranks third out of 27 in that event.
Pitcavage threw the javelin 214-7, nearly 12 feet longer than the second-best around the state and more than 20 feet ahead of the third seed.
After Baran, District 2’s best other contenders in Class 3A girls are in the high jump where Jaida Underwood from Wilkes-Barre Area and Grayce Grazio of Crestwood are tied for 10th out of 29.
The top eight in each event earn state medals and team points.
District 2 is well-represented in the throws in Class 3A boys.
Wallenpaupack’s Ryan Vargo is one of four to qualify in the discus and is seeded third. Joel Vazquez from Hazleton Area is seeded seventh and Ben Gravine from Wyoming Area is 11th.
Lucas LoPresto from Pittston Area is another of the four District 2 qualifiers, all from the WVC, in the javelin. He is seeded eighth. Caden Newswanger from Tunkhannock and Owen Oldt from Dallas go in 18th and 21st out of 29.
Timothy Leonard from Wilkes-Barre Area is the top WVC threat on the track. He is seeded 11th in the 200 and is also entered in the 100 and 400 relay.
District 2 has several contenders in Class 2A boys, led by the Dunmore boys team, including top 400 seeded Jacob Costanzo and multi-event distance runner Kendel Jones from Elk Lake.
Lake-Lehman leads the WVC entries with Bodhi Cronin seeded fifth in the 800 and one of the runners on the fourth-seeded 3200 relay.
District 2 qualified seven runners in the 800, the winner and six others who met the state standard for the event.
Jones leads the way as the second seed.
Bodhi Cronin is followed by twin brother Finn Cronin, who is 13th, and Holy Redeemer’s Joshua Cackowski, who is 14th. Stephen Martin, another of the Lake-Lehman middle distance runners, goes in with the 20th-best time.
Finn Cronin is also 12th in the 300 hurdles.
Michael Fritz from Northwest came through District 4 and is sixth in the 3200 and eighth in the 1600.
The Lake-Lehman girls are seeded sixth in the Class 2A 3200 relay.
Mid Valley freshman Olivia Thomas enters as one of the state’s top all-around athletes. She is first in the long jump and triple jump, third in the 100 hurdles and part of a contending 400 relay team that is ranked 11th.
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