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Northwest’s Matt Saxe and Hanover Area’s Asad Whitehead claimed state medals Friday morning when the PIAA Track and Field Championships got underway at Shippensburg University.
Saxe finished fourth in the javelin and Whitehead was eighth in the long jump in Class 2A boys.
After being the only Class 2A boy in the state with a throw of more than 200 feet at a district championship, Saxe went in as the event’s top seed. He placed fourth with a throw of 180-3 in the finals.
Whitehead jumped 21-2 1/4, continuing his successful debut year in the sport as a junior.
The top eight in each event earn medals and team points.
Whitehead won two District 2 titles. He’ll be back in competition in the triple jump when the second half of field events are contested Saturday.
The conclusion of the state championship meet also includes finals in track events – and semifinals in the shortest races – after all but the 3200-meter run conducted a round of qualifying Friday.
The Holy Redeemer girls 1600 relay team won its heat and clinched a medal as long as it completes Saturday’s Class 2A final.
Carly Cavanaugh, Faith Sekol, Kalie Quaglia and Karissa Spade finished in 4:01.69, second-best out of 25 teams, but well behind top-seeded Neumann-Goretti from Philadelphia.
Abby Paczewski from Dallas reached the 1600 final in Class 3A. She qualified 11th of 24 to make the 12-girl final where she will try to make it to the top eight.
The 1600 relay was part of a big day for Holy Redeemer’s Spade.
Spade and Coughlin’s Rafael McCoy each reached the semifinals in two events. Nazir Dunell from Meyers and Alondra Church from Dallas made one semifinal.
Semifinal heats will cut the contenders from 16 to the eight finalists early Saturday.
Dalton Yeust from Tunkhannock tied for ninth in the pole vault and Michael Anderson from Dallas was 10th in the shot put in Class 3A boys, coming the closest to medaling among Friday’s other WVC field competitors. Isabella Popson from Hanover Area tied for 10th in the Class 2A girls high jump.
TRACK QUALIFYING
3200 relay: Lake-Lehman, 15th of 26, 2A girls, 10:22.09; Holy Redeemer, 16th of 27, 2A boys, 8:23.17.
110-meter high hurdles: Nazir Dunell, Meyers, T5th of 28, 2A boys, 14.75.
100: Karissa Spade, Holy Redeemer, T3rd of 25, 2A girls, 12.42; Jakiya Kroon, Pittston Area, 30th of 31, 3A girls, 12.86; Starmel Haskins, GAR, 19th of 38, 2A boys, 11.24; Rafael McCoy, Coughlin, 11th of 32, 3A boys, 10.88; Henry Polanco, Hazleton Area, 21st of 32, 3A boys, 11.08; Shawn Sheptock, Berwick, T22nd of 32, 3A boys, 11.11.
1600: Abby Paczewski, Dallas, 11th of 12, 3A girls, 5:20.52.
400 relay: Lake-Lehman, 21st of 24, 2A girls, 51.80; Northwest, 22nd of 24, 2A girls, 52.20; Pittston Area, 21st of 34, 3A girls, 49.84; Coughlin, 25th of 28, 3A boys, 44.78.
400: Madison Dewees, Holy Redeemer, 19th of 25, 2A girls, 1:01.27.
300 hurdles: Arianna Walker, Northwest, 13th of 24, 2A girls, 47.62; Nazir Dunell, Meyers, 2A boys, false start.
800: Anna Capaci, Holy Redeemer, 17th of 23, 2A girls, 2:26.75; Madison Dewees, Holy Redeemer, 20th of 23, 2A girls, 2:43.06; Dominic Capaci, 26th of 26, 2A boys, 2:13.76.
200: Karissa Spade, Holy Redeemer, 6th of 26, 2A girls, 25.83; Alondra Church, Dallas, 14th of 27, 3A girls, 25.68; Rafael McCoy, coughlin, 7th of 27, 3A boys, 21.90.
1600 relay: Holy Redeemer, 2nd of 25, 2A girls, 4:01.69.
FIELD FINALS
High jump: Isabella Popson, Hanover Area, T10th of 27, 2A girls, 5-2.
Shot put: Madelyn Resciniti, Wyoming Area, 22nd of 30, 3A girls, 34-11 ¼; Michael Anderson, Dallas, 10th of 25, 3A boys, 51-10 ¾.
Long jump: Asad Whitehead, Hanover Area, 8th of 24, 2A boys, 21-2 ¼; Arianna Walker, Northwest, 21st of 24, 2A girls, 15-8.
Javelin: Matt Saxe, Northwest, 4th of 24, 2A boys, 180-3; Aaron Hummer, Hanover Area, 11th of 24, 2A boys, 163-8; Sarah Salus, Lake-Lehman, 15th of 25, 2A girls, 104-0.
Triple jump: Najese Hood, Meyers, 25th of 28, 2A boys, 41-10 ¾.
Pole vault: Dalton Yeust, Tunkhannock, T9th of 25, 3A boys, 14-0.