On Apr. 22, 2023, State High’s girls track team attended an invitational meet at Shippensburg University.

According to senior Marlee Kwasnica, this meet was highly selective; there were time standards to determine who could attend. “[Going into the meet], I was really excited because as I said it was our first big invitational of the season and it’s just a good chance to see where we’re at, like test our fitness, and get some good racing in,” Kwasnica said. 

Throughout the meet, the team ran some outstanding events. In the steeplechase, freshman Devon Jackson placed 3rd and senior Marlee Kwasnica placed 4th. Steeplechase is a 2000m event with hurdles and one water jump distributed throughout each lap.

There were other outstanding performances as well. The girls’ 4×1 had a top score, and Kwasnica placed 3rd in the 1600.

Many runners were satisfied with their teammates efforts. “[Watching my teammates compete] I was so proud of them, I was supporting them, especially because my event was the first event so I could just relax and cheer for everyone,” freshman Molly Dell said. 

As the meet progressed, Dell experienced some nerves but mostly wanted her teammates to do their best. Dell shouted out her parents, coaches, and the other people who motivated her. 

However, the meet did come with some challenges.“There was a bit of an incident where it was storming a lot and so they postponed the meet for like two hours and we were like sitting in the tent and we were sitting on the bus for a long time. We were a little bit upset about that but it was also fun. We had a fun time,” Kwasnica said.

The stormy conditions didn’t prevent the girls from giving it their all. Runners Dell and Kwasnica reported on their team’s positive energy during the meet, describing the good energy, high spirits, and cheers, as the girls supported each other all the way up to their victory.

“I was pretty excited because we had been watching the scores the whole meet being like, “Oh hey wait we can win, this is kind of cool”, and then at the end when we actually did, it felt really good. It’s different to win an invitational, so that was pretty fun and we got a plaque so that was cool,” Kwasnica said. 

When Dell talked about her experience with the team, she used the words “It’s like a second family,” proving how supportive everyone there was.

Kwasnica agreed with this sentiment. “I love my teammates and I love the whole girls’ team. I feel like we really are supportive of each other, it’s something I’ve seen a lot this year. I have tons of friends in the team, like most of my friends are on the team so it’s really exciting to watch them compete, and even people in other events it’s always cool to see what they are doing, also I just love to run and compete, it’s fun,” Kwasnica said. 

As the season progresses, the girls track team prepare itself for championship season, hoping to continue its success.