On March 2, the State High Indoor Track and Field team competed at the PTFCA Championships, showcasing its hard work and stamina from its recently concluded indoor track season. The team competed in 13 different events at the championship, held at the Penn State Multisport Indoor Facility.
Many of the qualifiers completed in relays, a group effort to have speed, power and most importantly the drive to win. Teamwork is crucial for success in a relay, especially at the state level.
One standout group was a 4×200-meter relay team of Landon Bassett, Hank Lustig, Jesse Myers and Seamus Babcock. Bassett, a junior, spoke about the challenges of teamwork after a key teammate was unable to compete.
“It’s shown how far everyone’s been able to come,” Bassett said. “Even though we don’t have our best guy, he still plays a big part in our team, we’ll always have someone there.”
Babcock, who was unable to compete in his event due to an injury, played a major role in his team’s success by supporting them and cheering them on.
Although teamwork plays a major role in the way the track and field team competes, the ability to run and perform still means the world to its members.
“The best memory of the meet has been still being able to run even when one of our best guys couldn’t,” Bassett said.
Similarly, Lustig, a junior, reflected on the positive aspects of competing at the state level.
“My best memory is just being around everyone on the team,” Lustig said. “It’s a really nice atmosphere here, and it’s great to compete in front of all of these people.”
The team thrived at the championship, with several athletes delivering standout performances against some of the best competitors in Pennsylvania.
Myers, who competed in the boys 60-meter and 200-meter, topped the leaderboards, placing second and first place, respectively. His first-place finish set a meet record, at 21.08 seconds.
Sibling duo Isaac and Theo Oppermann competed in the boys 3,000-meter event, placing fourth and ninth, respectively.
Other top performances included junior Josie Younkin, who finished eighth in the girls high jump; senior Sanai Abdullah, who placed fifth in the girls long jump and sixth in the girls triple jump; and senior Adam Bell who secured second place in boys pole vault.
Senior Brooke Shellenberger shared her highlights of the season.
“Training with my teammates has been really fun this season,” Shellenberger said.
Her team, the girls 4×800-meter relay squad, which included Devyani Wadhia, Evie Younkin, and Devon Jackson, finished third.
“My best memory was probably just after my race when I got to hug my teammates,” Shellenberger said.
Three other teams earned second-place finishes: the girls distance medley relay (12:24.04), the boys distance medley relay (10:18.38), and the boys 4×800-meter relay (7:52.59).
Overall, the boys team finished second and the girls team finished sixth. As the Penn State Multisport Indoor Facility boomed with cheer, joy and support, athletes from across the state came together–not just as competitors, but as a track and field family.
