Multiple State College athletes competed at the Indoor Track and Field State Championships on March 1 at the Penn State Multisport Facility in an electric atmosphere.
The boys team took 21st overall but had multiple individuals shine. The girls took 33rd and also had some great individual performances and relays.
The best individual performance came from junior Luke Bradbury, who took third in the one-mile run. He finished with a time of 4:17.76 and earned six points for the boys team. Fellow junior Theo Oppermann took sixth in the 3000-meter run with a time of 8:28.81, a new personal best for him.
Oppermann talked about the work that he and the team have put in to be so successful.
“We put a lot of mileage in. At some points, we would get it close to 70-mile weeks. So it’s a lot of just running on the ground, cross-training as well,” Opperman said.
Oppermann added that it’s easy work, but necessary to get to the level he and his teammates are at. He also credited his coaches for helping him progress over the years as a runner.
“The coaches, Coach Artie [Gilkes], Coach D [Rebecca Donaghue], Coach [Chris] Cipro, they’re really good at developing us,” Opperman said.
In the field events, senior Josie Younkin had a great performance in the high jump and tied for fifth place with her highest jump at 1.65 meters. In the triple jump, freshman Saige Cunningham finished in 10th place and earned a personal best, with her furthest jump coming in at 11.11 meters. Senior Landon Bassett took 12th place in the long jump with a best of 6.65 meters.
Head Coach and jumps coach Artie Gilkes spoke about the difference between field events and the other events.
“It’s not a one-shot deal; you have to kind of warm up for every attempt,” Gilkes said. This poses a unique challenge for the athletes as they must stay locked in even while not competing over a long period of time.
The relays were very exciting, and the whole crowd was locked in on each lap, creating an amazing environment for the meet. The girls team of junior Kamille Peachy, sophomore Lauren Craft, freshman Alyssa Woskob, and junior Sadie Kocher came in sixth with a time of 1:43.59 in the 4×200-meter relay. In the 4×400, the girls came in ninth with a time of 4:02.53 and a team that included senior Jordyn Wilson, Craft, sophomore Evelyn Younkin, and Kocher. In the 4000-meter distance medley relay (DMR), the boys team of junior Kyle Fritzsche, senior Matt Morningstar, sophomore Dexter Walker, and Bradbury took 12th place with a time of 10:31.73.
Distance coach Rebecca Donaghue said the weather has hindered their training and preparation for meets.
“We’ve had a rocky season with weather keeping us from going outside and training,” Donaghue said.
She said she is very impressed with the athletes because of all the things they have had to deal with that are out of their control. Looking ahead to the spring track and field season, Donaghue outlined goals for the boys and girls teams.
“On the girls side, taking back the district title, getting as many as we can at the state meet. And boys, you know, going after the state title,” Donaghue said.
The teams certainly have a lot of potential, and it was shown throughout this meet with many great individual performances. This meet marked the end of the indoor track season, and the spring outdoor track season will now begin. The teams’ first meet is at home on March 24 against Central Dauphin.
