JEFFREY REINHART jreinhart@LNPnews.com
Just one Lancaster-Lebanon League athlete struck gold on the final day of the PIAA Track and Field Championships on Saturday at Shippensburg University.
Annville-Cleona’s Andrew Batula won the boys’ Double-A high jump title with a clear of 6-10, bringing home the L-L League’s lone gold in the entire two-day meet.
Just one other L-L League participant earned a top-three individual finish on Saturday: Elco’s Kayleigh Perry took the silver in the girls’ Double-A 1,600-meter run (5:03.26).
In the track events, five L-L League entrants earned a fourth-place finish – Warwick’s Alli Mannon in the girls’ Triple-A 3,200 (10:53.45); McCaskey’s Emily Dresser in the girls’ Triple-A 100 (12.19); Hempfield’s Kori Meshaw in the boys’ Triple-A 300 hurdles (39.00); Cocalico’s Kyle Fisher in the boys’ Triple-A 200 (21.95); and Conestoga Valley’s Vince McNally in the boys’ Triple-A 1,600 (4:13.37), where the Penn State recruit failed to defend his state title in the final event of his illustrious career.
Lancaster Catholic’s Kaitlyn Diffenderfer earned a sixth-place finish in the girls’ Double-A 200 (26.00); McCaskey’s Robert Dixon was seventh in the boys’ Triple-A 100 (10.94); Columbia’s Erica Gilbert was eighth in the girls’ Double-A 100 (12.48); and Manheim Township’s Ben Scheetz was ninth in the boys’ Triple-A 800 (1:55.66).
Cedar Crest’s boys’ Triple-A 1,600 team turned in the best relay performance among L-L League entrants, claiming the bronze in 3:18.11. Hempfield took seventh in the same event (3:22.45), while Columbia also earned seventh in the same event in Double-A (3:27.02).
Two relay teams earned fifth-place finishes – McCaskey in the boys’ Triple-A 400 (42.70) and Cedar Crest in the boys’ Triple-A 3,200 (7:48.27), while Warwick took eighth in the girls’ Triple-A 3,200 relay (9:21.00).
Meanwhile, in the field finals, the L-L League had a pair of fourth-place finishers – Penn Manor teammates Jocelyn Witmer in the girls’ Triple-A pole vault (11-6) and Alie Girvin in the girls’ Triple-A discus (133-11). Garden Spot’s Tynesha Faust took seventh in the girls’ Triple-A discus (126-3).
A pair of sixth-place finishes to report – Lancaster Catholic’s Amanda Young in the girls’ Double-A shot put (39-4 ¾) and Manheim Central’s Jack Iosue in the boys’ Triple-A javelin (193-9).
And Lampeter-Strasburg’s Quinn Staley finished tied for 10th in the boys’ Triple-A pole vault (14-0).
As for the team titles, Swenson from District 12 repeated in girls’ Double-A; Wilmington Area from District 10 won boys’ Double-A; Methacton from District 1 won girls’ Triple-A; and Altoona from District 6 won boys’ Double-A.
In girls’ Triple-A, Garden Spot finished 11th and Penn Manor finished 21st.
