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SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. – A pair of District 9 relays took PIAA silver in Class 2A at the track and field championships on Saturday – the Brookville boys 4×100 team and the Elk County Catholic girls 4×800 team.
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Brookville, with the team of Brayden Kunselman, Hayden Freeman, Nick Shaffer and Jack Pete entered as the top seed going into the finals and did what they wanted to do, running sub-43 in 42.95, but Conemaugh Township, featuring 100 and 200-meter state champion Ethan Black, bested them with a personal best time of 42.51.
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This marks the fifth consecutive year that the Brookville 4×100 team has medaled at states.
“That’s something you don’t see every day, so kudos to them,” Kunselman said of Conemaugh’s performance. “The 4×1 is such an exciting event, and just to be a part of that legacy, that’s something we’ll hold onto forever.”
Black won the 100 in 10.55, while Kunselman was fifth in 11.24.
See the Brookville 4×1’s full interview:
Brookville’s relay wasn’t the only one that shined, as the Elk County Catholic squad of Sophia Billie, Sami Straub, Gianna Billie, and Grace Neubert finished second with a time of 9:31.15, a personal best. Central Cambria won with a time of 9:27.20.
Neubert ran the anchor leg not long after her fourth-place finish in the open 3200 with a time of 10:55.44. Jolena Quarzo of Brownsville won the event with a time of 10:21.29.
The second-place finish was an improvement upon the sixth finish the same team from the Lady Crusaders had a year ago.
“Our team goal was to get back to states,” Straub said. “ It’s the same team, so we wanted to do as best as we could. We knew coming in that it was going to be challenging. All season we’ve worked hard pushed ourselves each race, and get momentum coming in here. We’ve raced big teams, so we knew this was going to be the same thing.”
See the team’s complete interview:
Kane’s Ricky Zampogna, who just missed the medal stand a year ago with a ninth place finish in the triple jump, came back this time around and finished third with a leap of 43’9 ¾”. CJ Simbiri of Delaware County Christian won, going 46’3 ½”.
“I felt pretty good coming into it,” Zampogna said. “I wanted to place a little higher but was happy with what I got. I worked pretty hard to get here. After my finish last year, I wanted to get a medal. This place is awesome. I love coming here. Everyone cheers for everyone and it’s cool to see all the records broken.”
See Zampogna’s full interview:
Coudersport’s Kevin Sherry, who was disappointed with his finish in the 1600 after failing to reach the medal stand Friday, came back and placed eighth in the 3200 with a time of 9:23.60. Danville’s Rory Lieberman won the event in 9:08.28
“I was pretty upset about yesterday,” Sherry said. “I just want back, chilled out for a while, thought about how I was going to race today, and then came out and just ran.”
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Redbank Valley’s Mylee Harmon, the defending state champion in the Class 2A girls 400 meters, finished fourth with a time of 58.17, with Ka’nai Bey-English of Mastery Charter North crossing the finish line first in 55.11.
In the shot put, Redbank Valley’s Cam Wagner, after medaling in the discus on Friday, finished sixth with a throw of 51 feet, with Gian Greggo of Pen Argyl winning the event with a throw of 57’7″.
Elsewhere in the field, it was Punxsutawney’s Grant Miller tying for sixth in the pole vault, clearing 13’9”. Andrew Layton of Waynesburg Central cleared 15’3” to win.
