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SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. – Levi Prementine was seeing double on Saturday, as the Slippery Rock junior took home is second state title, winning the 300 hurdles of 38.19, part of a banner performance for the Rockets.
Prementine’s teammate, Eli Anderson, was third in the 300s with a time of 38.35, with both times smashing Prementine’s previous school record.
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Tyler Arblaster was sixth in the 400 for the Rockets with a time of 50.19 (Josh Stolarski of Penn Cambria one in 49.09) and the 4×400 relay team of Prementine, Anderson, Arblaster, and Sam Schwartz was second only to Montoursville (3:23.81) with a time of 3:24.72
Put it all together and Slippery Rock finished in second place in the team standings in Class 2A with 40 points, trailing only Danville Area (45).
“It puts us on the map,” Prementine said. “It makes everyone look at Slippery Rock and be like that’s the competition we have to go against.”
And as far as his second gold is concerned?
“It’s great,” he said. “To get another one feels amazing.”
Anderson said that his teammates all push each other to be better.
“We push each other a lot in practice,” Anderson said. “Especially at all these different meets, we’ve been able to push each other and try to get better.”
See Prementine and Anderson’s full interview:
The Rockets were the headliner, but there were other notable performances from D10 athletes on Day 2 as well, including Lakeview’s Erika McGowan, who was third in the pole vault, clearing 11’6”. Lily Carlson of Bermudian Springs clearing 12’ 0” to take gold.
“My back has been killing me the whole entire week, but you just have to power through it,” McGowan said. “You’ve got to really tune it out and can’t let it bother you.”
See McGowan’s full interview:
The defending state champion in the Class 3A long jump, Hickory’s Luca Bertolasio, didn’t win gold this time around, but still found his way to the podium with a seventh-place finish of 21’9”. Emmaus’ Kyle Moore took first at 24’5 ¼”.
“I’m glad I made it here one last time,” Bertolasio said. “Obviously I didn’t do how I wanted to but at the end of the day it is what it is. I can’t hang my head about it I just have to look forward to what I have coming up in the future.”
See Bertolasio’s full interview:
That future includes St. Bonaventure University, where Bertolasio will join the Bonnies’ baseball team next season.
Ka’nai Bey-English of Mastery Charter North crossing the finish line first in 55.11.
Elsewhere on the track, the Greenville 4×800 relay team of Josie Lewis, Peyton Davis, Sarah Daly and Karis McElhaney, running in the slower of the two heats, finished sixth in 9:41.98, an event won by Central Columbia in 9:27.90. McElhaney went on to finish sixth in the 800 in 2:19.14, while Fairview’s Isabel Owens was fourteen 2:18.42, an event won by Kate Moncovage in 2:14.33.
The North East boys 4×800 relay team of Lucas Boyd Aivan Vargas Riley Kordes and Kameron Chadsey finished fourth in 8:04.31, an event won by Williamson in 7:59.73.
Sharon’s Ondrea Young was third in the 100 hurdles (15.23), an event won by defending champ Taleea Buxton of West Catholic in 14.12, while Grove City’s Abbey Nichols was third in the 300 hurdles (46.16) and Young fifth (46.55), an event won by Camryn Pyle of Midwest (45.03).
Also for the girls, Mercer’s Willow Myers was seventeen the 3200 (11:07.77) an event won by Jolena Quarzo of Brownsville in 10:21.29.
In the field, Reynolds’ Grace Bresnan was third in the triple jump at 37’0”, with Nataly Walters of Palmerton winning at 38’11”.
For the boys, Nick Krahe of Harbor Creek was fourth in the shot put with a throw of 52’1″, with Gian Greggo of Pen Argyl winning the event with a throw of 57’7″.
The only other 3A athlete to medal besides Bertolasio was Cathedral Prep’s Luke Brown, who was seventh in the 800 in 1:54.79, an event won by Aidan Hodge of Hempfield at 1:52.16.
