By Bethany Day
On Monday, May 11, and Tuesday, May 12, the Wallenpaupack varsity track and field team traveled to the Scranton High School Memorial Stadium to race at the district championship. The team has been working all season to be at the spot they are in currently, having achieved multiple accomplishments over the past three months. With how the season has been moving, the Buckhorn athletes had no fear and were once again trying to prove themselves. They very much proved themselves, as the boys’ 1600 relay team broke the school record.
On the first day of districts, the sprinting athletes, along with field events, all had to go through a prelim. The prelim helps decide which athletes will be able to race, or throw, the next day and have a chance of going to states. The races started at 3 pm, with the first event being the 100, which was run by sprinters Libby Brennan, Marianna Tubolino, Izael Rodrigues, and Edward Kiesendahl. Sadly, none of them moved on to finals, but all ran amazing times. The 3200 relay was next, with the Lady Bucks, a team that consisted of Isabelle Wisner, Kelcie Fillebrown, Isabelle Maslowska, and June Brown, placing third overall. The boys, which held, Orson Whitehouse, Jordan Bermudez, Dawid Mrowka, and Aiden Janowicz, placed first place, meaning that they will go to states as a team.
Breanna Brandt, Kassandra Herbert, and Reagan Shepard raced in the100 hurdles, with none of them being able to race the next day. However, the girls put up a fight in the 300 hurdles, with them placing 12 (Brandt), 14 (Herbert), and 21 (Shepard). Zayden Lamfers, Matt McCloskey, and Ben Cumberland raced in the 110 hurdles. Although they worked hard and raced fast, they could not make it to the next round. Jacob Rafferty and Ben Cumberland continued to race in the 300 hurdles, with Rafferty placing 6 overall, and Cumberland getting 20. The 200 was after hurdles, which Libby Brennan, Marianna Tubolino, Izael Rodriguez, and Bryce Pagano raced in. Brennan, Rodriguez, and Pagano all moved onto the next day, which would help them decide if they could race at states. The last event of the first night was the 3200, which was run by distance runners Bethany Day, Olivia Lojewski, Chase Predmore, Daniel Salinas, and Christopher Tufaro. The distance crew ran amazing times, with Day placing 13, Lojewski placing 14, Predmore ranking 12, Salinas followed after Predmore in 13, and Tufaro ranked 15. Although they all ran amazingly well, they could not move on to states.
May 12 was the second, and last day of districts. The first event with a Wallenpaupack qualifier was the 1600, which Isabelle Wisner finished sixth in. Aiden Janowicz, Chris Smith, and Chase Predmore also ran for the 1600, with Janowicz qualifying for states with his first-place spot. Smith placed 10, and Predmore placed 15. The 400-relay followed, with our lady buckhorns, Victoria Latek, Marianna Tubolino, Lillian Williams, and Libby Brennan, placing 8. Bryce Pagano placed first in the 400, which gives him a spot to head to states. Dawid Mrowka and Eli Hoot also ran the 400, with the boys getting fourth and seventeenth. Violet Hildebrand, Shannon Jaycox, and Jessieann Gallagher all ran the girls 400, with the ladies getting 13, 15, and 16.
June Brown got first place in the girls 800, with a time of 2:17, which is a new personal record. Brown is also the only lady buckhorn that is going to States this year, which is a huge accomplishment for Brown. Janowicz, Bermudez, and Whitehouse followed with their 800 after, placing first (Janowicz), 10 (Bermudez), and 15 (Whitehouse). After the distance events, the 200 followed, with Brennan ranking 6, Pagano placing 7, and Rodriguez ranking 8.
For the ladies field events, Lillian Williams placed 6 in the high jump, Sophia Valerie ranked 13 in the pole vault, Nadia Blume placed 2 for the discus, and Alexandra Spritzle placed fourth in Javelin. The boys had Nicholas VanBuskirk ranked fourth, Dawid Mrowka placed 8 in long jump, and Evan Huber placing 6 for discus. Ryan Vargo proved himself once again and got first in discus with a throw of 176-4, reviving him a spot to also head to states with the rest of the Buckhorns.
The last event of the night was the 1600 relay. The girls’ team, holding Violet Hildebrand, Shannon Jaycox, Isabelle Maslowska, and June Brown, finished in second place. The boys’ team, hosting Izael Rodriguez, Aiden Janowicz, Bryce Pagano, and Dawid Mrowka, placed first place. However, they did not only place first, but they also beat the Wallenpaupack school record for the 1600 relay! The boys have been working towards that goal all season, and not only did they achieve that goal, but they also get to go to states as a team!
This season was fulfilled for both the boys and girls. They both became league champions; this year’s athletes have broken many records. The team worked hard for everything this season, and it showed. We can not wait to see how our track and field team does next year and let us hope those streak goes on for a while.
