Seymour, Mider take home silver

SHIPPENSBURG » Berks athletes combined to win nine medals on the second day of the PIAA Track and Field Championships, including Wyomissing’s four medals that led them to the team title.

Schuylkill Valley’s Luke Seymour earned his second silver medal of the weekend after finishing the 800 in 1:51.85. Seymour took runner-up to rival Carson McCoy, who finished in 1:51.02 and also bested Seymour in Friday’s 1600.

“Our friendship and competitive spirit grew throughout the two years,” Seymour said. “We keep going back-and-forth down the stretch and so it (our friendship) keeps growing each time we race each other.”

Although not the gold medal-winning finish Seymour wanted to end his high school track and field career on, the senior, who has committed to Penn State, said he is proud of the progress he has made and looks forward to his collegiate running career.

“Knowing I’m getting faster and stronger each and every year is definitely going to help me get a good spot on the Penn State team next year,” Seymour said. “So I’m just happy with my progress each year and I am really happy with the times.

Joining Seymour with a silver medal was Berks Catholic sophomore Brady Mider, who finished second in the shot put behind Wyomissing’s Jven Williams.

“It feels great; the hard work is paying off and I got the job done,” Mider said. “My first couple of throws were a little sluggish, but I got the hang of it. And when Jven popped the bomb, I was feeling it and feeling good. So I went out there and got it.”

Mider, who medaled in Friday’s discus with a sixth-place finish, realized his goal of medaling in both events and now hopes to one day fill Williams’ shoes as Berks’ next gold medal-winning thrower.

“Jven and I worked really hard for this, so it’s paying off,” Mider said. “It’s a great environment. I want to carry the torch and bring it back to Berks County (next year).”

The 3200 relay teams of Twin Valley and Oley Valley followed up on their District 3 victories by each earning a medal.

The Oley Valley 3200 relay team of Jakob Bolig, Aaron Grim, Keith Neal and Joshua Wagner earned fifth in the Class 2A 3200 in 8:15.11.

Wagner anchored the Lynx in the race and said his teammates helped set him up for a strong finish in the final leg.

“It was a great, great setup,” Wagner said. “Jake came out really strong you know, he was put us in a good position. Aaron extended a little lead got in front and Keith stayed in so he gave me a good spot to get a good place.”

After the race, Wagner said he was exhausted by the event but gave it everything he had for his teammates.

“I just gave it all could,” Wagner said. “No regrets.”

As for Twin Valley, the Raiders’ team of David Seel, Frankie DiSilvestro, Ben Meister and Anthony Engle came in sixth in Class 3A in 7:57.43. After the race, Engle and his teammates said that they were proud of how far they came as the team did not expect to do as well as they did at districts, let alone states.

“You know for me it was a really big surprise because coming into districts it wasn’t even really on our radar,” Engle said. “Then we ran a 7:56 at districts and we’re like, ‘Hey, we have a shot to medal and we executed it so its awesome.”

Like Wagner, Engle also credited his teammates’ setup in helping Twin Valley earn its medal.

“I was pretty confident that if they handed off in like seven or eight (minutes) I could bring it home and that’s honestly what happened,” Engle said.

The Raiders are looking to come back even stronger next season as Engle, Seel and Meister will be returning for their senior season.

“That (improving at states) would be awesome,” Engle said.

Rounding out the relay medalists from Berks County was the Wilson relay team of Josh Drake, Spencer Hahn, Nathaniel Diaz and Jonathen Tamayo, which finished eighth in the Class 3A 1600 relay in of 3:21.31.

In the Class 2A 400, Brandywine Heights’ Joshua Sterner finished eighth in 52.45. Sterner, who ran a 50.47 in the prelims on Friday, said he believed he could have done better in Saturday’s race.

“I don’t think I ran the best I could today,” Sterner said. “My legs just weren’t cooperating the way I wanted them to. I ran much better yesterday, but I think yesterday is the reason; just too tired today.”

Also a wrestler for the Bullets, Sterner said that this was his first year competing in track and that the appearance in states was something that he has wanted to do for a long time in either sport.

“At the beginning of last year when I joined track I did not think I was going to be placing in states for track because my main sport was wrestling,” Sterner said. “I always wanted to place in states for wrestling and do all that, but then track came along.

“I started running with Kutztown because we don’t really have a track at our school, so we’re like the best track team without a track. All the coaches really helped me out, Brandywine and Kutztown; great partners, great practice, great everybody.”

With another year of track ahead of him, the junior said he is looking forward to trying to make states again.

“I had the best season of my life; I’m happy to have a medal for sure,” Sterner said. “Had the best season of my life. The 4 by 400 team is awesome, my favorite team ever, and they helped me get here.”