Chucks track/field places first at Altoona Invite on rainy day of competition
ALTOONA — The Punxsutawney Chucks track and field team traveled to Altoona for the Mountain Lion Invitational on a rainy Friday, which was the team’s last invite before Districts.
Out of 14 AA teams, the Chucks placed first with a score of 104 points, while fellow District 9 team Kane (101) came in second.
Along with taking first place in the team standings, Punxsy had two relay teams and 12 individuals finish in the top-eight places.
“This invitational has traditionally been our last big tune-up before Districts, and judging by our performance, we are ready,” said Punxsy boys coach Jason Grusky. “I don't believe we've ever won this meet as a team before, so this is a major accomplishment for these young men."
Taking first place in both the 110-meter hurdles (16.34) and 300-meter hurdles (44.44) was senior Tyler Elliott, while the 4x100-meter relay team of Grant Miller, Isaac Greenblatt, Zach Presloid and Brett Dean also took first with a time of 46.13. Also, Evan Groce took first in the 800-meter run with a time of 2:06.79.
In the 4x800-meter run, the team of David Kunselman, Garrett Bartlebaugh, Eric Surkala and Groce raced to second with a time of 8:56.71, placing behind Kane (8:44.92). In the 100-meter dash, Dean came in second with a time of 11.35, and Matthew Grusky had a throw of 40-01.50 in the shot put for second.
Isaac Greenblatt dashed to third in the 200-meter dash with a time of 24.25, and in the long jump,
Presloid took third with a mark of 18-03.
In the high jump, senior Kyle Nesbitt placed fourth with a mark of 5-02, while Greenblatt raced to fourth in the 100 dash with a time of 11.86. Also, Grusky (102-03) came in fourth in the discus.
Ryen Heigley placed fifth in the long jump with a mark of 17-11.50, while Daniel Lenze raced to fifth in the 3,200-meter run with a time of 11:25.21.
In the javelin, Greg Poole had a throw of 108-09, while Bryce Horne was behind him in eighth
Photos submitted with a throw of 94-11. Presloid (34-10.50) placed eighth in the triple jump, and in the 400-meter dash, Alex Momyer took eighth with a time of 56.12.
Besides those top-eight finishes, Dean (100 dash), Momyer (400 dash) and Lenze (3,200) also had seasonal-best finishes.
"It's pretty amazing that any athlete could achieve a seasonal-best performance on a cold soggy day, but it's a testament to this group and their ability to focus on the task at hand and block out the things they can't control,” added Grusky.