SPARTANS, PANTHERS AHEAD OF THE PACK
Girls: Ziska sets a school record in the long jump to help Schuylkill Valley tie Wyomissing for title
Senior Madison Ziska etched her name into the Schuylkill Valley record books on Saturday.
Ziska scored 18-1.75 in the long jump, breaking the school record and winning the event before earning two more gold medals to help lead the Panthers track and field team to a share of the girls title in the Panther Invitational at Leesport.
“(It’s) amazing,” Ziska said. “The second I landed that jump, I started crying because I just knew.”
Ziska broke the school record of 1710.5, a mark shared by herself and Erika Miller. Ziska tied the school record at last year’s Panther Invitational.
Ziska also won the 100 at 12.93 and the 200 at 25.71, completing the sweep in her three individual events. She served as the anchor on the Schuylkill Valley’s 400 relay team, which finished third at 53.27.
“I’m actually really proud of myself,” Ziska said. “It’s very exciting.”
Ziska helped the Panthers earn 36 of their 101 team points and a share of the girls title. Schuylkill Valley shared the championship with Wyomissing, which also scored 101 points.
“It means a lot,” Panthers co-coach Allyson McKechnie said about the win. “We’re not as deep (as last season), but the performances we get are great.”
Senior Jadyn Heck-Hoppes was another bright spot for Schuylkill Valley, serving as the anchor on the Panthers’ 3200 relay team that finished first at 10:27.38 and on the 1600 relay team that finished second with a season-best 4:26.33.
“I’m happy for everybody,” HeckHoppes said. “I’m really proud of our team today.”
Heck-Hoppes finished fourth in the 800 with a career-best 2:32.09 and seventh in the high jump at 4-8. She helped account for 25 of Schuylkill Valley’s 101 points.
“It felt good to come in and at least get a personal record today,” HeckHoppes said. “With it being my senior year, I’m happy we’re hitting the personal records here (at home).”
Aside from the Panthers, co-champion Wyomissing was led by junior Cadi Hoke, who was the Spartans’ lone winner with a first-place finish in the 800 at 2:20.97. The Spartans garnered team points with a slew of second- and third-place finishes.
Conestoga Valley finished third with 91.5 points, while Wilson placed fourth among the 13 participating teams with 88 points. Senior Kara Brown performed well for the Bulldogs, as she won the high jump at 5-0, finished second in the 100 hurdles with a career-best 15.90 and placed third in the 300 hurdles at 50.83.
“It means a lot to me,” Brown said about setting a personal record in the 100 hurdles. “I’ve been working pretty hard for this season.”
Wilson’s other event winner was senior Grace Mangold in the 1600 at 5:32:28. Mangold’s teammates, Caryn Rippey and Katie Dallas, did not compete Saturday after running in the Penn Relays earlier in the week.
“It was exciting today to win a race,” Mangold said. “It just made me really happy.”
Coming off an ankle injury, Gov. Mifflin senior Annika Ermold won the shot put at 38-11 and the discus at 121-0. Her two wins on Saturday were preceded by a victory in the shot put last week at the Leonard Stephan Invitational.
“I wasn’t really sure what the trajectory of my season was going to be,” Ermold said. “To be up here competing to my highest level and still be- ing able to win just feels really good.”
Other Berks winners included Ella Ahner, who ran a 1:01.94 for Tulpehocken in the 400; Michaela Burkey, who ran a 12:58.40 for Berks Catholic in the 3200; Katelyn Murphy, who ran a 15.80 for Conrad Weiser in the 100 hurdles; Eren Tighe, who ran a 50.55 for Conrad Weiser in the 300 hurdles; Jillian Avadanian, who threw a 100-10 for Berks Catholic in the javelin; and Hayden Adams, who scored an 8-7 for Exeter in the pole vault.
Other winners were 400 relay, Conestoga Valley (Hallie Schnapf, Isabella Johnson, Alondra Montijo-Ortiz and Mae Linder), 50.37; 1600 relay, Con- estoga Valley (Mae Linder, Veronica Santamaria, Isabella Johnson and Kylynn Frankford), 4:21.35; and triple jump: Devin Hubler, Minersville, 36-9.75.