Cohen, Rosenberger earn medals
Throughout the season, Wyomissing junior Addie Cohen had one goal for the 3200: break 11 minutes.
Cohen achieved her goal on the biggest stage, running a career-best 10:52.04 to finish third in Class 2A on the second day of the PIAA Track and Field Championships on at Shippensburg University.
“It was very exciting,” Cohen said. “I just wanted the highest medal possible.”
Cohen earned the bronze, one of two female athletes from Berks to win medals on Saturday. Berks Catholic junior Julia Rosenberger finished eighth in the Class 3A high jump.
“I was very happy with it,” Cohen said. “I pushed through it.”
Cohen entered the 3200 as the No. 16 seed. She also finished ninth, one position shy of a medal, in the 800 with a time of 2:19.28, tying a career-best mark.
“We’re ecstatic,” Spartans distance coach Erik Uliasz said. “She had a banner year.”
After finishing second in the 1600 on Friday, Cohen ended the weekend with a medal in both her primary events. She set a program record in the 1600 of 5:00.51 on Friday. She was the only Berks girl to win multiple medals.
“Phenomenal,” Uliasz said. “It might have been the greatest female distance performance in my coaching career, which goes back 25 years, and maybe in Wyomissing’s history.”
Cohen finished seventh in the 3200 at last year’s state championships. She did not earn a medal in the 1600.
“I was really calm this week,” Cohen said. “Last year, I was a nervous wreck. Just being really calm and in control mentally was really important for me this weekend.”
With her junior season in the books, Cohen heads into her senior year with confidence — and some hardware.
“I’m proud of myself,” Cohen said “It was a really great weekend.”
A year ago, Rosenberger finished sixth in the Class 2A high jump at the District 3 meet, coming one spot shy of a berth in the PIAA championships.
She redeemed herself on Saturday, finishing eighth in the Class 3A high jump to earn her first state medal.
“It means a lot to me,” Rosenberger said. “My sister did high jump, and I just followed in her footsteps.”
Competing at the state championships for the first time in her career, Rosenberger placed with a jump of 5-4, tying a career-best. She entered the event as the No. 5 seed.
She is the younger sister of Michaela Rosenberger, who also competed in high jump and graduated from Berks Catholic in 2020.
“It’s a rivalry between me and my sister,” Julia Rosenberger
said. “It makes me feel good.”
With the guidance of her sister and coaches, Rosenberger capped her stellar season with a state medal. She finished fifth in the high jump at last week’s District 3 championships, and won a Berks title in the high jump earlier this month.
“It means a lot,” Rosenberger said. “I had a good season.”