Above: Olivia Cieslak is stunned after winning the 1600m, Photo by Phil Grove
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SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. - The second day of the 2023 PIAA Championship is underway. Throughout the day, we'll be keeping you updated with our Snap Recap.
Saturday Events
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AA Girls 3200m
Jolena Quarzo successfully completes the distance double and sets the tone early for the day 2 of championship competition. She defended her title from last year just off of her record time after winning in 10:21.29. From start to finish, Quarzo led the way but Delaney Dumm was stuck to her hip and took second in 10:30.46. These two would really push the pace for most of the race and Quarzo only started to pull away with 800 to go. Addie Cohen was in charge of the next closest pack and brought in a third place finish in 10:52.04.
AAA Girls 3200m
Logan St. John Kletter storms to gold and a new PIAA record in 10:12.86. She took the race straight from the start line and brought it home leading a large pack the whole way. Kletter dropped the hammer on the bell lap with a final 400 of 1:07.78. Natalie McLean took home second place in 10:14.99. Harley Kletz jumped from fifth to third on her final lap with a time of 10:19.71.
AA Boys 3200m
Nobody could catch Rory Lieberman in an all out sprint to the line. He took it out from the start and brought home the gold in 9:08.48. Liebermann fended out off a good effort from Logan Strawser who took second place in 9:09.29. Lieberman and Strawser would blaze there last 400 in sub 60 efforts. Jaxon Schoedel would claim third place in 9:15.66.
AAA Boys 3200m
Absolute fireworks in the AAA boys 3200m. The top 3 finishers all broke the PIAA record.
Yet, only one can be named record holder and champion. Brian DiCola comes back in the 3200m setting a new PIAA record with 8:47.39.
Drew Griffith would set the pace at the start of the race. But Matthew O'Brien, Ryan Pajak, and DiCola would all go with him. At the bell, DiCola would leave it all out there with a gutsy push into first place. He closed in a 58.11 400m and claim gold. Pajak moved from fourth to second and would follow DiCola running . He finished in 8:48.20. Griffith held onto third place with 8:52.20.
AA Girls 100mH
It was Taleea Buxton all the way. She was gone from start to finish in this hurdle race winning it in a scorching new wind legal PIAA record of 13.80.
Ava Rebuck took the battle for second in 15.10 and Samantha Wechsler took third in 15.34.
AAA Girls 100mH
It was a close one in the AAA but Macaela Walker comes out victorious. She was the only girl to make it under the 14 second mark after she won it in 13.94. Walker returns later today with the 100m.
Ryleigh Marks gets second in 14.11 and Damira Allen gets third in 14.27.
AA Boys 110mH
Antonio Votour comes out on top in the battle for the AA 110mH title. He would took at it the line in a winning time of 14.28. Jon Wess gets second after being right behind in 14.44.
AAA Boys 110mH
Tyrese Washington runs the fastest time of the day after running 14.01 and earning himself a gold medal in the AAA division. Bernard Bell gets second in 14.29. Demetrius Bell rounds out the top three after running 14.43.
AA Girls 100m
Tatum Norris completes the title defense in the 100m. She fends off the rest of the competition and gets the victory in 12.19. Kaila O'Connor would keep the pace for second in 12.27. She just edged out Viktorya Luckenbach who took third place in 10.28.
AAA Girls 100m
Back to Back... to Back. What else is there to say about Laila Campbell?
Campbell raced the clock today and was just shy of her own PIAA record. She won the gold in 11.56 and will return later today for a second title defense in the 200m.
The 110mH champion, Macaela Walker, returned in the 100m and earned herself a silver medal 11.92. Amirah Nesmith, the freshman, gets a third place finish in 11.92.
AA Boys 100m
Ethan Black continues his short sprint domination. From the gun, he took off out of the blocks and never looked back. Black rolled to victory by way of a 10.55.
Jackson Clarke chased Ethan Black down the runway and secured a second place finish of 10.75. Third place went to Adam Petersen in 11.03.
After the nerves settled, Lex Cyrus emerged as your champion and the entire heat featured sub 11 second finishes. He ran 10.67 while running into a slight head wind in a gold medal effort.
The freshman, Kason Besecker, battled his way to a second place finish after running 10.71. He just edged out Lavar Jackson who would also run 10.71.
AA Girls Shot Put
The girls shot put was a battle between two of the top throwers in the state. Sasha Garnett won the event on her fourth attempt. She'd have the biggest throw of the day by over a foot after throwing 45-5.75.
Justley Sharp was yesterday's discus champion. She doubled back today with a second place finish after throwing 44-7.25.
Emily Jackson was the next closest thrower after a third place finish with a best throw of 39-11.75.
AAA Girls Discus Throw
Ella Lucas dominates the discus throw on day 2. She had the best throw of the day by over 8 feet. She threw 163-9 a new personal best on her fifth throw, which would be her final of the competition. That'll be a new state lead and rank within the top 15 of the country.
Elizabeth Tapper gets second place with a 155-8 throw on her final attempt. Third goes to Ericka Jackson with 145-5.
AAA Girls High Jump
Six bars cleared later, Niya Jeffers stands above the rest of the competition as the high jump champion. She was the only competitor to clear 5-7 on her second attempt at it.
Sydney Jones cleared 5-6 on her first attempt and had some close attempts at 5-7. She'd get 2nd place.
There was a tie for third as Katie Becker and Grayce Grazio both cleared 5-5.
AA Boys Triple Jump
Your champion in the AA triple jump for 2023 is CJ Simbiri. He had the best jump of the day on his fifth attempt with 46-3.5.
Derek Bergin earned himself a silver medal after jumping 44-10.75 on his third attempt. While third place went to Ricky Zampogna after he jumped 43-9.75 on his first jump of the day.
AAA Boys Long Jump
Kyle Moore leaps his way to champion status. He wins the competition on his final jump of the day with a major jump of 24-5.25. Terryece Phillips was in control up until that point but he gets second with his best jump of 23-3 on his first attempt.
Third place goes to the triple jump champion JJ Kelly. He jumped himself into third on his last attempt with 23-1.5.
AAA Boys Javelin Throw
Peter Bellomo seizes the day and gets an upset victory in the javelin throw. He throws a huge PR of 214-3 to get the gold medal.
Drew Mruk throws his way into second place with 208-3 on his second throw. Thomas Flud Jr gets a third place finish with 199-2.
AA Girls 4x800m
The girls of Central Cambria were successfully able to defend their championship title. They moved into the first position after the second leg and never looked back from there winning it in 9:27.90.
AAA Girls 4x800m
From start to finish, J.P. McCaskey owned the 4x800m. They bolted to the front right from the gun and would be the first to exchange every single hand off. They had the fastest time of the day in 9:05.09.
AA Boys 4x800m
An underdog victory and a sub 8 minute effort for the boys Williamson. They entered the competition as the fifth seed and after gutsy relay legs later they are your champions in 7:59.73.
AAA Boys 4x800m
An absolutely electric race from start to finish and Penncrest emerges as your victors. Shane Hall, Ben Holst-Rightley, Brendan Hefferan, and Rory Mcafee take the victory in 7:45.15.
Cumberland Valley would be the first team to exchange the baton but Penncrest's and South Fayette's second legs ran fine splits to get them into the first and second positions respectively. The two teams would battle it out for the next few legs and Penncrest would only get some separation at the final exchange. By the bell, Penncrest was running away with it and 1:54.66 anchor leg would bury it.
State College was on the outside looking in but they snuck a third place finish in from the first section after they won it in 7:48.47.
AA Girls Pole Vault
A few hours of competition later and Lilyana Carlson emerges as your victor. She cleared 12-0 on her final attempt at the height.
Adeline Woodward, Erika McGowan, Aurora Cieslukowski would all clear 11-6 and finish 2nd, 3rd, and 4th respectively.
AA Girls 4x100m
Taleea Buxton sets the rest of the ladies up with a nice first leg and West Catholic runs away with the victory. Paris Talley, Syniah White, and Ayana Wilson are able to bring it home in 48.14.
Central Columbia runs 48.31 for second and Somerset Area 48.93 for third.
AAA Girls 4x100m
It came down to the line and a few hundredths of a second. An upset victory for the girls of North Penn. They win it on the anchor leg with Isabell Fiore and run the fastest time of the day in 47.12.
J.P. McCaskey just barely get nipped at the line and run a second place time of 47.16. The girls of Chester get third place with 47.65. Cheltenham in fourth with 47.69.
AA Boys 4x100m
If there is one thing that Ethan Black has taught me today, it is the simple fact that he is one thing that is inevitable in track and field. Garrett Tunstall, Cameron Dunn, and Jonathan Updyke get the baton around with smooth hand offs and Black reels in the rest of the competition to bring home gold for their squad. Conemaugh Township run 42.50 in their championship effort.
Brookville Area run 42.95 for second and Wyomissing Area run 43.29 for third.
AAA Boys 4x100m
Chambersburg had it in the bag as soon as the starting gun went off. Kason Besecker just won second in the 100m and he starts them off extremely well, making up the stagger within the first few steps. JJ Kelly, the great jumper, gets it next and Blake Mallast gets a smooth exchange. Antonio Harrison II brought it home down the back stretch and the Chambersburg boys run 41.49.
Susquehanna Township
run 41.88 to get second place. Cedar Crest comes from lane 7 to get third place in 41.89. Emmaus also run sub 42 and get fourth in 41.92.
AA Girls 400m
Ka'Nai Bey-English took it out fast and she was gone after the first 100m. She stormed away from her competition and hit the back stretch all by herself. She wins the AA 400m in 55.11.
Tori Atkins runs a great race and gets second place in 56.41. Viola Clay gets herself a third place finish after running 58.09.
AAA Girls 400m
Kaddel Howard. She may be just a freshman but she's PA's queen of the 400m. She showed everybody exactly why today after winning the 400m in 53.50.
Ava Alexander took it out well, easily running the best first 200m amongst all of the competition. She had the stagger made up on Howard and was leading it coming into the final 200m. But Howard hit the jets. She pulled away as they hit the back stretch and it was all over. Alexander, champion triple jumper, gets second in 54.88.
Mimi Duffy brings in a third place finish after running 55.12.
AA Boys 400m
Last year Josh Stolarksi made the PA state meet but didn't make it out of the heats. This year, he has arrived. He wins it in a new personal best of 49.09.
AAA Boys 400m
Luke Coleman has arrived. He comes to the state meet and straight handled business. Perhaps one of the best performances of the whole competition so far. He took out the 400m fast and brought it home event faster with a 47.26. Gold for Luke Coleman and a 4x400 still to come.
Jesse Myers runs an impressive second place race with 47.81. Colin Kravitz rounds out the sub 48 times with 47.85.
Boys AAA Discus Throw
Peyton Murray wins the discus throw by beating the rest of the competition by over 8 feet. He throws 185-9 in a gold medal effort. Matthew Arnold will finish the day in second place with a nice throw of 177. Matthew Sarnowski gets third with 175-4.
Girls AA 300mH
Camryn Pyle redeems herself at this year's state meet. She beats the rest of the competition by running a national standard of 44.80. Ava Rebuck claims second place in 45.64 and Samantha Papcunik third in 45.67.
Girls AAA 300mH
The freshman girls are putting on a clinic at the state meet. Ella Bahn stamped herself as one of PA's best with a win today and the fastest time of 42.62. It was a close race at the line but she had the edge over her competition.
Aubrey Leneweaver gets second place by way of a 42.73. Keturah Darwon gets a bronze medal with a 42.75.
Boys AA 300mH
The teammates from Slippery Rock Area go 1 and 3 in the 300mH. Levi Prementine went to victory in 38.19. His teammate, Eli Anderson, backed him up with a third place finish in 38.35.
Second place went to Isaac Wetzel who ran 38.25.
Girls AAA Long Jump
The North Penn girls showed their skills on the track earlier in the 4x100 and now they do it again in the long jump. Taylor Forbes wins it with the best jump of the day of 18-9. Madeline Lewis gets second place with her best jump of 18-7.75. Summer Mellow gets third place with 18-3.75.
Boys AA Shot Put
Gian Greggo of Pen Argyl caps off a nice weekend of throwing with a gold medal. He wins the shot put with his best throw of 57-7.
Clark Gulycz earns himself a silver with his best throw of 53-2. Bronze goes to Jacob Harker who threw 52-1.25.
Girls AAA Javelin Throw
Rosalind Gergely wins the competition on her last attempt. She throws 150-8 for the win. Alaina Fantaski gets second after a throw of 143-3 and third goes to Ericka Jackson with 137-1.
Girls AA 800m
Kate Moncavage led the whole way for the AA 800m and she brings home the gold with 2:14.33. Hope Haring followed behind and ran a 2:15.25. Third went to Reagan Ryan 2:18.10.
Girls AAA 800m
A double crown for Olivia Cieslak. She won the 1600m yesterday and returns today with a victory in the 800m in 2:07.45. Cieslak would take it out for the first lap and at the bell would be in second. When she hit the back stretch it was an all out effort race from there. She would pull away from her competition and secure her second gold medal.
Ella Woehlcke jumped from third to second on the bell lap running 2:09.26.
Gwen Hamilton, a freshman, shot up from sixth place to third in 2:10.34.
Boys AA 800m
Boys AAA 800m
An all out effort for Aidan Hodge wins him the AAA 800m from out of the first section. He won his heat by over two seconds and his 1:52.16 got him the overall win as well.
Jacob Puhalla won the faster section in 1:52.45 but it amounted to a silver finish. Timothy Rhoden gets third in 1:52.7.
Wheelchair 100m and 200m
Alex Brown of North Catholic is your champion in both 100m and 200m wheelchair races. He wins the 200m in 38.58.
Girls AA Triple Jump
Nataly Walters jumps away from her competion and wins it with 38-11. Jay Olawaiye gets second place finish on her last jump with 37-7 and Samantha Wechsler jumped the same for third.
Girls AA 200m
Viktorya Luckenbach pulls in the victory in the 200m. She runs a race full of heart and effort to win it in 24.72. Tatum Norris gets second right behind her in 24.78. Izzy Slezak gets third in 24.88.
Girls AAA 200m
Not much else can be said about Laila Campbell. She continues to show dominance every single year. She adds another gold medal to her portfolio with a win in the 200m. She ran a beautiful curve and going into the straight she brought it home. 23.54 her winning time.
Kamyah Wright gets a second place medal after she runs 24.42. Third place goes to Milan Ramey after she runs 24.64.
Boys AA 200m
Ethan Black raises and sets a new standard for the outdoor 200m. He carves his name deeper into the history of Pennsylvania track as he sets a new state record in the 200m of 21.07. He took the race within the first few steps, immediately making up the stagger. He hit the home straight and the story was already written before he even reached the finish line.
Boys AAA 200m
Jesse Meyers comes all the way from lane 7 to win the AAA in 21.23. He came storming down the straightaway to take the victory.
Lavar Jackson gets second in 21.33. Shaun McCoullum earns a third place finish in 21.58.
AAA Boys High Jump
JJ Kelly gets his third gold medal of the day after winning the high jump with a clear of 6-8. He dominated the meet as one of the best field athletes of the weekend and helped his team to a 4x100m title as well.
Tyrone Chambers cleared 6-6 and was able to secure himself a silver medal. Drew Domurat clears 6-5 and gets third.
AA Boys Pole Vault
It only took Andrew Layton a few vaults and he claimed victory in the pole vault. He was the only boy to go over 15 feet after clearing 15-3. Logan Gossard and Taylor LaBarre tied for second place after they both cleared 14-9.
Girls AA 4x400m
Central Columbia were your returning champions and they successfully defended their title this weekend. With a big anchor leg with a 54 split they took him the victory in 3:53.71.
Girls AAA 4x400m
It was J.P. McCaskey all the way. They took it out from the first leg and brought home at the anchor. Leading the race the whole way in dominant fashion. Their winning time of 3:43.80 will likely stand in the US Top 10 when the weekend is over.
Boys AA 4x400m
Montoursville wins it in 3:23.81. Mason Winslow runs a 48 on the anchor to bring it home.
Boys AAA 4x400m
Abington does it again. They were your indoor champions and they come back for outdoor to do it again. Luke Coleman, the 400m champion, started them off strong with a 46.87 split. He hands off Keith Axten who maintains the lead. Jamir McClinton does his part on the third leg and it was down to Tyler Abraham to bring it in for gold. Abraham would anchor them in 47.80 and they would finish as your 2023 AAA 4x400m champions.