The PIAA State Track and Field Championships took center stage at Shippensburg University’s Seth Grove Stadium on the last weekend in May, and more than a dozen competitors from three Diocesan high schools concluded their seasons with spots on the medals stand, some as a result of personal-best records.
Lancaster Catholic’s sibling duo of Mason and Teresa Moore were the first brother-sister pair to compete in the state level for their school’s track and field program. Mason, who graduated on June 2, placed seventh in the 800m run with a personal record (PR) of 1:56.98, besting the school record he set earlier this year. He also set a PR in the 1600m run, placing him 15th overall in the state.
Teresa, a high jumper in her freshman appearance at the state level, scored a PR of 5 feet 5 inches to earn silver in the finals.
“I was definitely hoping for a PR because I was kind of stuck at 5-4 for a long time, and I really just wanted to progress,” Teresa said. “I did end up getting 5-5, which was so exciting. I was seeded seventh because of my previous jump at districts, which was 5-2, and which put me lower in seeding.”
“When we got down to the top five jumpers, I was just so, so happy that I would be getting a medal at states,” Teresa said of the high jump finals on May 27. “That was just a huge accomplishment for me. At 5-3, everyone fouled out except me and the girl who placed first. That was super exciting, so from then on I was just having fun because I knew I was getting first or second at that point.”
Teresa, the District 3 champion in the girls’ 2A high jump, said she hopes to “just progress and beat the school record, which is 5 feet 7 inches. Obviously, I just want to have fun and possibly get to states again, which would be amazing.”
Mason, who will participate in cross country and track and field at Thomas Jefferson University in the fall, expressed gratitude for teammates and coaches who have helped him develop over the years.
“Starting in freshman year, I definitely had some leaders and good teammates I looked up to,” Mason said. “Last year, Daniel Myers was a teammate who really pushed me; he helped me get my time down in the mile so I could qualify for districts with him. This year, my goal was to get the school record in the 800, which I got. For the mile, the goal was just to get a PR and that all happened toward the end of the year, which was perfect because the coaches had planned out all that training.”
“Our track and field team is definitely a big family,” he added. “We get along well, and even alumni come back to watch us race, so it’s super cool to see them still watching us and seeing how we’re doing.”
Elsewhere in 2A competition, Trinity High School senior Danny Britten added another medal to his track and field collection with a third place in the 110m hurdles. Britten, a silver medalist in last year’s finals, bested his time this year (14.68) by nearly half a second.
A few stumbles on hurdles late in the race edged Britten out of a repeat silver by a hundredth of a second, and although he was disappointed in missing second place by the narrow margin, he was pleased with his overall performance on the year and on his career.
“I wanted at least second, but missed it by a hundredth, so I can’t complain about third,” a gracious Britten said after receiving the bronze medal.
“I think I’ve performed pretty well this season. I ran a half second faster than my best time last year, so I’m pretty pleased with it,” he said.
“It’s been great to be part of this team,” Britten added. “They’re supportive and kind people, and I couldn’t have asked to have better teammates. It’s been great to see so many of them out here today.”
Those teammates included Isabelle Roes, who finished fourth in the discus throw, and the girls’ 4x400m and 4x800m relay teams, which placed fifth and seventh, respectively, in their finals. The 4×400 team was comprised of Ella Cloak, Caroline Cunningham, Sara Crowell and Frances Maury. The 4×800 team was made up of Crowell, Maury, Lila Shore and Julia Sheaffer.
Bishop McDevitt’s Crusaders competed in Class 3A track and field events at states. Maddy Brooks made two visits to the medals stand, one with a fourth-place performance in the 300m hurdles and one for a sixth-place finish in the 100m hurdles. Teammates Jazmine Bennett earned fourth place in the long jump, and Ethan Conrad finished sixth overall in the 110m hurdles.
(Track photos by Jen Reed, The Catholic Witness. Moore photo courtesy of Kim Moore.)
By Jen Reed, The Catholic Witness
