State College 02/25 - PTFCA Indoor State Championship
The CB East Boys Track team had three relays plus two individuals compete in the 2018 State Championship; capping off an impressive indoor season.
After a bit of a roller coaster season, senior Marshall Duncan found his groove in the Meet of Champions and used his last jump of the season to qualify for states. Making sure not to miss another opportunity, Duncan was focused and ready to go entering State College. As a result of three outstanding leaps, Duncan advanced to the finals and his jump of 22'3" left him standing on the podium with a sixth place medal. The final leap was just 1.5" short of the school record and leaves the fans with plenty to look forward to in the spring season.
Junior David Endres entered the day as a top ten runner in the state in the 800 and left with some hardware to show for it. Seeded in the fastest of three heats, David worked his way from the back of the pack to challenge each runner down the stretch. As a result, Endres set a personal best of 1:54.90 and captured a sixth place medal of his own. David came within two tenths of the school record and capped off an outstanding indoor season.
The Patriots competed in the 4x800, 4x400, and Distance Medley Relay as well. In the 4x400, senior Dan Schick led off with a strong 54.5 before handing off to senior Gavin Zander who snagged a 54.9 himself. After a season of battling injuries, sophomore Wyatt Knipe displayed his toughness with a personal best of 51.6. Junior Jon Walter, who earned his spot in the relay from his work ethic at the end of the season, anchored with a massive personal record of 54.1. The Distance Medley Relay gave Endres a chance to set another personal record of 3:17.64 in the 1200 while senior John Brophy tied a personal best of 52.5 in the 400. Senior Marc Motter, who was running only his third race of the season, used a speedy first 400 to complete a 2:04.70 for the 800 meter-leg. Junior Alex Bardwell, who already had run a 2:03.79 in the 4x800, finished with a 4:38.46 in the 1600.
The Patriots improved in all areas this season as evidenced by over 140 personal records and dozens of medals; with two medals coming in the state championship. The foundation has been laid for a strong season and it will be exciting to see who will capture the opportunities placed in front of them.
Lehigh 02/09 - Last Chance Meet
The Patriots headed to Lehigh on Friday night to compete in their final races of the regular season as part of the Last Chance Meet and it was the relays who shined the brightest.
The best relay of the night turned out to be the newly formed Distance Medley Relay. Junior Alex Bardwell got the team off to a strong start with a personal best of 3:18.0 in the 1200. Seniors John Brophy and Declan Earles moved the team into first place with a 54.0 in the 400 and a 2:05.0 in the 800 respectively. Running by himself the entire time, junior David Endres then finished the race with a personal best of 4:31.0 in the mile. The overall time of 10:49.16 resulted in a gold medal.
Not too far behind was the 4x800-meter relay and 4x200-meter relays. Returning to his usual spot in the leadoff position, senior Richie Jethon ran a 2:05.9 to open the 4x800. Sophomore Cole Burmaster then ran his best race of the season and set a personal best of 2:05.6. Junior Cade Sands had another strong race with a time of 2:09.0. Junior Sean Lahetta used his long, steady stride to set his own personal best of 2:05.2 and carry the team to a silver medal with an overall time of 8:25.64. The 4x200-meter relay of senior Gavin Zander (23.7), senior Dan Schick (24.4), senior Marshall Duncan (23.8), and sophomore Wyatt Knipe (23.2) snagged a bronze medal of their own with an overall time of 1:35.35.
A few athletes ran their best 400s on the day as well. In the 4x400-meter relay, Matt Miller set a personal best of 56.6 and senior Jacob Han set a personal record of 58.4. Senior Calvin Shugars also ran a personal record of 57.22 in the open 400. In the field events, sophomore Ethan Korb cleared 5’8” in the high jump and Marshall Duncan finished ninth overall in the long jump with a leap of 19’9.5”.
The Patriots now look ahead to the Meet of Champions next weekend.
Lehigh 02/03 - TFCAofGP Meet #8
As many people in the Philadelphia area were preparing for Super Bowl Sunday, the Central Bucks East boys track team headed to Lehigh (the former home of the Eagles training camp) to compete in the eighth meet of the TFCAofGP; and compete they did.
The highlight of the day for the Patriots was the 4x800-meter relay, which captured a bronze medal while running nearly ten seconds faster than the state-recommended time of 8:20.24. After boxing out a few opponents on the first turn, senior leadoff leg Richie Jethon ran a personal best of 2:04.4. Junior Alex Bardwell then took the baton and powered past opponents; finishing his four laps in a personal best of 2:02.6. Senior Declan Earles set a personal record for the second straight week with a split of 2:03.9 for the third leg. Coming off a record-setting week at Ocean Breeze, junior David Endres clocked a 2:00.0 to bring the relay time to an 8:10.93. In addition to qualifying for states, the team earned a place in the prestigious Meet of Champions.
Seeing what the 4x800 relay team had accomplished, the Distance Medley Relay decided to steal a bronze medal of their own. Sophomore Jack McManus led things off with a personal record of 3:29.4 in the 1200. Sophomore Cole Burmaster got to show off some speed and ran a 56.8 in the 400. Junior Cade Sands then used his stamina to run a personal best of 2:08.00 in the 800. Junior Sean Lahetta, who had to dodge multiple runners in the exchange zone during his first two laps, anchored the team with a mile of 4:42.7; bringing the team total to an 11:17.18.
Individually, it was senior sprinters Gavin Zander and John Brophy and junior distance man Cole Sands who had the most stellar performances. In the second race of the day, Zander qualified for the Meet of Champions with a 7.45 in the 60-meter dash. A little later, Brophy used a stellar first lap to qualify for the Meet of Champions in the 400; running a 53.37. And a little bit later, Sands earned a fifth-place medal with a personal record of 9:22.29 in the 3000.
In addition to all the hardware and accolades, several Patriots captured personal records. In the first race of the day, Sophomores Gavin Pettigrew and Carter Moore ran their fastest 400s yet with a 57.8 and 58.4 respectively. Senior Jon Walter set a personal best with a 25.0 and senior Jacob Han earned his own personal record with a 26.2 as members of the 4x200-meter relay. Senior Sam DiGiovanni qualified for finals with a strong 9.27 in the 60-meter hurdles. Senior Luke McDonnell leaped a personal best of 38’1.25” in the triple jump. And, sophomore Seth Wilson (56.2), junior Jac Mapily (57.6), and senior Jay Mapily (56.5), saved their best for the last race of the day in the 4x400-meter relay.
For today, it was exciting to see so many Patriots finding success, but, for many of us, we hope we aren’t saying the same thing tomorrow.
Almost immediately, the CB East Patriots made waves at the 2018 Ocean Breeze Invitational in Staten Island, New York on Saturday when junior David Endres captured a meet record in the second section of the 800-meter varsity run and qualified for the PTFCA Indoor State Championship.
In each event, the hot heats (or sections) go first. So, before Endres stepped to the line for his race, he saw the top three finishers run between 1:55.24 and 1:55.43; leaving him a formidable challenge in capturing the top spot overall. Endres embraced that challenge, taking the lead in the second pack in the staggered start and moving to second place by the midway point with a split of 55 seconds. As Endres entered the bell lap, he pulled into first and never looked back; setting a personal best of 1:55.05 while winning the 800. The time is the second fastest in the state and within a half second of a school record.
That race set the tone for the rest of the day. Fellow mid-distance teammate and senior Declan Earles ran over eight seconds faster than last week with a personal record of 2:05.08. Junior Matt Miller continued his steady season with a personal record of 2:08.99. Sophomore Cole Burmaster finished tenth overall in the sophomore 800 with a personal record of 2:07.39.
While the 800s were circling the outer track, CB East had trio of hurdles competing in the 55-meter dash in the lanes set up inside the track. Competing in the white division, senior Sam DiGiovanni finished fourth overall with a time of 8.73, sophomore Matt Pacholarz finished 15th with a time of 9.18, and junior Jac Mapily finished 32nd with a time of 10.15. And as if multiple races weren’t enough to keep you entertained, the venue holds two jumping pits that run in opposite directions for athletes to compete in the long and triple jump. In the long jump, senior Marshall Duncan proved he can jump with some of the best across state lines and earned a fifth-place medal with a leap of 20’11.75”. Sophomore Ethan Korb finished ninth in the white division with a jump of 18’7”. Back on the outer track, seniors John Brophy and Dan Schick set personal bests in the 200-meter dash of 25.08 and 23.68 respectively while senior Gavin Zander ran a strong 23.78.
Once the one-lappers were complete, the Patriots got a chance to show off their depth on the distance side with a string of six athletes competing in the mile. Sophomore Jack McManus stole the show in the sophomore mile with an impressive kick and a personal record of 4:42.03. Teammate Andrew Conte used a speedy start to hang on for a personal record of 4:46.51 in the same heat. Junior Alex Bardwell was the fastest of the junior class with a personal best of 4:36.67, which was good enough to win his section and place 31st in the red division. The Sands brother got the chance to compete against each other and it was Cole Sands who pulled away from everyone in his section (running 25 meters ahead most of the race) to earn a personal record of 4:39.93 and finish third in the white division while Cade Sands pushed himself to a 4:48.88 to place 23rd. Sean Lahetta found his groove in the final two laps and set a personal record of 4:42.95 to win his section and finish fifth in the white division.
Once the sprinters returned to the track, it was time for the 4x200-meter relay. Despite a tough first hand off exchange, each athlete ran an impressive race. Most notably, junior Jac Mapily set a personal record of 24.7 and junior Eric Granitski set a personal record of 25.9. In the 400, senior Richie Jethon powered past the pack while sporting an East headband with a personal best of 53.94 and senior Jay Mapily had an outstanding kick to run a 58.43. In the high jump, sophomore Ethan Korb set a personal record of 5’10” and finished second in the white division while sophomore Matt Pacholarz cleared 5’6”. And in the triple jump, Duncan finished first in the white division with a new personal best of 41’1.75” and senior Luke McDonnell jumped 37’10”.
Finally, it was time for the 4x400-meter relay and the Patriots decided to end their day the way it started: with a splash. Missing senior Jake Zosulis and sophomore Wyatt Knipe to injury, the Patriots crafted a new lineup to take their shot at a state-qualifying time. Running only his second 400 ever, senior Dan Schick rose to the occasion and split a personal best 53.5 to lead off the relay. Senior Gavin Zander kept the competitors and the time within reach with a 54.5 on the second leg. Senior John Brophy elevated his game and set a personal best of 52.5 while closing the gap on the Haverford School and Garnet Valley. Then, junior David Endres eliminated the deficit and pulled the team all the way back to second place, passing the Haverford School at the finish line while splitting a personal best of 50.4. With their teammates lining the track to cheer them on, the relay team earned a state-recommended time of 3:31.00 and is now ranked 13th in Pennsylvania.
The euphoric feeling leaving Staten Island was oddly familiar to the Patriots. Last year, it was now senior captain Marc Motter whose medal-performing race in the 800 set the tone for the day and it was a state-qualifying 4x400 that closed the night cap. While a few of the faces have changed, the results remained the same for the Patriots.
Glen Mills 01/27 - TFCAofGP Meet #7
Since they had so much fun the week before, the Patriots decided to return to Glen Mills to compete in the Track and Field Coaches Association of Greater Philadelphia’s seventh meet of the season. At Glen Mills, it was sophomore Jared Farrior who set the tone in the first event with a third-place medal in the 55-meter hurdles and a time of 9.66. And his teammates got the message.
The 4x200-meter relay used a collection of three personal records to earn a fifth-place medal. Sophomore Seth Wilson got the ball rolling with a 25.8. Junior Ben Power set yet another personal record on the season with a split of 25.5. Sophomore Mike Forcina kept the trend going with a personal best of 26.6 on the third leg. Senior Matt Brown, who sacrificed his chance to throw in the shot put to fill in for a runner in the relay, set a personal record of 26.6 and brought the team time to a 1:44.77.
Meanwhile, many younger members of the 4x800-meter relay and Distance Medley Relay teams continued to show improvement while bringing the relays to ninth and tenth place finishes respectively. In the 4x800, sophomore Edwardo Martinez set a personal record of 2:21.9, sophomore Kevin Fay set a personal record of 2:31.9, and freshman Elijah Carpenter set a personal record of 2:33.7. In the DMR, freshman Holden Emery set a personal record of 2:23.6 in the 800. Outside of the relays, senior Jacob Han continued his transition to the mid-distance events with a personal best of 2:22.86 in the 800.
In the field, senior Andrew Cipriano snatched a fourth-place medal by clearing ten feet. Senior Chris Kelly set a personal best of 30’3.5” in the shot put and senior Sergio Garza recorded a toss of 33’9”.
The Patriots totaled three medals, eight top ten finishes, and eleven personal records on the day.
Glen Mills 01/20 - TFCAofGP Meet #6 The sixth TFAofGP meet of the season was about opportunity for many of the CB East Patriots on Saturday, January 20th. Whether it was a new race, a new relay lineup, or the first appearance of the season, the Patriots seized their opportunities.
The 4x800-meter relay was composed of the perfect balance of veterans and newcomers as each athlete did enough to propel the team to a medal. Leading off, senior Declan Earles split a 2:13.4 in his first 800 of the season. Sophomore Cole Burmaster, who split a 2:12.2, and senior Jay Mapily, who split a 2:21.4, keep the team in the hunt. Then, senior Matt Miller used a strong final lap to clock a 2:13.5 for the anchor leg and earn the team a fifth-place medal.
Sophomore Jared Farrior ended up running two races on the day after his trial run in the 55-meter hurdles earned him a place in the finals. Running in lane five, Farrior had to fend off the competitor in lane six to earn a fifth-place medal with a time of 10.29 seconds. Senior Owen Zila, who has been recovering from a cold and minor injury, moved from the 3000 down to the mile and captured a fifth-place medal with a time of 5:00.41.
Senior Dan Schick was asked to extend double his normal workload and took on an open 400 for the first time. Using a blazing first lap, Schick ran a 55.35 and finished seventh overall. Meanwhile, senior pole vaulter Andrew Cipriano took a shot at the 55-meter dash and finished seventh overall with a 7.82. Sophomore Will Marston took his first shot at the monster 3000 and earned a 10:42.92.
A new lineup of the 4x200-meter relay earned a top ten finish; placing eighth with a time of 1:44.58. Junior Jac Mapily led off with an impressive time of 25.8. Juniors Eric Granitzski and Ben Power set a personal record of 26.3 and 26.0 respectively. Freshman Luke Blackwell anchored with a very strong split of 26.3 seconds himself.
In the field, the crowd was entertained by the performances of the Da Cruz brothers as both Alex and Max Da Cruz cleared 10’00”. Junior George Bershtein proved that hard work at practice does pay off and captured a personal record of 33’3” in the shot put. Senior Luke McDonnell also finished eighth in the triple jump with a leap of 36’1”.
As former U.S. Men’s Hockey Coach Herb Brooks said “Great moments are born from great opportunities” and the Patriots found some great moments this past weekend.
Lawrenceville, NJ 01/13 - Lavino Relays Each year in early January, some of the best athletes from the Keystone State and Garden State clash at the Lavino Relays in Lawrenceville, New Jersey. The meet lineup includes only relays, even for the field athletes who compete in pairs, with the two of the more unique events being the opening relay, the 55-meter Shuttle Hurdle Relay, and the finale, the Sprint Medley Relay (SMR). This year, the Patriots decided to save their best performance for last as senior Gavin Zander, sophomore Wyatt Knipe, senior John Brophy, and junior David Endres broke the two-decade old school record in the SMR.
The top-seeded teams in the SMR run the four legs in this order: 200, 200, 400, then 800. Zander, who has been a steady leadoff man all season and was running his second event of the day, ran a blazing 23.6 seconds to set the tone. Knipe, also running his second event of the day and feeling a bit under the weather, was even more impressive with a split of 23.2 for the second leg. Brophy, whose week of hard work solidified his spot in the relay, ran a season best of 53.3 in the 400. By the time Endres received the baton, the record was in reach but it was going to take a sub-two-minute performance to finish the job. Endres was flying out of the gate with a 26 on the first lap and a 55 at the halfway point. Relying on his strength and endurance, Endres finished the final two laps in 62 seconds; splitting a personal record of 1:57.1 in the 800 to bring home the gold. Interestingly enough, the record was achieved in 1998 when the races were measured in yards, but after the conversion that accounts for meters and a banked track, Saturday’s time of 3:37.45 is still over two seconds faster than what would have been a 3:39.74 in 1998.
In the other unique event of the day, the 55-meter Shuttle Hurdle Relay, the Patriots were the top team in Pennsylvania and nearly broke a school record of their own. The race splits the four-man relay team into two pairs on opposite sides of one another. Using two lanes with five hurdles in each lane, the athletes must run (one at time) from one side to the other and the next runner can only take off once their teammate crosses the line. Senior Sam DiGiovanni, who has had his best start to an indoor season, cleared each hurdle cleanly in an estimated 8.3 seconds. Fellow senior Ian Fay, fresh off his Meet of Champion-qualifying race at Haverford, split a strong 8.5 seconds on the second leg. Senior Matt Brown, who is a multi-event athlete specializing in the javelin in the spring, ran an 8.6-second third leg. Sophomore Matt Pacholarz, who also competes in multiple events, and usually focuses on the high jump, debuted in the hurdles with a sold 8.5-second split. The team total time of 33.84 placed them fourth (with the top three teams reigning from New Jersey) and was within tenths of the school record.
Well before the first heat of the SMR was under way, Zander and Knipe were the bookends of the bronze-medal winning 4x200-meter relay. Zander led off with a 23.5 and his strong finish on the straightaway put the team in second in their heat. Senior Dan Schick initially held that position, temporarily lost it on the far straight away, and then maintained his form to fight back to second with a split of 23.6. Senior Marshall Duncan ran on the shoulder of the first place runner before passing him on the final straightaway and splitting a 23.6 himself. Knipe took a clean hand off and had the fastest split of the relay with a 23.1 and the relay time of 1:34.05 placed the Patriots third overall.
The 4x400-meter relay was a relay of personal records. Senior Jacob Han, who has been running both 400s and 800s this season, split a personal record of 58.7. Sophomore Cole Burmaster, running his second 400 in two weeks, split a personal record of 55.9. Junior Matt Miller, another 400/800 specialist, split a personal record of 57.2. And returning from injury, senior Declan Earles ran an impressive race while splitting a personal record of 55.8 for a team total of 3:47.75 to place 17th overall.
Replacing his twin brother in the lead off position of the Distance Medley Relay, junior Cole Sands ran a 3:26.8 in the 1200. Senior Richie Jethon, who led off the 4x400-meter relay last week, split a 54.8 in the second leg of the race. Junior Alex Bardwell, who has run both the mile and 1200 in previous DMRs, got his chance at the 800 and ran a personal best of 2:06.1. Junior Cade Sands anchored the relay with a 4:50 in the mile and the team finished with an 11:18.79 to place 11th overall.
In the field, senior Marshall Duncan and sophomore Ethan Korb were the most outstanding performers. Duncan had the most outstanding individual performance for the Patriots with a leap of 20’4” that placed him fourth overall. Meanwhile, relay teammate Korb continued his impressive season with another personal record in the event with a leap of 18’9.5”. Korb accompanied his horizontal leap with a vertical leap in the high jump of 5’8” and placed tenth overall. In the triple jump, Duncan finished seventh after a jump of 40’3.25”.
The Patriots had an outstanding day representing their school, community, and state of Pennsylvania as a whole. The team illustrated its depth with medals and top ten finishes in a variety of events, but it was the boys of the Sprint Medley Relay who stole the day.
Haverford 01/13 - TFCAofGP Meet #5 For the second straight week, the CB East Patriots arrived at Haverford College ready to compete. In the fifth meet for the Track and Field Association of Greater Philadelphia, it was the sophomores who rose to the occasion and shined the brightest on the track while a junior stole the show in the field.
Although he has run a handful of 800s this year, sophomore Andrew Conte seems even more comfortable as the races increase in length. Running as the second runner in the 3000, Conte was calm, cool, and collected on his way to a fourth place medal and a personal best of 9:34.48. Fellow distance runner and sophomore Jack McManus made his season debut in the mile and collected some hardware of his own. Despite a slump in the middle of the race, McManus had an outstanding kick for the final two laps of the race and surged past runners on his way to a fourth place medal with a time of 4:52.21. One year older, and therefore one year wiser, junior David Moyer continued to show his promise in the shotput with a personal best of 40’01”. The throw was worthy of a fifth place medal.
The freshmen and sophomore Distance Medley Relay hung with the best young guns in the league and their combined efforts resulted in a fourth place finish (and ribbon). Freshman Holden Emery was consistent on each of his six laps in the 1200, running a 3:48.5 that kept him close to the front of the pack. Sophomore Connor Brodish ran hard for two laps and split a 62.5 in the 400. Sophomore Edwardo Martinez made his debut on the track in the 800 with a 2:25.1 in the 800. Freshman Elijah Carpenter was also consistent while pulling the team back to “ribbon-position” in his first indoor mile with a split of 5:43.2. The total time was 12:56.69.
In the 400, sophomore Seth Wilson remained consistent with a 56.64; just tenths away from his personal best. Sophomore Jared Farrior broke the ten-second mark in the 60-meter hurdles and set a personal best once his 55-meter hurdle time was converted to a 9.99. Freshmen Luke Blackwell also placed in the top ten (7th) with a 7.70 in the 55-meter dash.
A few sophomores made contributions to the relay teams as well. Sophomore Bryan Kelly, who also throws shot put, made his debut for the team on the leadoff leg of the 200 with an impressive 24.8. Running along with him, junior Eric Granitzski set a personal best of 26.5, junior Ben Power tied his personal best of 26.5, and junior David Schmidt (normally a pole vaulter) debuted on the track with a 26.4. Sophomore Carter Moore set a personal best of 59.9 as the leadoff for the 4x400-meter relay. Helping Moore complete the relay was a collection of juniors: Ryan Lemus (69.3), junior Schulyer Gabbard (64.1), and junior Nathaniel Saadon (68.6).
The Distance Medley Relay placed tenth overall with the help of three sophomores. Dan Heinrichs, who has been battling a knee injury this season, led off the relay with a 4:00.19. Michael Forcina, also dealing with injuries while spending time learning the shot put, came back to the track with a 61 second 400 for the second leg. Gavin Pettigrew remained consistent in his 800 and ran a 2:21.3. The lone junior Jack Brodish made his transition from the 800 to the mile and anchored the relay with a 5:32.7.
The young guys carried the day at Haverford and gained valuable experience for the future with a few stealing hardware from the veterans along the way.
Haverford, 01/06 - TFCAofGP #4 It was another snow-filled weekend for the Patriots as they ventured to Haverford College to participate in the Track and Field Association of Greater Philadelphia's fourth meet of the season. Despite being off from school for two days, the Patriots arrived focused and ready to run and left with plenty of hardware to show for it.
Senior Ian Fay set the tone for the team when he qualified for the finals in the 55-meter hurdles (Haverford offers a 55-meter hurdle and dash rather than the traditional 60 meters) and went on to earn silver in the finals. Using the Mahoney-Timing system, which automatically converts the race to its 60-meter equivalent, Fay recorded a 9.41 and his second place finish earned him a place in the Meet of Champions. Senior Gavin Zander returned to a familiar race in the 200-meter dash and earned a third place medal with a 24.37. Junior David Endres pulled well away from the pack in the 800 while running a 2:01.15 and earning himself a place in the Meet of Champions. Sophomore Wyatt Knipe captured a fifth place medal by blowing away the field in his heat of the 400, running a 54.05.
In the field, sophomore Ethan Korb became the second high-jumper on the team to earn a place in the Meet of Champions with a silver medal-performance in the event; clearing 5'8" in the process. Senior Marshall Duncan captured a bronze medal in the long jump with a leap of 19'4.25".
The most accomplished relay of the day was the Distance Medley Relay, which earned a silver medal. Junior Cade Sands started the race as if he was shot out of a cannon and continued at a high pace that kept the Patriots in the hunt; running a personal record of 3:31 in the 1200. Sophomore Cole Burmaster blazed past a couple opponents and ran a personal record of 56.8 in the 400. Sophomore Cole Sands maintained a strong position by running a steady four laps and setting a personal record of 2:13.4 in the 800. Junior Sean Lahetta anchored the team with a solid performance in the mile (4:49.7) and ensured the team was the second relay to cross the finish line.
Other notable individual performances came from senior Dan Schick, junior Alex Bardwell, and senior Mitch Guarracino. Schick qualified for the finals in the 55-dash and placed 6th with a converted 60-meter time of 7.53. Bardwell placed 7th in the mile with a personal best of 4:44.71. Guarracino placed fifth overall with a personal best of 33'5" in the shot put.
In total, the Patriots earned three new Meet of Champion-qualifying marks, six medals, seven personal records and 14 top ten finishes.
Lehigh, 12/30 - TFAGP #3 After beating the snow to Lehigh on Saturday, the Central Bucks East Patriots beat many runners to the finish line at the Track and Field Association of Greater Philadelphia’s third meet of the season.
Senior Gavin Zander earned a spot in the Meet of Champions with a silver-medal performance in the 200-meter dash; running an official time of 24.14. Sophomore Matt Pacholarz also earned a spot in the Meet of Champions with his own silver-medal performance in the high jump, where he cleared a personal best of 5’6”.
Senior Sam DiGiovanni captured a bronze medal with a personal best of 9.23 in the 60-meter hurdles. Junior Cade Sands set a personal record of 9:45.64 in the 3000 and captured a fourth-place medal. Sophomore Max Da Cruz snatched a 5th place medal by clearing 9’6” in the pole vault.
The relays put together a few impressive performances of their own, starting with the freshman and sophomore 4x400-meter relay. Sophomore Seth Wilson flew out the gates with a 56.5 split on the first leg. Freshman Elijah Carpenter had a strong second leg with a split of 64 seconds. Freshman Holden Emery came the team moving with a 62.1 split for the third leg. Sophomore Thomas Foltz anchored the relay with a solid 64.1 and brought the team to a 5th place ribbon.
The Distance Medley Relay climbed its way to a fourth-place finish with a time of 11:53.40. Junior David Endres moved to the top of the team honor roll with the fastest 1200-split of the season after clocking a 3:18. Senior John Brophy clocked a strong 55.1 in the 400-meter leg and senior Jay Mapily found his groove in the 800-meter leg with a split of 2:18.9. Making his debut in the mile, sophomore Will Marston was fearless and clocked a 5:18 to bring the medal home for the team.
The 4x200-meter relay captured a fifth-place medal with a 1:44.85. Sophomore Jac Mapily led off with a 25.7. Junior Eric Granitzski took the baton and ran a 27.2 for the second leg. Junior Jon Walter set a personal record of 25.4 during the third leg. Junior Ben Power anchored the team with a personal record of 26.5.
After clearing the track, the athletes cleared their cars of snow and headed home with plenty to be proud of.
Lehigh, 12/27 - Robert J. Burdette Indoor Classic (RJBIC) The Patriots left the Robert J. Burdette Indoor Classic at Lehigh on Wednesday, December 27th with enough hardware to stock a Home Depot.
Hands down the most exciting race of the day was the Sprint Medley Relay. Senior captain John Brophy led off the relay with a 54.9 in the 400 meter leg and put the team in medal position. Seniors Gavin Zander and Dan Schick maintained the high-flying pace in the 200s with a 24-flat and 24.5 respectively. Receiving the baton in second place with at least a 25-meter deficit, junior David Endres ran an incredible four laps and gutted out a photo finish while running a personal best of 1:58.4 in the 800. The total time of 3:41.86 earned the team the gold medal and was within a half second of the school record.
For the second consecutive meet, the most outstanding individual performance came in the 3000. Senior Owen Zila ran a smart race, getting out fast with a 4:55 first mile, maintaining a strong pace in the middle of the race, and using a powerful kick to the finish. While out-legging his opponent, Zila ran a Meet of Champions-qualifying time of 9:19.16 and captured a 4th place medal.
Later in the day, the 4x200-meter relay dazzled as well. Gavin Zander returned to the track to run the led-off leg and mimicked his first race with another 24-flat. Sophomore Wyatt Knipe set a personal best with a 23.4; also the fastest split on the relay. Dan Schick ran even faster in his second race with a 23.9 on the third leg. Senior Marshall Duncan made his debut in the event this year and ran a blazing 24.2 to help the team earn a 4th place medal with an overall time of 1:35.67.
The Distance Medley Relay featured a new lineup and still came away with a medal. Junior Alex Bardwell took his maiden voyage in the 1200 with a speedy 3:19.4, putting the team in top five position. David Endres was back on the track, but this time in the 400, clocking a strong 54.4. Senior Richie Jethon then took the baton and ran a personal best of 2:07.8 in the 800 to keep the team within striking distance of a medal. Junior Cole Sands got out fast for the mile leg of the relay and then pushed past Pennridge on the final lap. The split of 4:52.5 was a personal best and enough to earn the team a 5th place medal with a final time of 11:14.23.
Many other athletes set new personal bests in their events. Junior Cade Sands ran a personal record 4:55.26 and finished 10th in the mile. In the 4x800-meter relay, sophomore Andrew Conte (2:11.9), senior Jay Mapily (2:14.3), and junior Ryan Rosica (2:24.0) set new personal bests. Meanwhile, sophomore Ethan Korb finished 7th in the high jump with a leap of 5’8” and sophomore Alex Da Cruz finished 8th in the pole vault by clearing 10 feet.
As usual, the RJBIC Meet was a success for the CB East Patriots.
Lehigh, 12/23 - TFCAofGP Meet #2 Twas two days before Christmas when all across the track, not a Patriot was slacking, or out of whack, the medals were hung by the coaches with care, in hopes that soon a personal record would be there…
When the Patriots headed home from Lehigh to begin their holiday break, they brought home plenty of presents as the team collectively totaled two Meet of Champion-qualifying times, eight top ten finishes, 14 personal records, and one freshmen/sophomore ribbon. With over 700 athletes from both division one and division two, competition was fierce as competitors sought top five finishes in their division.
The first Meet of Champion-qualifying time came from the 4x200-meter relay. Senior lead off leg Gavin Zander, who also finished ninth in the 60-meter dash with a personal best of 7.56, got out to a great start with a split of 27.1 seconds. Next up was senior Dan Schick, who was added to the relay after posting a 24.13 in his open 200-meter dash earlier in the day. Dan kept the pace with a 24.2 split in the second leg. Sophomore sensation Wyatt Knipe then set a personal best of 24.0 for the third leg. Senior Jake Zosulis took the baton in second place and overpowered the anchor leg from Pennsbury to post his own personal record of 23.4 (on a flat track). The team captured the silver with a stellar 1:35.86.
The second Meet of Champion-qualifying time came from junior Cole Sands who was making his debut in the 3000-meter marathon. Ironically, Cole appeared strongest on his final four laps of the race and remained calm as he climbed to second place, posting an impressive 9:31.61 to capture the silver medal.
The 4x800-meter relay had a strong performance of its own and earned a fifth-place medal with a time of 8:40.87. Senior anchor Richie Jethon gutted out the final lap to pass his opponent and set a new personal best of 2:08.1; over four seconds faster than last year. Juniors Alex Bardwell (2:06.7) and Cade Sands (2:14.3) also set personal bests that were over three seconds faster than their previous times.
All four runners in the 4x400-meter relay ran sub-60 in route to a time of 3:48.5. Junior David Endres led the way with a personal best of 54.0 in the lead off position. Senior Calvin Shugars made his debut in the indoor event with a split of 57.5. And the brotherly rivalry will have to be settled another day as junior Jac Mapily and senior Jay Mapily each ran a 58.6 during the relay. Multiple individuals set new personal records (PRs), helping the team top its total PRs from the opening meet. In the second heat of the mile, sophomore Andrew Conte maintained a steady pace and pushed himself to the front of the pack, finishing in ninth place with a personal record of 4:50.68. Senior captain John Brophy set a personal record of 25.25 in the open 200 and senior Jacob Han set a personal record of 58.7 on the 400 leg of the Distance Medley Relay. Senior hurdler Sam DiGiovanni entered the top ten in the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 9.33.
In the field, the personal records continued while a few athletes made their first appearance of the year in an event. Sophomore Ethan Korb set an indoor personal best of 17’4.5” in the long jump. Sophomore Matt Pacholarz cleared 5’2” in the high jump and finished eighth overall. Sophomore Alex Da Cruz cleared 10 feet in the pole vault and finished 6th in the division one field.
Last, and certainly not least, the freshman and sophomore 4x200-meter relay had a tremendous performance in the day’s opening event. Freshman Luke Blackwell set a personal best of 26.2 in the leadoff role. Sophomore Mike Forcina came within two tenths of his personal best with a split of 26.9 seconds. Sophomore Seth Wilson set a personal record of 25.5 while running the third leg. Sophomore Jared Farrior set a personal record of 27.0 (over two seconds faster than last year) as the anchor. The team earned a fourth-place ribbon, as is the tradition for the freshmen/sophomore events.
While Santa may have been busy filing his bag with presents this weekend, the Patriots were stocking their bags with medals and could be heard jingling all the way home.
Lehigh, 12/16 - TFCAofGP Meet #1 The Patriots got off to a great start in their first Track and Field Coaches Association meet at Lehigh University on Saturday, December 16th, capturing four medals and three Meet of Champions-qualifying standards while earning eight top-ten finishes.
The Distance Medley Relay earned a silver medal with an impressive 11:09.38. Senior captain Marc Motter led off the relay with a hard-fought 3:28 split in the 1200 and senior Gavin Zander set an indoor personal record of 54.5 while running the 400-leg of the relay. Juniors David Endres and Alex Bardwell added their own personal bests in the 800 (1:59) and 1600 (4:46); pushing the relay team ahead a few spots to secure a place in the Meet of Champions at the end of the season.
The veteran-led 4x400 meter relay earned a bronze medal in an unusually fast field for this time of the year (the gold-medal winning team, Chester, broke the 3:30 mark and ran a 3:28). The youngest runner, sophomore Wyatt Knipe, picked up where he left off from his outstanding freshman year with a split of 54 seconds. Senior Richie Jethon ran a strong 54.3 for the second leg of the relay and senior captain John Brophy kept the team in the hunt with an even stronger 53.8 for the third leg. The anchor, senior captain Jake Zosulis, completed the trip to the podium with the fastest split of the relay at 52.9. The overall time of 3:34.89 earned the Patriots another spot in the Meet of Champions.
Individually, senior Marshall Duncan stole the day with his performance in the long jump. Duncan earned the silver medal and jumped within six inches of the school record when he landed in the sand at a mark of 21 feet, five inches. Posting two other impressive jumps on the day, Duncan is an athlete to watch as he competes in his first indoor season.
Junior Sean Lahetta also posted an inspiring effort in the mile and earned a fifth-place medal. The cross country veteran had a smooth and consistent stride that carried him to a 4:49.06.
Many other athletes posted impressive performances on the track to open the season. Senior hurdler Sam DiGiovanni ran a 9.50 and placed 8th overall. Junior Matt Miller gutted out an indoor personal best of 2:14.34 to finish 9th in the 800. In his debut in winter track, senior Dan Schick ran a 7.54 in the 60-meter dash and placed 14th, just outside of the finals. Senior Owen Zila (who was forced to run an extra lap due to an officiating mistake) ran under 10 minutes in the 3,000-meter marathon, posting a 9:54.17. The 4x800-meter relay placed 10th overall with a time of 9:19.51 and junior Jack McManus set a personal best of 2:15.3 running the second leg.
In the field events, senior Chris Kelly set a personal best by over two feet with a shot put throw of 30 feet and 2.75 inches. Senior captain Andrew Cipriano set an indoor personal record of 10 feet, six inches in the pole vault and sophomore Ethan Korb tied his indoor personal best of five feet, six inches in the high jump.
In the always-exciting freshman-sophomore relay, the CB East 4x800 of Elijah Carpenter, Holden Emery, Carter Moore, and Will Marston were aggressive from the start and placed sixth in the event with a time of 9:32. Sophomore Carter Moore stood out with personal best of 2:24, over five seconds faster than last year.
The successful first meet proves the Patriots proved are ready for the 2017-18 indoor season.