Mid Valley’s Thomas wins four gold medals; Abington Heights and Montrose capture team titles – Scranton Times-Tribune

SCRANTON – Olivia Thomas spent all spring shredding the Mid Valley school record book, so track and field fans were eager to see her perform at the Robert Spagna Championship track and field meet.

The fabulous freshman stormed Scranton Veterans Memorial Stadium, earning four individual gold medals and setting two meet records, establishing herself as the premier athlete in District 2.

In her debut at the event, Thomas set marks in winning the long and triple jumps and won the 100-meter hurdles and high jump on Tuesday night.

“I am so happy with the way I performed,” Thomas said. “Knowing now that I have this to build on is big.”

With Thomas stealing the spotlight, Abington Heights and Montrose posted impressive team efforts in capturing championships.

Anna Pucilowski won the 3,200, Kiana Seid won the pole vault, and freshman Aliya Lucarelli won the 200 to lead the Lady Comets to the Class 3A crown with 101.5 points. It is the fourth straight championship for the program and the 15th overall in the 20th running of the meet.

North Pocono was second with 78 points, and Wallenpaupack finished third with 77.

“We always have girls stepping up,” Pucilowski said. “We were a little worried coming into the meet. Things didn’t go as we planned, but the girls never failed to perform.”

Sadie Jones won the javelin with a school-record distance of 118 feet, and Anna Tillotson won the shot put as Montrose piled up 87.5 points to hold off Mid Valley, which had 67 points, with 40 being provided by Thomas’ wins in Class 2A. Western Wayne finished third with 48 points.

“It is amazing to be part of such a good team,” Jones said. “We put a lot of work in, and to have that effort help us win a team championship is really cool. We are a very supportive team.”

In her first event, Thomas overcame a burst of rain from a passing shower to power to a distance of 39 feet, 0.75 inches. It set a meet record and is also the best mark for the event ever posted by a Lackawanna Track Conference athlete. Montrose’s Julia Koloski had the conference’s best school record with her 39-0 distance when she won the PIAA Class 2A gold medal in 2010.

“You usually don’t see that too often with the rain,” Thomas said. “I just focused on myself and kept that out of my mind.”

Then, Thomas darted to a convincing win in the 100 hurdles. She burst from the blocks and seized a big early advantage that she built upon as she cleared the 10 barriers. She crossed in 14.78 seconds, with Delaware Valley’s Emma Simmons second in 15.48.

After receiving her medals, Thomas headed to the scoreboard end of the stadium to compete in the long jump and high jump simultaneously. Never phased by the demands of the two events, she leaped 18-6 to set a meet record. Jones finished second for Montrose at 17-0.5.

“It was a little tiring, especially with the high jump and long jump when I was bouncing around,” Thomas said. “Overall, it wasn’t too terrible. Once I get used to that, it will be better.”

In the 200, Aliya Lucarelli, also a freshman, sprinted off the turn and powered through the line to win the 200 in a tight race. She clocked in at 25.61, holding off Scranton’s Anijha Turner (25.76) and Lakeland’s Bria Hill (26.09).

“That was really exciting,” Lucarelli said. “There was a lot of good competition out here. Losing is not something I like, so my mindset is to win. I was happy with my time. I can always do better, but I am happy.”

Choosing not to race in the 1,600, Pucilowski gave Abington Heights a push to the team title after North Pocono and Wallenpaupack had threatened to take first place in the standings.

Pushed by Delaware Valley standout Grace Holderith, Pucilowski won in 10:47.49. Holderith finished second in 10:52.39.

“I just went out there and ran,” Pucilowski said. “I was happy that Grace stuck with me. It pushed me. I was really happy that she got a PR (personal record) and her school record. I knew that it was going to be a fast race.”

Seid sparked Abington Heights to a good start with a win in the pole vault. She cleared 10-6 for the gold and also contributed to the team title by finishing second in the high jump to Thomas, third in the triple jump, and fourth in the long jump for 29 points.

“I was really happy that I came away with a win,” Seid said. “It wasn’t my best mark, but I am getting ready for districts.”

In the 1600 race, Kerr built a sizeable lead and was never challenged. She earned Montrose’s second gold medal in a time of 5:14.09.

Anna Tillotson added a gold medal in the shot put. She hit a winning distance of 32-3.5.

“That felt really good,” Tillotson said. “I gave it my all today. I threw great. I love being a part of this team. We are great, all of us together. As a whole, it makes me happy that we were able to win a big meet.”

Turner and Hill waged a battle in the 400. Both attacked the first 100 meters at a fast pace. They were going stride-for-stride all the way to the final 50 meters when Turner held a slight edge that she carried to a meet record of 57.31. Hill had a time of 57.86.

“Honestly, I was just trying to tell myself to finish through the line,” Turner said. “I couldn’t believe it. It didn’t even feel like I ran a 57. I am very happy and surprised.”

Wallenpaupack’s June Brown won the 800 and was part of the winning 3,200 relay and the 1,600 relay teams; North Pocono’s Pia Zangardi won the 100 and was part of the winning 400 relay; Lakeland’s Kaylyn Davis recovered from a tumble in the 100 hurdles to win the 300 hurdles; and Western Wayne’s Sadie Booths won the discus.