For two days last week, track and field athletes took center stage, and many turned in performances of a lifetime in a sport they are helping go to its highest levels.
Generational talent shattered meet records that had stood the test of time.
Those who didn’t win gold medals pushed themselves to surpass or equal the PIAA Championship meet qualifying standards.
In the chaotic pace of the two-day meet, the rapid dispensing of medals while the competition is ongoing, the historic relevance of individual or relay achievements gets overlooked. Certainly, underappreciated.
After carefully sifting through the numbers, the final results were an incredible testament to the quality of athletes, their dedication, commitment, and devotion to reaching excellence in their events.
Nobody had a better two days than Mid Valley freshman Olivia Thomas.
Coming into her debut varsity season, Thomas had already built an impressive resume by dominating at the junior high level. Expectations were high, and somehow, she exceeded them all.
District 2 has had several athletes reach the four-gold medal maximum at the championship meet. Few accomplished what Thomas did as she thrust her name among a list of legends that include former Meyers’ standouts Raghib “The Rocket” Ismail, Qadry “The Missile” Ismail, Pittston Area product John Dessoye and former Coughlin superstar Shelley Black.
She finished first in four events. She also set records in three. Her marks, however, were historic.
On the first day, Thomas won her preliminary heat of the 100-meter hurdles. Because it was a qualifying race, it didn’t grab much attention, except for maybe the distance that she won by. However, the time of 14.52 seconds beat the District 2 Class 2A record of 14.77 set in 2015 by four-time champion Cassidy Jenkins of Lakeland.
Later, Thomas leaped 19 feet, 5 inches on her first attempt. That eclipsed the district mark of 17-11.75 established in 2009 by former Times-Tribune Girls Track and Field Performer of the Year Julia Koloski of Montrose.
With one gold medal and two meet records in hand, Thomas stole the show on Day 2. She won the 100 hurdles, as expected, in 14.60 seconds. It was a competitive race behind her, with teammate Natalie Talluto, who is headed to the United States Military Academy, and defending champion Kaylyn Davis of Lakeland qualifying for the state meet.
An individual event phenom, Thomas joined Madison George, Karsyn Caines, and Tess Yanoski to win the 400 relay in a school-record 50.19 seconds to bring along a couple of friends to the state meet.
As the beaming sun started to set, officials came to the midfield tent from the triple jump area, shaking their heads. Thomas won, which came as no surprise. Her distance of 40 feet, 10.75 inches again beat a district record held by Koloski, the PIAA champion in 2009. The previous mark was 38-8.5.
In the aftermath of Thomas’s smashing efforts, the up-and-comer established herself on the state and national level. Her triple jump is No. 1 in the state overall; both of her jumps rank first, and her 14.52 time in the 100 hurdles ranks third in the state for Class 2A, according to pa.milesplit.com.
In the triple jump, Thomas’ distance ranks No. 2 in the nation, and her long jump is No. 10 among freshmen.
“It’s really exciting,” Thomas said. “I was just focusing on trying to do my best. I will be going over some videos now, rest my body a little, and see what I can improve upon moving forward.”
As amazing as Thomas was, Elk Lake’s Kendel Jones dropped the curtain on his District 2 career, leaving a lasting impression.
Like Thomas, his gold rush started on Day 1. Jones ran practically alone in the eight-lap, 3,200-meter race. He powerfully cruised to a victory in 9:25.34. In that race, as his challengers chased him, the next four finishers — Elk Lake teammate Cody Adams (9:32.24), Lackawanna Trail’s Avery Ronchi (9:37.03), Mid Valley’s Jacob Borrelli (9:38.76) and Lakeland’s Henry Decker (9:39.49) — qualified for the state meet on time.
After his good start, Jones attacked the 1,600 and dominated. When he crossed the finish line, his time flashed on the scoreboard as 4:14.84. It was faster than the meet record of 4:17.45 established by Meyers’ Mark Merlie in 1982 and tied by Dallas’ Hugh Mundy in 1989. That mark stood for 44 years.
In the 800, Jones made it a sweep of the distance races. Asking a lot of himself, the senior charged ahead more than midway through the race and held off a pack of runners in hot pursuit. He clocked in at 1:54.86, just shy of another district record. However, it is the third-fastest school record in Lackawanna Track Conference history. Behind him, the next six racers qualified for the state meet. Eight runners ran in less than 2 minutes.
Heading into the Class 2A state meet, a multiple-time medal winner in the past, Jones is ranked No. 2 in the 1,600, No. 6 in the 3,200, and, if he chooses to run it, No. 3 in the 800.
“It always means a lot to me to put on my green (Elk Lake) uniform,” said Jones, who is concluding his running career after high school. “It’s sad that it is coming to an end. I am just so happy. In cross country season, going out as state champions. All the years in track have been amazing. I am just glad that I have had the opportunity to be the best that I could be.”
Another highlight came in the boys’ Class 2A 400, where the rivalry between Dunmore’s Jacob Costanzo and Montrose’s Nico Christian produced another memorable moment.
A week earlier, the two waged an intense battle in which Christian surged past Costanzo for the title at the Robert Spagna Championship meet. In the rematch, Costanzo evened their series. He set a meet record in 48.88 seconds, beating the 49.34 set in 1988 by Bishop Hoban product Ed Desciak. It is also the third-fastest school record in LTC history and is the No. 1 time in the state for Class 2A this spring.
“Just hearing 48.88, it is just unbelievable,” Costanzo said. “When I looked up at the scoreboard. I saw that, and I was in shock.”
Finally, Wallenpaupack’s team of Izael Rodriguez, Aiden Janowicz, Dawid Mrowka, and Bryce Pagano ended the meet with an explosive sprint in the 1,600 relay. The four Buckhorns darted around the oval, maintaining a wide distance between them and the field, with only a meet record left in question. The Buckhorns combined for a time of 3:20.49 that beat the mark of 3:23.44 held since 1981 by Pittston Area. It is also the second-fastest time run in LTC history, behind Lakeland’s 3:19.83 in 2003.
“It’s really great,” Mrowka said. “When we came out here, I knew that we were going to break that record. We were really good today. My heart was pounding. I am so happy about this.”
Two championship days like those are hard to come by. Up and down the results, the champions and those who qualified for the state meet rank high in the state this spring.
If the pattern continues, more history could be made at Shippensburg University.