Pictured above: Sophia Filali from Dallas, who later won the 300-meter hurdles, started the day with a win in the 100-meter hurdles.
By Tom Robinson, NEPASportsNation.com
HAZLE TWP. – The conference’s top girls athletes shared the wealth Thursday in the first Wyoming Valley Conference Track and Field Championship Meet.
Crestwood won the team title with 113 points while half of the 14-team field produced at least 57 points and the top 10 all scored at least 43.
The 15 individual gold medals were spread among 12 athletes and, counting relay golds, 19 girls claimed at least one without anyone taking more than two.
Pittston Area’s Aria Messner was the meet’s individual standout.
Messner joined Nanticoke thrower Sophia Lukowski and Dallas hurdler Sophia Filali in winning two events each.
Along with her two golds, Messner also earned individual and relay silver medals.
Messner won the 100-meter dash in 12.56 seconds, a time that earns her the top seed for Monday and Tuesday’s District 2 Class 3A Championships. She also won the long jump by 15 inches with 17-7½, placed second in the high jump with 5-2 and anchored a second-place finish in the 400 relay.
Grayce Grazio, one of just two Crestwood champions, beat Messner in the high jump with 5-4.
The Lady Comets went high for their victories with Sarah Shipton providing the other gold in the pole vault by clearing 10 feet.
The top eight athletes in each event scored points while the top three received medals.
Crestwood captured the team title by scoring points in 16 of 18 events, including all 11 on the track.
Kayla Kresge, in the 100 hurdles, and Mia Pollack, in the shot put, claimed silver medals for Crestwood.
Evelyn Kruczek gave the Lady Comets two of the three pole vault medalists by finishing third.
Shipton added a third-place finish in the 200 to her win in the pole vault.
Crestwood’s other medal came in the 400 relay where it was third and the team balance showed through in fourth-place finishes in the other two relays.
“We had a lot of stellar performances,” Crestwood coach Amy Viti said. “I’m super proud of all my girls.”
Filali led qualifying in the 100 hurdles by more than a second and beat all but Kresge by that much in the final when she finished in 15.97. She also won the 300 by a wide margin in 47.27.
Lukowski won the discus by more than 15 feet with 110-10 and won the shot put with 35-10.
Wyoming Area’s Ella McKernan (800) and Madelyn Keating (3200) each won an individual event along with being part of the 3200 relay team that collected the first gold medals to be awarded in the new meet.
Holy Redeemer also had two girls win individual and relay golds.
Isabella Granteed won the 200 and was on the 400 relay. Avery Kozerski won the 400 and the 1600 relay. Jane Gillespie was part of both winning relays.
The other gold medals were collected one at a time by Dallas 1600-meter runner Sarah Williams, Berwick javelin thrower Cecelia Isenberg, Hazleton Area triple jumper Sophia Shults and six relay runners.
The meet came four days before the two-day District 2 championships open, giving athletes one last chance of qualifying for or improving their seeds for that meet.
“We were strategic about our events and what we wanted our athletes to run,” Viti said. “(The team title) was in the back on my mind, but it wasn’t something that was absolutely, actively our goal.
“If it happened, it was a bonus and we’re really happy about it. Obviously, districts is the bigger picture. It’s coming up and we’re really looking forward to it Monday and Tuesday.”
Regular-season Division 1 champion Dallas was eight points back in second place with 105.
Division 2 champion Wyoming Area was third with 71 points followed by: Holy Redeemer with 62, Pittston Area 60, Lake-Lehman 59 and Hazleton Area 57.
MORE COVERAGE
Results: Full team scores and top three finishers in each event. WVC Track Championships – NEPA Sports Nation.
