State College Boys Win State Track and Field Championship

State College boys track and field claimed the PIAA Class AAA championship on Saturday in Shippensburg, finishing the two-day state title meet with 47 team points, seven points ahead of second place Coatesville.

The state championship is the second of the year for the Little Lion boys team after winning the PTFCA indoor state championships in February.

Lance Hamilton got State College off to a golden start on Friday by winning his first PIAA title in the triple jump with a mark of 49-06. The Penn State-bound senior won a silver medal in the long jump on Saturday, with a second place jump of 22-08.25.

Senior Luke Knipe captured the Little Lions’ other gold medal on Friday, clearing 16-0 in the pole vault final. A Penn State signee as well, Knipe also medaled in the long jump, claiming sixth place.

Penns Valley sophomore Colton Sands earned the third gold medal of the weekend for Centre County schools, finishing the AA 3200 final in 9:24.75.

For State College, sophomore Conrad Moore won bronze in the high jump with a mark of 6-07. Junior Lokey Howell took fourth in the 110 meter hurdles, running a 14.94. Senior David Wasson medaled with a sixth place finish in the pole vault, clearing 14-03. Junior Zachary DeCarmine made the podium with an eighth place finish in the 300 meter hurdles at 54.04.

The Little Lions’ 3,200-meter relay team of Henry Ballard, Marc Allerheiligen, Joe Messner and DeCarmine medaled in eighth place.

On the girls’ side, Saint Joseph’s Catholic Academy had a strong showing with a seventh place finish in the AA team standings, accumulating 24 points.

The Lady Wolves’ 3,200 relay team of Myah Chappell, Julia Cusatis, Sera Mazza and Kathleen Simander won silver with a time of 9:32.12. Saint Joseph’s 1600-meter relay team of Chappell, Mazza, Simander and Clare Marsh medaled with an eighth-place finish in 4:09.27.

Marsh won bronze in the 300-meter hurdles at 45.94.

Junior Izzy Warren claimed a trio of medals with fifth place in the triple jump (37-02), sixth in the long jump (17-01.75) and seventh in the 100-meter hurdles (16.50).

State College girls brought home two medals from the AAA championships.

Penn State-bound senior Kileigh Kane took fourth in the 1,600 meters with a time of 4:55.99. Fellow senior Lyndsey Reed, an Ole Miss signee, claimed fourth in the pole vault, clearing 12-0.

Penns Valley senior Isabella Culver earned a AA medal with a fifth-place finish in the 400 meter dash, running 57.70.