The Plum boys track and field team enjoyed one of the most successful days in program history at the WPIAL Class 3A championships last week at Slippery Rock University.
Mustangs athletes earned eight PIAA qualifications, led by four gold and two silver medals.
Now, they will lead the Alle-Kiski Valley contingent — which includes those from Kiski Area and Fox Chapel — to states Friday and Saturday at Shippensburg University’s Seth Grove Stadium.
“All year, we had it in our sights that we could send a good number to states,” Plum coach Matt Proskin said Tuesday afternoon as he oversaw the jumpers, runners and hurdlers fine-tuning their efforts in advance of this weekend’s meet.
“About midway through the season, we went to the Shippensburg Invitational, and we kind of treated it as a state preview meet. We took a group we felt had a chance to get to states if they put it all together. We wanted to use it as a chance to motivate them and give them experience at the venue.”
That day, junior Kent Holmes finished runner-up in the 400-meter dash, senior Owen Proskin took silver in both the 110 and 300 hurdles, and the boys 1,600 relay placed fifth.
“It’s pretty exciting to have the two relays and individuals going,” said coach Proskin, who watched school records bettered in four events at WPIALs.
“This is great for the program. It really shows the progress we made. It showed when we won the section, something we hadn’t done since 1999. It was a year-long process with goals that has led us to where we will be pretty busy this weekend.”
Preliminary heats and finals on the track and in the field begin at 9 a.m. Friday and continue through the 1,600 relay preliminaries at 4:15 p.m.
Numerous medals and championships will be decided when the meet continues Saturday at 9 a.m.
Owen Proskin joins Freeport junior Mackenzie Magness as the only A-K Valley athletes to qualify for states in four events.
He claimed gold in the 110 hurdles, long jump and 1,600 relay and silver in the high jump at WPIALs. He enters his final PIAA meet as the fifth seed in the high jump (6 feet, 7 inches), the sixth seed in the 110 hurdles (14.30), the 23rd seed in the long jump and the eighth seed in the 1,600 relay (3:19.67) with Holmes and juniors Niko Burrell and Eli Matolcsy.
Proskin fronted the Plum group at states last year with a fourth in the 110 hurdles.
Newly minted WPIAL triple jump champion, senior Sloan Humphries, will return to the PIAA meet as the No. 7 seed in the event (46-2.5) and will try to improve on his 10th from last year.
He also is the 26th seed in the long jump (21-4.5) after placing fourth at WPIALs and earning an automatic bid.
Holmes heads to states as the 14th seed in the 400 (48.85). He took bronze in the event at WPIALs.
He will join senior Elijah Jackson and juniors CJ Hart and Tyler Beleno on the 24th-seeded 400 relay. The quartet set a school record of 42.70 at WPIALs in finishing second to rival Gateway.
“It feels great to be going to states because the relay, at first, ran a 44.8 in an opening meet,” Jackson said. “We switched up the lineup a lot until we finally got the best four. I honestly didn’t think we had a chance to go to states. I wasn’t sure we had a 42 in us, but to go under 43 showed the hard work and potential paid off. We want to see if we can go faster at states.”
Kiski Area junior Braden Miller returns to states in two events, the 110 and 300 hurdles, while a teammate, sophomore Nick Anderson, makes his PIAA debut in the shot put.
Miller hopes to get on the medal stand as the 12th seed in the 110 hurdles (14.63) and as the 21st seed in the 300 (39.60). He took bronze in the 110 hurdles and silver in the 300 at WPIALs.
Anderson, an all-star football lineman with the Cavaliers, showed his strength at WPIALs as he threw the shot 49-8 to take fourth overall. He will attempt to move up from the 30th seed.
Many PIAA qualifiers from the WPIAL hope to fare better this weekend after performing in cold and sometimes rainy conditions at WPIALs.
Fox Chapel senior Claire Conti, the first Foxes athlete to compete at states all four years, placed third at WPIALs in the discus, one year after taking home WPIAL gold in the event. She was under her season best but still was able to make it to states with a top throw of 119-4.
“I know going to Shippensburg, the circle is faster,” Conti said. “That’s a mental thing going to throw in a circle you don’t throw in often. It’s already fast, having rain on top of that is scary.”
Conti is seeded 14th. She was 13th last year with a best of 120-6. The top seed threw a 136 at her district meet. Conti hit 137-10 at WPIALs last year.
Two other silver medalists — Kiski Area sophomore Alaysia Bell and the Fox Chapel 400 relay — will represent the area in the Class 3A girls meet at Shippensburg.
Bell took second in the triple jump at WPIALs with a best leap of 37-10.75. She said she is ready to get back into the 38s or better at states, and she will head in as the 12th seed.
The Foxes’ 3,200 relay of freshman Claire Loiudice, sophomore Ella Shevchuk, freshman Sydney Kimmons and sophomore Bridget Hemingray has a bright present and future, and the quartet came together to finish second at WPIALs with a time of 9:32.67. It is the 19th seed for states.