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Hopewell Track and Field

Hopewell Track and Field Finishes Indoor Season with Huge Gains

by Mike Vukovcan
written by Mike Vukovcan 2 minutes read

On Saturday, the Hopewell track team competed at the University of Akron in their fourth and final indoor meet of the winter and put up several personal best performances that highlighted the immense improvements they have made over the past three months of training.

Since winter workouts began in late November, this group has reaped the benefits of their consistent hard work, breaking multiple school records and setting themselves up for a very successful outdoor season this spring.


Sophomore distance runner Skylar Elias set a school record in the 3200m run with a time of 13:23.03 – more than two and a half minutes faster than her best time from last spring! Her time of 6:05.07 at Akron was more than 40 seconds faster than her best 1600m time.

Sophomore Harley Hample made similarly huge gains in the sprints. A member of last year’s school record 4x400m relay team, she added a school record in the 4x200m relay to her resume and improved her 60m time from 9.06 in January to 8.68 yesterday in Akron. She also took more than a whole second off her 200m time, running 28.25, down from 29.45, just 6 weeks ago.


Yet another sophomore Tessa Burgess collected two school records this winter. She joined Harley, Madi Inderelst, and Maya Richburg on the 4x200m relay, and also broke the 60m hurdles record with a 10.61 run at Youngstown State last week.


Senior Madi Inderelst finished the winter strong with an indoor personal best of 2:38.30 in the 800m, setting herself up for a big spring. She has also committed to running track and cross-country next year at Geneva College.


On the boys’ side, Luke McGrail had a breakout day in the 60m hurdles and 60m dash. His 8.90 time in the hurdles is just .17 seconds off of AJ Tempalski’s long standing school record. He followed that up with a PB in the 60m dash of 7.35, and big improvement from his 7.47 time in January.


Senior Antony Flitcraft improved his 1600m time from 5:08 to 5:02 this winter and is poised to break through that 5:00 barrier that he has been working so hard for.


One of the most dramatic turnarounds of the winter for the boys has been junior sprinter Marqwone Nakoa. He has put in extra work in the weight room every day and improved his top speed in practice from 18mph to nearly 21mph. Last year he did not even make the list for a single indoor meet, but this year he made everyone, and posted personal best times of 7.69 in the 60m and 25.83 in the 200m.

Spring practice for Outdoor Track and Field begins March 2nd, and these athletes will be joined by nearly 100 more for what will hopefully be another record-breaking year in Hopewell.

 

 

 

 

 

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Hopewell Track and Field

2 Hopewell Track and Field Records Broken at 1st Meet of the Winter

by Mike Vukovcan
written by Mike Vukovcan 1 minutes read

The Hopewell Track and Field team has been working hard since Thanksgiving to get ready for the 2026 season and got their first opportunity to compete Saturday January 10th at Youngstown State University in the first indoor meet of the winter season.

The first meet of the winter provides a chance to see progress and evaluate strengths and weaknesses. Expectations are not always high this early in January, because there is still so much work to do, but the Hopewell girls started off with a bang anyway, breaking two school records in the process.

Sophomore Tessa Burgess was the first Viking to compete, and in her first ever 60m hurdles race, she broke the school record with a 10.66 second run in the prelims. Tessa was a WPIAL qualifier in the 100m hurdles last spring as a freshman, so this fast start is a promise of great things to come. The previous record of 10.77 was held by Jordan Pershin since 2017.


Tessa was part of a second school record on the day when she teamed up with seniors Madison Inderelst and Maya Richburg, and fellow sophomore Harley Hample in the 4x200m relay.

The girls combined to run a time of 1:57.40 and finishing 6th overall. The previous record of 1:59.60 was set by Lauryn Speicher, Leia Day, Ryann Essey, and Aubryanna Snyder in 2022, all of whom are competing at the collegiate level.

The girls will have 3 more chances this winter to improve on their record, the next one coming February 1st at Mount Union.

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Hopewell Track and Field

Hopewell Breaks School Records in WPIAL Track and Field Championship

by Mike Vukovcan
written by Mike Vukovcan 3 minutes read

Emma Palmieri is now 4 times a GOAT! The senior sprinter added her name to the school record books in two more places on Wednesday at the WPIAL Track and Field Championship at Slippery Rock University.

Palmieri was already part of the record setting 4×100 relay and broke the 200m record (25.60) earlier this season. The 400m record, held by Elise Farris since 2010, has been a 4-year project for Emma, and the payoff came on a championship stage. She passes 3 other runners in the 100 meters to claim the WPIAL silver medal and the long sought-after record in 57.45 seconds.

The second school record Emma claimed was the last event of the day and came with a little help from her friends. The girls 4x400m relay record of 4:10 had also stood since 2010. Freshman Harley Hample, junior Madison Inderelst, senior Reese Murray, and Palmieri came into the meet with a season best of 4:14.

The girls put together their fastest splits of the season, and got the baton to Emma in striking distance of the record at 3:11, and she closed it out with a 57.9 split to seize an 8th place medal and the new Hopewell record of 4:09.67. It was the first WPIAL medal for Harley, Madison and Reese.

Palmieri earned two more medals on the day. The first came with the 4x100m relay team, alongside junior Maya Richburg, sophomore Avery Boyd, and senior Nevaeh Persi-Jones. The quartet ran their fastest time (50.20) in their 2 years together to earn a sixth-place medal and again qualify for the PIAA Championships next week at Shippensburg University. The girls are peaking at the right time and will be at their best for the state meet.

Emma’s 4th medal of the day came with a 5th place finish in the 200m dash. She ran her 3rd fastest time ever (25.72) and will have another chance to improve on her school records next week at States, where she will compete int he 200m, 400m and the 4x100m relay.

Hopewell had one more medalist on the day. Junior pole vaulter Emily Bauknight cleared a new personal best height of 9’6″ and earned an 8th place podium finish. She will be spending the next year going after the school record of 10’3″ that is shared by Megan Parrish and Emily Pleslusky.

Hopewell’s Emma Bauknight

Other highlights for the girls included Marlee Page breaking the century mark with the javelin. She finished 10th with a new personal best of 105’1″. The 4x800m relay team of Madi Inderelst, Keira Mann, Skylar Elias and Caylee Sundy running their best time of the season! Freshman Tessa Burgess competed on the 100m hurdles and got valuable championship experience.

On the Boys side, the deeper competitive field in AAA made it a lot tougher than in past years to get on the podium. Senior Connor Progar finished his career in a tie for 9th place in the pole vault at 13’9″. The school record holder and captain has been a standard of dedication and helpfulness to his teammates. After graduation, he will be pursuing a career in law enforcement.

Senior Zach Lucas had a rough 100m hurdle prelim, but the soon to be Geneva College Golden Tornado had a remarkable season. He was one of the Top 50 most improved hurdlers in the country, taking nearly 4 seconds off his best time from last year to finish the season with a personal best of 15.44 seconds. He will be competing next year at Geneva and is just scratching the surface of what he can do.

Senior sprint captain Zach Kovell’s high school career also ended on Wednesday. He finishes with 2 school records in the 4x100m and 4x400m relays, but more importantly, he leaves Hopewell with a legacy of determination, hard work, and a desire to prove oneself by running through the fire of the hardest workouts and the hardest events. That legacy could be seen in how his 4×400 teammates competed, running their hearts out in the last event of the day.

This team that broke the 40-year-old school record earlier this spring was the first boys 4×400 relay to qualify for the WPIALs in decades, but it will be the beginning of a 400m culture that started with Zach, and will be carried on by Julian Baldwin, Jack Biega and Josh Brunton. Zach will continue his track and field career next year at Westminster College, along with his friend and relay teammate Aaron Dickhart.

 

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Hopewell Track and Field

Fast Times for Hopewell Track and Field at Pine Richland Meet

by Mike Vukovcan
written by Mike Vukovcan 2 minutes read

The Hopewell Track and Field team traveled to Wexford on Thursday for a “last chance” meet to qualify for the WPIAL Championships.

The WPIAL takes the top 24 boys in AAA, and the top 16 girls in AA to the championship meet next week, and the Hopewell athletes are taking every opportunity available to improve their standings on those lists. The meet at Pine-Richland was one of the last of those opportunities, and the Vikings took full advantage, coming away with a lot of personal and season best times and marks.

The girls 4×800 relay of Madison Inderelst, Keira Mann, Skylar Elias and Caylee Sundy came into the meet ranked 14th in AA but would need to improve their time to avoid getting bumped off the WPIAL list. They succeeded in dropping 14 seconds off their best time of the season, running 11:00.32 and moving into the 10th position. Inderelst and Sundy ran their best splits of the season, and Madi later ran a PB of 2:34.05 in the open 800m.

In the hurdles, freshman Tessa Burgess came into the meet needing to drop nearly half a second from her 100h to get into the Top 16. She did just that, improving from 17.80 to 17.46 and moving into the 14th spot. Burgess has made remarkable progress this season and is now beginning to show supreme confidence in her technique and the work she has done.

Senior Zach Lucas ran a new personal best time in the 110m hurdles as well, improving from 15.62 to 15.44 and moving up to 10th on the WPIAL AAA list.

Senior Emma Palmieri and junior Maya Richburg came out of the blocks on fire in the 100m dash. Palmieri improved her season best time from 12.82 to 12.49, and Richburg dropped hers from 12.95 to 12.56, securing her spot in the WPIAL Championships. They are closing in on Kalley Barker’s school record of 12.38, set back in 2007. They both ran hot times in the 200m dash as well. Palmieri improved her school record time to 25.60, and Richburg matched her PRB with 26.77.

In the 400m, Palmieri and fellow senior Zach Kovell ran their fastest times of the season. Emma ran 58.20, which ranks second in the WPIAL AA list. Kovell ran 50.88 improving his standing to 20th out of the 24 that will qualify for the AAA boys.

Senior Reese Murray ran a new personal best time in the 300m hurdles with 50.93. She is just a few tenths of a second from qualifying in the top 16 of AA.

In the field, junior Emily Bauknight cleared her highest bar of the season in the pole vault with 8’7″. That should hold up as a qualifying performance.
Freshman Brody Rock threw a big PB with the discus of 127’0”. He is about 3 feet short of the top 24, but he and the rest of the Vikings on the bubble will have one more shot at qualifying when they travel to Montour High School Saturday morning for the Spartan Last Chance Meet. This will be the final opportunity on the calendar to get a mark or time before the entries for the WPIAL Championship meet are finalized.
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Hopewell Track and Field

Hopewell Track and Field Breaks 40-Year School Record at Robert Morris Meet

by Mike Vukovcan
written by Mike Vukovcan 3 minutes read

The Hopewell Track and Field team took a break from FID days and doing homework with no power or internet to make a short trip to Neville Island on Thursday and compete in RMU’s inaugural Bobby Mo Don’t Run Slow Invitational. This new meet gave the team a bonus chance to hit new personal records and improve their qualifying times and marks for the upcoming WPIAL Championships.

Though the meet started slowly, it ended with a bang when the Hopewell Boys 4x400m relay team broke a school record that been set in the 1980s. The relay team had high expectations of breaking the 40-year record of 3:32 entering the season, but an injury to one of their top sprinters forced their focus to shift to just qualifying for the WPIALs.

As Zach Kovell led off the race with a 49.7 second split, it looked like the team would have a good chance of improving on its season best time of 3:39. Aaron Dickhart ran a solid second leg and kept the Vikings in range of Central Valley’s excellent relay team. Julian Baldwin ran his best relay spit (53.03) ever on the third leg, closing the gap with CV, and setting up Jack Biega’s epic anchor leg. A little stumble on the handoff opened up CV’s lead slightly, but Jack quickly recovered and immediately started reeling in CV’s anchor – an excellent sprinter who had won the 200m earlier. As Jack made his move to pass on the backstretch, most watching thought the freshman had gone too early and would not be able to hold on, but the strength from his 800m training carried him through, and he won going away with an incredible 50.2 split.

As he crossed the finish line, and the scoreboard read 3:30.92, he was mobbed by his teammates. They had dropped 9 seconds off their best time and were now school record holders. This is the second school record held by Kovell, who is also on the record 4×100 relay, and the first for Baldwin, Dickhart and Biega. The time also puts them in solid position to qualify for the WPIAL Championship meet.

The Girls 4×400 team also ran their best time of the season. Freshman Harley Hample started the relay with an impressive 1:02 split, and Madi Inderelst, Reese Murray and Emma Palmieri ran some of their strongest legs of the year to take the victory with a season best time of 4:14.44.

Mike DiNardo threw a big personal best of 133’7″ with the javelin – his first time over the 130′ mark. Vinny Boris (134’4″) and Marlee Page (96’0″) also had strong days.

Emma DiCicco threw 2 big personal bests in the shot put (26’11”) and the discus (71’6″). And Brody Rock led the Vikings in the shot put (40’6″) and discus throw (112’5″0.

Bryce Ray was 3rd overall in the long jump, leaping 19’6″ into a tough headwind, and Avry Boyd hit a new PB with a 15’0″ jump.

Emma Palmieri won the 100m (12:82) and 200m (26.06) with her second-best times of the season. Tessa Burgess (13.97) and Reese Murray (13.96) ran personal best times in the 100m, and Avery Boy ran a huge PB 28.28 in the 200m.

Zach Kovell ran his best time of the season in the 400m with 50.99, and his second best in the 200m with 22.72. Rameer Reeves ran big person bests of 12.62 in the 100m and 25.98 in the 200m. Julian Baldwin (24.46) and Mike Gargiulo (25.95) also ran personal bests in the 200m.

Zach Lucas and Luke McGrail finished 1-2 in the 100m hurdles with 15.99 and 16.10.

The Vikings have 2 more chances to improve their qualifying marks for the WPIAL Championship next week. They will go to Pine-Richland on Thursday, and Montour on Saturday for Last Chance meets.

The WPIAL Championship meet is May 14th at Slippery Rock University.

 

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Hopewell Track and Field

Busy Weekend for Hopewell Track and Field

by Mike Vukovcan
written by Mike Vukovcan 2 minutes read

The Hopewell Track and Field team split up to compete in two different meets this past weekend. The bulk of the team traveled to Hickory High School to compete in the City of Hermitage Invitational, while the girls 4x100m and 4x400m relays went to Philadelphia to compete in the historic Penn Relays.

Emma Palmieri, Nevaeh Persi-Jones, Reese Murray, Maya Richburg, Madi Inderelst, and Avery Boyd made the trip to Philadelphia. The Penn Relays is one of the largest meets in the country, with hundreds of schools from many states, and even several teams from Jamaica competing. College and professional athletes also competed there over the weekend, so the girls got to see how athletes at every level go about their business. While the girls did not match their fastest times of the season (51.33 in the 4×100 and 4:23 in the 4×400), the experience will pay dividends, as every track and stadium will seem small by comparison, and the bonding and memories of this trip will last a lifetime.

The weather once again turned on us as the rest of the team dealt with windy sub-50-degree weather at the City of Hermitage Invitational. Despite the tough conditions, several Vikings made the podium.
Senior Zach Lucas finished 4th in the 110m hurdles with a time of 16.11. Freshman Tessa Burgess finished in the top 10 in the 100m hurdles with 17.99.
Zach Kovell placed 8th in the 100m, 3rd in the 400m, and 6th in the 200m. Freshmen Harley Hample and Cadence Zito ran personal best times in the 100m (13.96 and 14.79).
Tre Cameron cleared a new personal best in the high jump with 5’7”, and Avery Bokor matched that height. They placed 4th and 5th, respectively. Harley Hample just missed the podium in the girls’ high jump, clearing 4’7”, but finishing 9th on tiebreakers.

Connor Progar placed 4th in the pole vault with a 12’6” – a tough task in the windy conditions. Emily Bauknight placed 8th in the girls vault with 7’6”. Sam Milligan cleared a new personal best with 10’6” and was 11th overall.
Marlee Page was 10th overall in the javelin with a 90’6” throw.
The Vikings now have 3 meets left to hit qualifying marks and times for the WPIAL Championship meet. They will compete at Robert Morris University’s track on Neville Island Thursday, May 1st, and then the following week at a pair of Last Chance meets – at Pine Richland on May 8th, and at Montour on May 10th. The top 16 AA girls in each event qualify for the WPIAL Championship. For the boys, they must be in the top 24 AAA marks/times in each event.
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Hopewell Track and Field

2 Hopewell School Records Broken at MAC Championship Meet

by Mike Vukovcan
written by Mike Vukovcan 3 minutes read

The Hopewell Track and Field team traveled to Shenango High School for the MAC Championship on Wednesday, and two Vikings made school history. Seniors Emma Palmieri and Connor Progar took advantage of beautiful weather and broke school records.

Connor broke his own record that he set last year in the pole vault, clearing 13’10”. He also had 2 very close attempts at the next height (14’4″) indicating that he could improve on this record a few more times this season. He finished 2nd on the day in a jump-off with Mohawk’s Joe Whippo, who also set his school’s record.

Emma’s record came in the 200m dash, when she ran 25.65, besting Lauryn Speicher’s time of 25.77 from just 2 years ago. This is Emma’s second school record- she also has the 4x100m relay record along with Speicher, Aubryanna Snyder, and Maya Richburg.

She has her sights set next on Elise Farris’ 400m record (57.64) that has stood since 2010. She recently signed with Mercyhurst University, where she will be part of their new track program competing at the Division 1 level.


Emma also made the podium with both the 4x100m and 4x400m relay teams. She, along with Maya Richburg, Avery Boyd, and Nevaeh Persi-Jones earned a 4th place finish with their best time of the season (50.44). The 4×400 team of Palmieri, Richburg, Reese Murray a, and Madi Inderelst placed 6th. Both teams are traveling to Philadelphia to compete in the historic Penn Relays on Friday.

The javelin throwers had a big day for themselves. Vinny Boris made the podium, placing 6th with his personal best throw of 137’4″. Mike DiNardo also threw a PB of 129’6″. Marlee Page inched closer to the century mark with her best effort of 99’9″.

Zach Kovell ran his best times of the season in the 200m (22.68) and 400m (51.03), placing 3rd and 4th, respectively. After a few rough meets earlier in April, he is back on track for his goal of adding another school record or two to his resume before continuing his career at Westminster College.


Zach Lucas continued his strong senior campaign. The Geneva College commit placed 5th in the 110m hurdles with a 15.99 run in the finals. Senior Reese Murray improved her 300m hurdle PB to 51.01, by dominating her heat.

In the jumps, Nick Adams placed 6th in the triple jump with 40’8″. Senior Sam Milligan jumped a new personal record of 10’4″ in the pole vault. Senior Mia Blakeslee reached new heights in the high jump as well, clearing 4’8.5″. Avery Boyd had a season best 31’11” triple jump.

Several freshman athletes had big days. Avery Bokor placed 4th in the high jump with 5’8.5″ clearance.

Harley Hample cleared a new PB in high jump, matching Mia Blakeslee at 4’8.5″. Tessa Burgess made remarkable progress in her 100m hurdles, maintaining her 3-step rhythm for the entire race on her way to a new PB time of 17.80. Tre Cameron ran the anchor leg on the boys 4×100 relay that ran 44.84. Brody Rock threw a huge PB of 117’7″ with the discus. Jack Biega had a monster day on the track, dropping a PB of 2:05.98 in the 800m and splitting 52.9 as the anchor of the boys 4×400 team that matched their best time of the season with 3:39.

The Vikings have a lot of action up this weekend. The girls relays will run at the Penn Relays in Philadelphia on Friday, and the rest of the team will compete in the City of Hermitage Invitational on Saturday at Hickory High School.

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Hopewell Track and Field

Hopewell Track and Field Celebrates Their Seniors with Big Personal Performances

by Mike Vukovcan
written by Mike Vukovcan 3 minutes read

The Hopewell Track and Field team recognized their senior class of 2025 before their final home meet of the season against Central Valley and Ambridge. This group has accomplished a lot – 3 school records, and 16 WPIAL medals between them – and still have so much more to do before they are done. With the sun on their faces, and the wind at their backs, the team showed their appreciation for their seniors with many of their best performances of the season, and their lives.

On the track, after the Girls’ 4×800 team of Keira Mann, Angelina Clarry, Skylar Elias, and Caylee Sundy won, all 5 of Hopewell hurdlers ran personal best times. Freshman Tessa Burgess was 4th overall with a 17.84 in the 100m hurdles, and Bri Inderelst (19.07) and Eileen Chen (20.58) also posted PB times. In the 110 m hurdles, Zach Lucas blew the field away with a new personal best time of 15.62, and Luke McGrail was second, running his best race ever in 16.02.

The 100m brought even more personal bests. Aided by a healthy tailwind, most of the Viking sprinters had their best day ever. Maya Richburg broke under 13 seconds for the first time ever, winning in 12.96. Nevaeh Persi-Jones ran her best time of the season with 13.66, and Cadence Zito (14.90) and Layla Biller (16.33) also set new personal records.

The boys were also cooking. Zach Kovell won the 100 in 11.32, a massive personal best. Tre Cameron (11.75), Julian Baldwin (11.93), Zach Gigliotti (12.01), Greg Gigliotti (12.13), Austin Martinez (12.35- nearly .7 seconds faster than his previous best!), Mike Garciulo (12.44), Maddox Fattore (12.53), Roman Amadio (12.65), Rameer Reeves (12.70), and Christian Chalmers (12.79) all showed off their continued improvement with their fastest times ever.

Freshman Skylar Elias continued to drop her mile time, winning the 1600m run in 6:47:34, a new personal best. She also ran a personal best in the 800m of 3:02, earning another win against CV. Antony Flitcraft led Jackson Valvo and James Pistorius to a Hopewell sweep of the boys 1600m.

The girls 4x100m relay stormed to a dominating victory, and the boys team won a measure of revenge on the Ambridge squad that had edged them at the County meet last Saturday, holding off their anchor for a close victory.

Keira Mann won the girls 400m dash with a new PB of 1:11.93. Bri Inderelst earned a new PB in the 300m hurdles (54.70) to go with her PB in the 100h, and Caylee Sundy made her 300h debut with 55.81.

The hits kept coming in the field events as well. Marlee Page was the overall winner in the girls’ javelin with a 91’4″ throw. Freshman Lillian Gruber (48′) and Samantha Anskate (47’4″) had their best throws ever. Vinny Boris led a clean sweep for the boys’ javelin, with Mike DiNardo 2nd, and Chris Shiel- who broke the century mark for the first time ever – 3rd.

Freshman Brody Brock had a big day, winning the discus with a PB throw of 104’1″, and came in second overall in the shot put with a PRB of 41’1″. Dom Gaughan was just behind him in both throws. Cullen Casey, Reese Jacobs, Zach Maxin, and Will Holland all posted PB throws in the shot and discuss.

Bryce Ray led a team of jumpers who leapt to new distances. He broke the 20-foot mark for the first time ever, winning the long jump with 20’4″. Avery Bokor hit 19 feet for the first time, and Grant Houy, Maddox Fattore, Manny Gomez, and Greg Gigliotti all jumped personal bests. Andy Gaguzis earned his first triple jump victory, and Houy and Gomez also jumped PBs. Avery Boyd won the triple jump on the girls’ side with a season best 31-foot jump.

Avery Bokor earned his second high jump victory of the season, clearing 5’8″, and Tre Camerson cleared a new PRB of 5’6″. Harley Hample led the Hopewell high jumpers with a 4’6″ jump.

The Vikings travel north for the Butler Invitational on Thursday before taking a break for Easter and recharging for the run to the WPIAL Championship meet.

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Hopewell Track and Field

Vikings Battle the County and the Cold to Crown 4 Champions

by Mike Vukovcan
written by Mike Vukovcan 3 minutes read

Vibes were resilient Saturday as the Hopewell Track and Field teams traveled to Riverside High School for the Beaver County Championship meet. The meet fell on yet another cold and dreary April day, and several athletes were dealing with sickness or coming off of injuries, but they were all determined to persevere. The Vikings earned 4 golds and got several personal best performances in their first big meet of the season.

Senior Zach Lucas was the first to top the podium with his victory in the 110m hurdles. He overcame a tough start to win an intense race in 16.05. Sophomore Luke McGrail ran his best race of the season to finish 3rd in 16.36. Zach returned to the podium in the 300m hurdles with a 6th place finish.

The girls 4x100m relay team of Maya Richburg, Emma Palmieri, Avery Boyd, and Nevaeh Persi-Jones did not have their cleanest run of the season, but they were able to win comfortably by more than a second and a half over their closest competitor.

Junior Nick Adams took the gold in the triple jump with his best hop-step-jump of the season with a 40’3” effort. He was also 4th in the long jump, and junior Bryce Ray was 6th

The girls 4x400m relay team of Richburg, Palmieri, Madi Inderelst, and Reese Murray closed out the meet with another gold medal run.

Junior Vinny Boris was finally healthy after dealing with a stubborn shoulder injury, and opened up his season with a huge personal best javelin throw of 135’9” that earned him silver in the event, behind only the defending WPIAL champion

Sophomore Marlee Page also threw a huge PB with the javelin. Her throw of 97’2” was also good for silver. She and the Hopewell throwers are all rounding into form at the right time.

Senior Emma Palmieri had a rough day battling through sickness, and was not her usual dominant self, but did add two silver medals in the 200m and 400m to her two golds in the relays. She will be back to form after some much needed rest.

Junior Maya Richburg had a breakout day in the sprints, taking second in the 100m with 13.20, and third in the 200m with a big PB of 27.54. Those medals made a lot of noise clinking around with her two relay golds

Senior Reese Murray took the bronze in the 300m hurdles to pair with her gold in the 4×400. She ran a very clean race, and clocked her second best time ever – 51.21

The girls 4x800m relay team of Madi Inderelst, Keira Mann, Skylar Elias, and Caylee Sundy took home bronze medals, running 11:23.05 in the opening event of the meet. Madi also took bronze in the open 800m, and finished the day with 3 medals around her neck.

An injury to Josh Brunton forced the boys 4×100 relay to improvise, and they were able to finish third with two substitutes and a new order. Junior Julian Baldwin started strong, and freshman Tre Cameron (who ran a huge PB of 11.82 in the 100m earlier) did a fine job as the last minute replacement on the final leg. Zach Kovell and Nick Adams adjusted their order as well, and the team ran a respectable 45.19 through the adversity.

Senior Zach Kovell added a bronze and a 4th place finish in the 400m and 200m dashes. Both were season best times, as he regains his form from his stellar junior season


Freshman Jack Biega filled in for Brunton on the 4×400 relay, and helped Baldwin, Adams, and Kovell to a 5th place finish. Biega also earned 5th place points with the boys 4×800 relay, along with Antony Flitcraft, Joel Olshanski, and Aaron Dickhart.

In high jump, senior Mia Blakeslee earned a 4th place finish with a new PB of 4’7”. Freshman Harley Hample also cleared 4’7”, but tiebreakers pushed her to 7th place. On the boys side, Avery Bokor placed 5th in his first County Championship with a 5’5” clearance.

Sophomore Avery Boyd returned to the podium after the triple jump, earning a 4th place ribbon for her 30’2” jump.

In the pole vault, junior Emily Bauknight tied for 5th with a 7’7” clearance. Senior Connor Progar was not pleased with his 3rd place finish and 12’1” jump despite just coming off an injury. It was the first competition of the season for both jumpers, and they will be back to their WPIAL and State qualifying form soon.

The Vikings next meet will be at home on Wednesday with Central Valley and Ambridge. They will then compete at the Butler Invitational on Thursday before resting up over Easter for the stretch run of the season, when the focus turns to qualifying for the WPIAL and PIAA Championships.

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Hopewell Track and Field

Recap of Hopewell Track and Field’s Tri-Meet Against Beaver and Avonworth

by Mike Vukovcan
written by Mike Vukovcan 2 minutes read

The Hopewell Track and Field team traveled to Avonworth Monday for a tri-meet with the Antelopes and the Beaver Bobcats. In the team scores, the Hopewell Girls came out with a 76-56 victory over Avonworth, but a narrow 71-70 loss to Beaver. The boys were out of sorts in many of the events on the track, and dropped both team scores, 82-59 to Beaver, and 76-60 to Avonworth.

Despite the team losses, there were, as always, bright spots to highlight for several individuals.

Sophomore Emma DiCicco earned her first event victories of her career with a personal best throw in the shot put of 26’9” that took first place against both teams, and a discus throw of 63’10” that was good for first against Avonworth and second against Beaver. Interestingly, she throws the shot put with her left hand, and the discus with her right, so she had both hands in the victory jar.

Sophomore Amelia McCloskey earned her first points of the season in the discus, and Emma Majewicz scored in the shot put.

Freshman Tessa Burgess ran her way to her first victory as well, taking first overall in the 100m hurdles with a huge personal best of 18.28.

Senior Mia Blakeslee and junior Lahna Murray both cleared new heights in the high jump, tying at 4’6.5”, a personal best for each of them.

Junior Madison continued to shave time off of her PB in the 800m with a 2:37.85 run that earned first place against Beaver, and second against Avonworth. She also anchored the 4×400 team to a victory over the Bobcats.

Freshman Skylar Elias was again a distance workhorse for the Vikings, running 3.5 miles worth of races. She earned third place points against both teams in the 1600m with a new PB of 6:51.58.

Senior Emma Palmieri did her thing with victories in the 100m – a season best time of 12.84 – the 200m, 400m, and 4×100. The relay team that included Maya Richburg, Avery Boyd, and Nevaeh Persi-Jones improved their season best time with a 51.97 run.

On the boys’ side, freshman Brody Rock took his first win in the shot put with a 39’8” heave. Mike DiNardo and Colton Baker took first and second against Beaver in the javelin. Baker’s throw of 107’11” was a massive PB for him. 

On the track, the boys simply did not get the strong performances they expected of themselves. Whether it was Murphy’s Law or a case of the Mondays, few things went well. The 4×100 relay did run a season best time of 44.12 but lost at the line to Beaver by .07 seconds. 

First year seniors Aaron Dickhart and Zach Gigliotti both had good days individually. Aaron improved his 400m PB to 56.65, and Zach ran his best 200m in 25.28. They combined with Jack Biega – who ran a PB in the 100m of 12.05 – and Greg Gigliotti to finish the meet with a strong effort in the 4×400.

The Vikings have the rest of the week to get right and have a shot at redemption on Saturday when they will travel to Riverside High School for the Beaver County Championship meet. Expectations remain high, and if they perform the way they are accustomed to, they will be strong contenders for a team championship.

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