Mike Vukovcan 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.
