Mike Vukovcan 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.
