The Dock track and field teams continued to take steps forward during their final two meets of the regular season.
Over back-to-back days, the Pioneers set or tied an astounding 26 personal records.
In the final regular-season meet, the Henderson Invitational on Friday, the 4x800 relay of Bennett Briggs, Akoi Deng, Xander Morsby and Dan Pitzen ran 9:07.46 to set the top time in District 1 AA. Morsby also placed eighth in the boys triple jump at 41-feet-10.5 and ran 12.04 seconds in the 100 meters. Fiona Kaelin was the only Dock girl to compete in the high-end meet and the freshman lowered her 1,600 PR time to 5:34.01 to move within a second of fourth place in the district.
Most of the Pioneers’ focus and efforts for the week was on the Helman Invitational at Pennridge. And while rain cooled off the meet midway through, it was a downpour of bests that Dock came away with Thursday.
The girls 4x800 relay of Lily Landes, Lilli Denny, Claire Nyce and Lydia Sensenig ran 11:05.62 for fifth place.
London Bey had a strong meet overall. She ran a PR of 52.16 seconds in the girls 300-meter hurdles, a time that’s good for fifth in the district. She also finished in a best of 13.82 in the girls 100 meters. The freshman ran 19.69 in the girls 100-meter hurdles.
Briggs also had a great meet. The sophomore recorded a PR of 42.10 in the boys 300 hurdles to move to No. 2 in the district rankings. Deng ran 46.15 and Mikayden Mast ran a personal-best 52.83.
Briggs ran a personal best of 11.71 seconds in the boys 100. He ranks seventh in the district. Pitzen ran 12.24 seconds, and Stephen Archer moved his best down to 14.82 seconds.
Briggs set a personal record of 20-feet-1 in the boys long jump. He sits tied for second in the district now.
Isaiah Landes cleared 9-feet-6 in the boys pole vault for the first time. The freshman improved his district-leading mark with the clearance.
Ryan Ykoruk ran two personal bests in his two distance events. The sophomore ran 5:16.91 in the boys 1,600 and came back to run 11:18.66 in the boys 3,200. He is 10th in the district in the 3,200. Jude Peterson also had another pair of PRs. The freshman ran 5:20.55 for the 1,600 and 2:26.68 in the boys 800. Colin Blaszka ran a best of 2:32.80 for the boys 800.
The boys 4x100 relay of Mast, Isaiah Landes, Ryan Vedock and Ryan Hackett ran 53.05.
Deng equaled his PR of 5-feet-6 in the boys high jump. The senior ran 58.47 in the boys 400.
Ryan Hackett threw 27-feet-9.5 in the boys shot put in his first time in the event. Hackett threw the boys discus 68-8. Deng Deng threw the discus 50-10.
Nakiyah Jones threw a personal-best 24-2 in the girls shot put.
Emily Merrill threw 65-feet, Logan Naidoo hit 62-11 and Gabby Kaelin had a personal-record 61-5 in the girls discus to move up four spots in the district rankings.
Merrill threw 67-7 in the girls javelin. Denny threw 56-4 and Gabby Kaelin had another personal best, 50-2.
Mast hit a personal best of 22.40 in the boys 110-meter hurdles.
Kaelin ran a personal-record 2:28.90 in the girls 800. Denny followed in a PR of 2:41.94 and Sensenig ran 2:47.75.
Morsby hit 23.58 in the boys 200, Pitzen equaled his PR at 24.00 and Archer ran a personal best of 31.60.
Nyce finished the girls 3,200 meters with an almost 20-second improvement to 13:20.86.
The runners finished their night with Bey, Denny, Sensenig and Kaelin running a season-best 4:36.86 in the girls 4x400 relay, the fifth best time in the district. The boys 4x400 of Briggs, Deng, Morsby and Pitzen ran a season best of 3:43.30.
Dock will next host the Bicentennial Athletic League Championships on Wednesday and Thursday. After Wednesday’s competition concludes, the Pioneers will honor their three seniors Akoi Deng, Amy Muhlfeld and Roman Kurian on Senior Night.