Pioneers track and field meet challenges of Helman and Henderson meets 

Two major meets in two days gave the Dock track and field teams a chance for one final tune-up before the championship portion of the year.

Twenty-two season-best and personal records on Thursday at the Helman/Hosier Invitational at Pennridge High builds confidence in the Pioneers that their work is paying off. Strong showings in the prestigious Henderson Invitational on Friday reinforced the capabilities of the team’s veteran leaders.

The girls 4x800 relay responded to a challenge with a huge time drop and surprised themselves by winning the event at Helman. Ceara Barnes (2:40), Liv Moyer (2:35), Gretchen German (2:37) and Sadie Bernd (2:40) clocked 10:33.65 for the victory, 18 seconds faster than they’d run last meet.

Moyer returned late in the meet to earn third place in the 3,200 meters, equaling the highest individual finish of any Pioneers girl along with Bobby-Jo Dodds, who took third in the 100-meter hurdles and 300 hurdles. Moyer ran a personal-best 12:10.84 to move into first place in the District 1 AA rankings.

Dodds blazed to a personal-best 16.88 seconds for third in the 100 hurdles. She lowered her own best time in the district. The senior was third in the 300 hurdles in 48.23 seconds, just off her season’s best of 47.96. Dodds ran her first 200 meters later and ran 28.23 seconds, a time that ranks fifth in th district. She placed eight in triple jump with a 31-feet-7 effort.

The 4x400 relay of Barnes, Bernd, German and Celeste Derstine was seventh in a season-best 4:22.24 to end the running events. Between there were also plenty of strong performances.

In the girls 800 meters, German ran a personal-best 2:38.28. Bernd had a season-best of 2:38.94. Barnes lowered her best to 2:40.79.

Sophia Veltre was solid in the field events. The freshman jumped a personal-best 14-7 in long jump, put in a good series for a 30-4 in the triple jump, notched a personal-best 27-9¾ in shot put and a personal best of 69-8 in discus. German thew a personal best of 72-8 in javelin and Bernd hit a new best of 61-feet.

Olivia Mozzone posted a personal-record 59.58 seconds in the 300 hurdles. Maddie Afanador ran 1:02.49. Mozzone ran 21.70 in the 100 hurdles and Afanador clocked 22.11. Afanador jumped 12-2 in long jump. Mozzone cleared 6-feet-6 for a new best in the pole vault. Toni Phillips ran 16.36 seconds in the 100 meters.
Drew Bauman and Micah Mast had the highest finishes by boys in the Helman meet. Bauman was fifth in the 110-meter hurdles in a personal best of 17.85 seconds. Mast was sixth in 17.89. Mast ran 43.00 for the 300 hurdles to take sixth place. Bauman ran 45.76 seconds.

Mast finished the meet by anchoring the 4x400 relay of Jayden Waters, Alex Kostler, and Bauman for sixth place in 3:49.92. Between that, Mast took fifth in the pole vault with a clearance of 11-feet.
The 4x100 relay of Luke Smeland, Roman Kurian, Myles Johnson and Josh Frederick placed seventh in 50.51 seconds.

Daniel Ringenberg equaled his best with a clearance of 9-6 in pole vault. He also ran 4:55.55 in the 1,600 meters. Michael Pustay established a PR of 5:17.58. Ringenberg ran 2:13.50 for the 800 meters. Pustay finished in 2:31.11 and Frederick ran 2:31.33.

Matthew Mast ran a personal-best 52.42 in the 300 hurdles, and was timed in 22.28 in the 110 hurdles. All three boys in the 100 meters set new bests. Waters ran 12.20 seconds, Smeland got 12.38 and Kostler hit 12.57 seconds. Kostler came back to PR in the 200 in 25.94 seconds.

Kurian dipped under a minute for the first time in the 400 for a personal best of 59.68 seconds. Seungkyu Cho recorded a new best of 1:01.75, and Johnson ran 1:03.07.

Waters long jumped 17-6½ and Kostler just missed a PR with 16-10. Waters landed at 31-10 in the triple jump, Matthew Mast was next at 30-feet-½, and Johnson hit 29-1.

Smeland threw a personal best of 106-1 in the javelin. Bauman threw 105-9 and Frederick’s top throw went 77-10. Smeland also threw 24-3 in the shot put.

A select group of veterans competed in an even tougher environment the next day at the Henderson meet with Dodds and Ringenberg securing Top 10 finishes. Dodds was just off her season best in finishing eighth in the 300 hurdles in 48.09 seconds. She also ran 16.99 in the 100 hurdles.

Ringenberg made a huge drop in the 3,200 meters. The senior ran a personal best of 10:30.06 for ninth in the novice boys 3,200.

Moyer ran a season-best of 5:48.35 in the girls novice 1,600 meters. Bernd ran 5:58.64 in the same race.

Bauman took another hundredth of a second off his 110-hurdles time to run 17.84 seconds. Micah Mast ran 18.00. Mast recovered from a leg issue to pole vault 11-feet-6. Bauman ran 48.33 in the 300 hurdles.

Dock will host the Bicentennial Athletic League Championships on Wednesday and Thursday. The boys are defending champions while the girls were second a year ago. Wednesday night they will recognize Senior Night following the day’s events.