In mid-May, the Bicentennial Athletic League track and field teams will return to Dock for the conference championship meet. The Pioneers track and field program welcomed the BAL teams for the first time this year to compete in the Tom Putera Invitational on Saturday.
On a day only sailboats and sprinters could love, the Pioneers and their BAL peers battled gusting winds to compete in the meet named for former Dock assistant coach who passed away suddenly in October, 2022, from a damaged heart.
For Dock, the meet offered another chance to gain experience as the meet schedule increases and the competition stiffens for its young team.
Sophia Veltre placed well in all of her events. The sophomore won the girls triple jump with a 29-10¼ mark. She took the silver medal in girls shot put with a 27-feet-8 throw. She was third in the girls long jump at 15-feet and third in the girls discus with a 78-3 throw.
Gretchen German won the girls 800 meters in 2:45.11 with a big kick after making her 1,600-meter debut in second place in 6:05.50 and finishing second in the girls javelin with a throw of 67-feet-7.
Ceara Barnes led off the winning 4x800 that also included Sadie Bernd, Liv Moyer and Tessa Moyer and came back to win the girls 400 meters in 1:12.94. Barnes threw 47-3 for eighth in the girls javelin, just behind Bernd who threw 50-8 for seventh place.
Liv Moyer was second in the 3,200 meters in 13:24.20 after running to third in the 1,600 in 6:11.25.
Olivia Mozzone placed third in the 100 hurdles in 21.71 seconds. Mozzone was fourth in the 300 hurdles in a personal-record 59.12 seconds and Maddie Afanador ran 59.62 seconds for fifth place.
Tessa Moyer was third in the 800 meters in 2:46.30. Sadie Bernd took fourth in 2:59.10.
Olivia Valverde was sixth in the girls long jump with her 12-7¼ effort.  
Sophia Mercure showed her versatility by finishing fifth in the girls long jump at 13-4, and sixth in the girls javelin at 53-5, as well as 10th in the 100 meters in 14.84.
Eliana Farmer was 12th in the girls 100 in 15.45 seconds. Logan Naidoo went 16.42 for 14th in the girls 100. Toni Phillips ran 16.81 for 16th. Farmer was 19th in the 200 in 34.31 seconds. Naidoo placed 20th in 35.86 seconds. Farmer also was eighth in girls long jump at 11-1. Naidoo finished 15th in the girls discus at 40-10.
Jenayah Vanegas was 14th in girls shot put with a personal-record 18-8 throw. She was 16th in girls discus at 34-feet.
 

The girls 4x100 relay of Farmer, Afanador, Phillips and Naidoo was fourth.
 

The girls 4x400 relay of Barnes, Bernd, Tessa Moyer and Mercure placed fifth.
For the boys, Luke Smeland uncorked a personal-best throw of 117-feet-10 for third in the boys javelin.
Myles Johnson was third in the boys triple jump with a personal best of 34-5¾. He was 16th in the boys 200 in 26.74 seconds.
Jayden Waters took fourth place in the boys 110-meter hurdles in a personal-best 18.79 seconds. He was also fourth in the boys triple jump at 34-feet.
Trace Scavetti placed sixth in the boys triple jump when he hit 29-feet-5. He ran 55.30 for seventh in the boys 300 hurdles. He was 11th in the boys long jump with an effort of 14-1½.  
Seungkyu Cho threw a personal best of 83-9 for sixth in the boys discus. He was 13th in boys shot put with a personal-best throw of 25-9¼.
Michael Pustay was the top Pioneers finisher in the boys 1,600 meters in sixth in 5:37.17. He ran 12:25.98 for seventh in the boys 3200 meters.
Xander Morsby ran 25.06 for sixth in the boys 200 meters. Morsby was 11th in the boys shot put after throwing 27-3.
Josh Frederick placed eighth in the boys 800 in 2:32.59, and he was eighth in the 1,600 in a new personal-best 5:39.99. He was 15th in boys javelin at 73-feet-4.
Aaron Sensenig was ninth in the boys 1,600 in 5:42.06, then ran 2:38.55 for 11th in the boys 800 meters.
Roman Kurian ran a new personal-record 25.88 seconds for 12th in the boys 200 meters.
The boys 4x100 of Johnson, Kurian, Waters and Morsby was fourth in 48.74 seconds.
The boys 4x800 of Pustay, Frederick, Sensenig and Kurian finished second in 9:56.50.
The Pioneers are on the road for a pair of meets this week. They will compete in the BAL Relays at Church Farm School on Thursday, then compete at Abington High School’s invitational Friday.