YAIAA athletes pick up 8 gold medals on final day of District 3 track and field meet
What a closing day at the District 3 track and field championships.
The storms that forced a suspension of competition on Friday, cleared and created a sparkling day for some bonus events.
Yes the breeze was a bit brisk at times and created some wind-aided results, but it also helped to cool things off. And with the 3200 and 1600 being run in the same day, some coaches had to do some shuffling in relay events to keep fresh legs on the teams.
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Some events probably didn't end the way athletes were hoping, while others ended in ways they only saw in their dreams.
2 golds, silver for Bahn
Spring Grove junior Ella Bahn hasn't focused much on the high jump this season. Even though she was the two-time defending District 3 and PIAA Class 3A champ, she spent much of the regular season trying out other events.
The junior was seeded 11th at 5-2, but fared much better.
'It was definitely an off day,' Bahn said of clearing 5-4 to win silver. 'But for the training that I put in this season, I think it's about what I would expect. Probably better than I would expect. It would have been awesome, obviously, to get the win there too, but I'm alright without it.'
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Bahn is used to juggling high jump duties with running the 300 hurdle prelims. But both were caught in Friday's storms and changed under the adjusted schedule. High jump was held as soon as the meet began, but the 300 hurdles were held as timed finals in the afternoon.
Instead, Bahn was warming up outside the high jump ropes for the 100 hurdle finals.
They started the call for the 100 hurdles when the high jump bar was moved to 5-5 for the three remaining athletes. She got her hurdling shoes out in between her second and third attempts. When she secured the silver they were calling her name to report to the starting area.
Less than five minutes later she had won her third straight district 100 hurdle title. This year it was in 14.16.
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'I was warming up while I was down there [at high jump], but I'm used to doing that,' Bahn said. 'I just usually do it for the 300, but today I had to warm up for the 100.'
She added the 300 hurdle title to her haul a few hours later. Bahn pocketed the eighth District 3 gold of her career in 42.75, more than 1.5 seconds ahead of the runner up.
New Oxford's Brayden Billman competes in the 3A long jump at the PIAA District 3 Track and Field Championships at Shippensburg University's Seth Grove Stadium Saturday, May 17, 2025.
Jumping for gold
New Oxford junior Brayden Billman came in as the top seed in the Class 3A triple jump and third seed in the long jump.
He left Seth Grove Stadium with a pair of gold medals.
Billman popped a 24-2 on his third attempt to win the long jump, well above his seed jump of 23-5.25. He followed a few hours later with 47-10.25 to hit his triple jump seed distance and win the title by almost a foot.
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That winning triple jump came immediately after a foul.
'I felt it going, and I got the motor going,' Billman said of his first jump. 'I felt good, but just a little inch over.'
But as good as it felt to wipe away that foul with a gold medal jump, Billman said the long jump effort was more satisfying.
'That one jump I hit, it was like, yeah, that's pretty far,' he said.
He feeds on the energy of the crowd. When he gets them to clap, he said the adrenaline rush hits.
'It just makes me go faster and faster, and then helps me to pop off longer and longer,' Billman said.
Bermudian Springs' Lily Carlson clears 14 feet in the 3A pole vault competition at the PIAA District 3 Track and Field Championships at Shippensburg University's Seth Grove Stadium Saturday, May 17, 2025.
New class, no problem
Bermudian Springs senior Lily Carlson was looking forward to the challenge of competing in Class 3A. After winning a pair of District 3 and PIAA Class 2A pole vault titles, she wanted to up her game.
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Consider it upped.
She warmed up for the pole vault by taking seventh place in the 100 hurdles. Then she sat around while her opponents, who are really friends from her training facility, moved the bar higher into her comfort zone.
She took her first attempt with the four remaining vaulters at 12-6, but hit the bar. She cleared easily on the next try after her coaches yelled for her to change poles before her second attempt.
'The pole got really tiny,' Carlson said. 'It just didn't give me any pop. So, it was a good call from the coaches to have me go and switch poles.'
She had the title won when she cleared the bar at 13-0, but she set her sights on something else. Carlson wanted a matched set of district records. And she wanted to clear 14-0 before the state meet.
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She got both.
She added the Class 3A record to her 2A mark when she cleared 13-9. She earned the top seed in the PIAA meet when she hit 14-0 for the first time in competition.
'14 was a huge goal of mine,' Carlson said. 'It feels really good to finally clear that. It means a lot.'
Hanover's Miley Heath laughs with one of her coaches after winning the 2A shot put competition at the PIAA District 3 Track and Field Championships at Shippensburg University's Seth Grove Stadium Saturday, May 17, 2025.
Drought is over
Miley Heath came into the Class 2A girls shot put competition as the fourth seed based on her 34-11 throw. She was already chasing something better than that after the first round of throws when Millersburg's Reagan Wentzel hit 35-0.5.
The Hanover senior sat in second place after that round and didn't come close to Wentzel until her fifth attempt. Then she popped the big one.
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'I started meditating recently, it's been my thing to get my head clear,' Heath said. 'So I sat out there and I was just like, 'I got this.''
And she did. She hit 35-1.5 to inch ahead of Wentzel. When that throw held up, Heath gave Hanover its first District 3 girls track and field champion since Morgan Herrick won the high jump title in 2012.
'I wasn't really thinking of PR-ing,' Heath said. 'I just wanted to throw it around and hopefully place. I went out and did it.'
Jump wasn't so little
Littlestown junior Zander Spillan made it an Adams County sweep of the district boys long jump titles.
When he added more than 8 inches to his previous best on his last jump, he joined New Oxford's Brayden Billman in the long jump winners' circle.
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'I knew it was good as soon as I jumped,' Spillan said. 'I just knew it.'
Spillan said he didn't notice any help from the wind while he was jumping. Unlike earlier in the day when it was blowing into the jumpers' back on their approach, he felt it more to the side.
'I could feel it blowing, but since it was coming from the side, it didn't really help,' he said. 'But I don't think it really hurt too much either. So that was good.'
Littlestown's Benedicte Parker competes in the 2A long jump at the PIAA District 3 Track and Field Championships at Shippensburg University's Seth Grove Stadium Saturday, May 17, 2025.
District 3 nuggets
You can tell if Bahn is running in prelims or finals based on her socks. If she is wearing tie-dyed, or sharks this year, then she's running prelims. If her socks sport pineapples, she's running finals.
Littlestown silver medalist Benedicte Parker doesn't know why she suddenly went from jumping in the 14-15 range to her personal best 17-0 in the space of a few attempts on Saturday. But she thinks it might have something to do with being told to stop stretching her muscles because the warm temperatures were keeping them loose enough.
Carlson's pole vault would have won any of the four competitions this year. Fourteen feet was the winning height in both boys classes.
Injured Bermudian Springs pole vaulter Cameron Henning was reported to be recovering after surgery on Friday night.
Records broken by Palmyra's Tyler Burgess (Class 3A boys 110 hurdles) and Kaddel Howard (Class 3A girls 400 meters) were rebroken by the pair in the finals.
District 3 track and field 2025: Complete results from Shippensburg University
Delone Catholic's Evan Donnelly runs in the 2A 4x800m relay at the PIAA District 3 Track and Field Championships at Shippensburg University's Seth Grove Stadium Saturday, May 17, 2025.
YAIAA Day 2 medalists
Class 2A
Girls 4x800: The Delone Catholic team of Samantha Bealmear, Kathryn McCall, Sophia Kennedy and Kaylie Brown finished in 10:17.50 to place third. The winning time was 9:41.49.
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Boys 4x800: The Delone Catholic team of Ryan Young, Evan Donnelly, Owen Smith and Owen Ignatowski ran 8:43.42 to finish fifth. The winning time was 8:08.55.
Boys 110 hurdles: Biglerville freshman Ryan Bungard ran 16.81 to finish fifth. Fairfield junior Michael Fisher was eighth in 20.04. The winning time was 14.96.
Boys 100 meters: Delone Catholic sophomore Jonathan Bianchi ran 11.74 to finish eighth. The winning time was 11.11.
Boys 4x100: The Delone Catholic team of Max Holz, Nolan Kruse, John Paul Groves and Braden Smith ran 44.00 to finish third. The winning time was 43.66.
Girls 800 meters: Delone Catholic junior Samantha Bealmear ran 2:23.84 to finish third behind the winning time of 2:18.61.
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Boys 200 meters: Delone Catholic sophomore Jonathan Bianchi ran 23.55 to finish sixth and Fairfield senior Brock Herb was right behind him at 23.61 to finish seventh. The winning time was 22.67.
Boys 4x400: The Fairfield team of Christ Brown, Nathan Davis, Noah Davis and Brock Herb ran 3:26.46 to win the gold medal by more than 4 seconds.
Boys triple jump: Littlestown junior Zander Spillan finished third with a jump of 41-9.75. Biglerville senior Landon Anglin finished seventh with 40-0.75. The winning jump was 45-1.
Girls shot put: Hanover senior Miley Heath blew through her fourth seed to win the district title with a throw of 35-1.5. Biglerville junior Patience King finished fourth with a best of 33-8 and senior Claire Roberts finished seventh with 32-7.5.
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Boys long jump: Littlestown junior Zander Spillan jumped 20-11 on his attempt to move from third to first. Junior teammate Brody Clabaugh hit 20-1.5 to finish fourth.
Boys javelin: Littlestown sophomore Parker Dell hit 147-0 to finish eighth. The winning throw was 180-0.
Girls discus: Biglerville senior Haylee Smith hit 109-7 on her fourth attempt to finish fourth. Delone Catholic sophomore Lillian Kane was eighth at 105-11. The winning throw was 143-10.
Boys high jump: Bermudian Springs sophomore Zach Ayers cleared 5-7 to finish seventh. The winning jump was 6-5.
Boys discus: Littlestown sophomore Parker Dell hit 135-8 on his first throw and couldn't top it to finish fifth. The winning throw was 157-7.
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Girls long jump: Littlestown junior Benedicte Parker popped a 17-0 to finish second. The winning jump was 17-6.
Girls javelin: Biglerville senior Haylee Smith hit 116-2 on her fifth attempt to finish fourth behind the winning throw of 129-10.
South Western's Elijah Holly races in the 3A 400m run at the PIAA District 3 Track and Field Championships at Shippensburg University's Seth Grove Stadium Saturday, May 17, 2025.
Class 3A
Girls 4x800: The team of Addison Emenheiser, Leah Navarro, Neila Granger and Natalie Good ran 9:25.81 to finish second behind the winning time of 9:25.43.
Girls 100 hurdles: Minutes after winning silver in the high jump, Spring Grove junior Ella Bahn won gold in 14.16. Bermudian Springs senior Lily Carlson finished seventh in 15.79.
Boys 110 hurdles: York High senior Robert Salazar Rosell ran 14.83 to finish fourth, off the record-setting winning time of 13.67. Spring Grove junior Kayleb Allen was eighth in 15.42.
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Girls 100 meters: Dallastown freshman Molly Mclaughlin ran 12.65 to finish sixth, off the winning time of 12.14.
Girls 1600 meters: A trio of York-Adams runners finished within seconds of each other in sixth, seventh and eighth places. Northeastern junior Sophia Treglia crossed in 5:06.32, Dallastown sophomore Neila Granger in 5:07.63 and South Western freshman Lyla Eltz in 5:11.07. The winning time was 4:56.45.
Boys 1600 meters: Red Lion senior Daniel Naylor finished in sixth place in 4:20.77. The winning time was 4:12.39.
Girls 4x100: The York High team of Nikoe Rodriguez, Jontai Bailey, Leira Hinojosa and Ennesty Smith ran 48.84 to finish fifth. Central York's team of Anya Jordan, Teanna Wakefield, Olivia Kennedy and Ajaya Jordan ran 49.23 to finish seventh and Dallastown's Alonna Dowell, Olivia Cleaver, Mariah Black and Molly Mclaughlin ran 49.50 to finish eighth.
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Boys 4x100: The Dallastown team of Jalen Cook, Anthony Osorio, Christian Rodriguez and Christopher Cromartie ran 42.88 to finish fourth. Spring Grove's team of Nasir Shabazz-Scott, Bredon Smith, Adam Herbst and Andrew Gerber ran 43.16 to finish seventh. The winning time was 41.53.
Boys 400 meters: South Western senior Elijah Holly ran 48.72 to finish fourth behind the winning time of 47.94.
Girls 300 hurdles: Ella Bahn won the title for the third straight year, this time in 42.75. She beat the rest of the field by more than 1.5 seconds.
Boys 300 hurdles: York High senior Robert Salazar Rosell ran 39.75 to finish third behind the winning time of 37.72. Kennard-Dale senior David Smith was fifth in 40.14, Red Lion junior Markus Edwards was sixth in 40.19 and Kennard-Dale senior Brody Eller was seventh in 40.30.
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Girls 800 meters: Dallastown senior Natalie Good finished in 2:16.60 to place fourth behind the winning time of 2:12.63.
Girls 200 meters: Dallastown freshman Molly Mclaughlin ran 26.02 to finish seventh and Central York sophomore Ajaya Jordan ran 26.12 to finish eighth. The winning time was 24.81.
Boys 200 meters: York Tech sophomore Magnus Mitchell ran 22.08 to finish fifth, behind the winning time of 21.36.
Girls 3200 meters: Freshmen Leah Navarro of Dallastown and Lyla Eltz of South Western finished sixth and seventh, respectively. Navarro ran 11:01.03 and Eltz came in at 11:01.12. The winning time was 10:40.71.
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Boys 3200 meters: Northeastern senior Griffen Ridler ran 9:33.45 to finish eighth behind the winning time of 9:01.71.
Girls 4x400: The South Western team of Scarlett Arnold, Miah Shulski, Makayla Glover and Keira Peake ran 4:04.55 to finish seventh. The winning time was 3:55.07.
Girls 4x400: The South Western team of Ghage Schmelyun, Isaac Melendez, Landon Dull and Elijah Holly ran 3:24.46 to finish seventh. The winning time was a district record 3:16.92.
Boys long jump: New Oxford junior Brayden Billman nearly met the district record with his gold medal-winning jump of 24-2. It wouldn't have counted as a record because of the wind at his back, but it won the gold. South Western junior Ghage Schmelyun finished eighth with a jump of 22-2.
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Girls high jump: Spring Grove junior Ella Bahn cleared 5-4 to finish second. Central York senior Emma Chataginer tied for sixth with a jump of 5-1. The winning jump was 5-5.
Boys pole vault: Susquehannock's Patrick O'Brien finished tied for sixth with a jump of 13-6. The winning jump was 14-0.
Boys javelin: South Western sophomore Wyatt Carbaugh hit 179-9 on his second throw, which was good for third place and exactly 10 feet off the winning throw.
Girls discus: York Tech sophomore Jaedyn Brown hit 130-10 on her last throw to secure third place. The winning throw was 140-7.
Girls shot put: Dover junior Melanie Thoman hit 38-4.5 on her last attempt to finish sixth. The winning throw was 44-7.
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Girls pole vault: Bermudian Springs senior Lily Carlson won the gold with a vault of 13-0, but kept going. She broke the district record at 13-9 and topped hit 14-0 for the first time in competition.
Boys triple jump: New Oxford junior Brayden Billman followed a foul with a jump of 47-10.25 to win the gold medal.
Boys pole vault: Susquehannock junior Patrick O'Brien cleared 13-6 to finish in a tie for sixth. The winning jump was 14-0.
Girls triple jump: West York senior Tristen Thomas jumped 36-9 on her first attempt to finish eighth. The winning jump was 38-5.75.
West York's Tristen Thomas competes in the 3A 300m hurdles at the PIAA District 3 Track and Field Championships at Shippensburg University's Seth Grove Stadium Saturday, May 17, 2025.
Team scores
Class 2A girls: 1. Schuylkill Valley, 87; 2. Annville-Cleona, 85; 3. Susquenita, 74; 4. Wyomissing, 65; 5. Greenwood, 57; 6. Trinity, 47; 7. James Buchanan and Oley Valley, 46; 9. Lancaster Catholic, 40.5; 10. Millersburg, 31. YAIAA schools: 12. Biglerville, 17; 14. Delone Catholic, 15; 16. Hanover, 10; Littlestown, 8.
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Class 2A boys: 1. Wyomissing 91; Annville-Cleona, 82; 3. Lancaster Catholic, 63; 4. Oley Valley, 52; 5. Susquenita, 51; 6. Steel-High, 47; 7. Brandywine Heights, 39; 8. Halifax, 34; 9. Trinity, 29.5; 10. Littlestown, 26. Other YAIAA schools: 12. Fairfield, 24; 13. Delone Catholic, 20; 21. Biglerville, 6; 24. Bermudian Springs, 2.
Class 3A girls: 1. McCaskey, 108; 2. Cumberland Valley, 44; 3. Manheim Township, 33.33; 4. Cedar Crest, 32; 5. Ephrata, 31; 6. Wilson, 30; 7. Spring Grove, 28; 8. CD East and Solanco, 27; 10. Susquehanna Twp. and Dallastown, 25. Other YAIAA schools: 16. Bermudian Springs, 12; 27. South Western, 8; 31. York Tech, 6; 33. Central York, 5; 36. Dover, 4; 37. York High, 4; 39. Northeastern, 4; 50. West York, 1.
Class 3A boys: 1. Palmyra, 52, 2. Manheim Twp., 51; 3. Hershey, 45.50; 4. Cumberland Valley, 40; 5. McCaskey, 34; 6. Chambersburg, 27; 7. Central Dauphin, 25; 8. Octorara and Warwick, 23; 10. Reading and Penn Manor, 22. YAIAA schools: 12. New Oxford, 20; 17. South Western, 17; 22. Dallastown, 15; 24. York High, 11; 30. Kennard-Dale, 6; 32. Red Lion, 6; 37. York Tech, 4; 41. Spring Grove, 3; 44. Susquehannock, 2.5; 48. Central York, 1.5; 51. Northeastern, 1.
Shelly Stallsmith covers York-Adams high school sports for GameTimePA and the USAToday Network. Connect with her by email mstallsmith@ydr.com or on X, formerly Twitter, @ShelStallsmith.
This article originally appeared on York Daily Record: District 3 track and field: YAIAA athletes earn plenty of hard medals
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