The Bellwood-Antis girls track and field team won the B-A Invitational for the first time since the year 2002. The Lady Blue Devils came in with a final score of 104, beating second-place Tyrone by 11 points. For the Blue Devils, they finished in fourth place in the meet with 71.5 points.
Several athletes from B-A succeeded in their events, posting multiple first place winners. Three underclassmen took home championships, with freshman Ella Cherry earning a pair of gold medals while sophomores Emma Taneyhill and Olivia Rishell each garnered one.
Considering 15 schools competed in the event, the team and individual championships were no small deal.
“Ella Cherry and Emma Taneyhill broke school records earlier this month and then broke their own record again last week and at the BA Invite,” said Lady Devil coach Jennifer Soisson. “The records they broke earlier this month were from the late 90s and early 2000s so it was timely for the team to win the BA Invitational for the first time since 2002. Olivia Rishel has had her sights on 10 feet since last year. The crowd around pole vault erupted in cheers when she got it. There are many talented teams in our area so we never know what to expect. We ask them to give their best effort each day and today their collective best efforts earned the win. ”
Cherry competed in four different events, and placed top three in every one of them. Cherry took first place in the 100m dash and long jump. In the 100m, she ran a time of 12.85, and jumped a distance of 16-9 in long jump.
Cherry placed third in her two other events, the 200m dash and triple jump. In the 200m, finished in 26.9 while in the triple jump she leaped 34-2.
Another winner for the Lady Blue Devils was sophomore Emma Taneyhill, who placed first in discus with her throw of 119-2, breaking her own school record she set earlier in the season. Sophomore Olivia Rishel secured first place in pole vault after jumping a height of 10-0.
“We couldn’t have asked for a better day,” girls track coach Jennifer Soisson said. “There are many talented teams in our area so we never know what to expect. We ask them to give their best effort each day and today their collective best efforts earned the win.”
In the boys field events, senior Cayden Pellegrine and junior Jayce Quick both had dominant performances.
Quick earned first place in shot put with a distance of 46-6.5, and second place in discus, throwing 129-1o, which was good enough to secure the meet’s Outstanding Thrower award. Pellegrine took first in javelin with his throw of 156-4. He also placed third in shot put, throwing a distance of 45-6.5. The boys 4×400 team placed first in an exciting race with their time of 3:33.6. The members of the team consisted of Cameron Nelson, Ethan Shawley, Owen Stoltzfus, and Holden Schreier.
The squad was in fifth place at one point but battled back behind a strong leg from Stoltzfus Schreier turned in a 51-flat on the anchor leg to bring it home.
B-A’s boys finished fourth in the team standings. Huntingdon won it all with 77 points but only 7 points separated the Bearcats from No. 5 Tyrone.
