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Stephanie Mills runs the second leg of the 3200 meter relay (Terry McCaulley)

On Tuesday, the BA Boys and Girls track and field teams took their talents to Altoona’s Mansion Park and participated in the Division 6-AA championship meet.

Two B-A athletes placed in the top three of their respective events to win a bid to the state track meet on Friday, May 27th at Shippensburg University.

Senior Nathan Davis placed third in the 200 meter dash, blazing to a 23.51-second finish.

“I was very surprised, but elated as well,” said Nathan Davis “I’m excited to move on to the state meet and finish my senior year on top.”

Defending champion Alexis Gerwert placed third in pole vault, leaping 10 feet, six inches below her season-best. The winner, Richland’s Morgan Gossard, also made 10 feet, but she did it with fewer misses to win the gold medal.

“I’m a little disappointed because I did so much better last year, but I’m not mad about it because I’m still going to states and hopefully I can redeem myself,” said Gerwert.

Gerwert said it’s a little frustrating to lose knowing she made the winning height.

“If I would have made my first try at 10 feet I would have tied her and we would have had a jump off. If neither of us could make 10-foot-6 we would have gone to 10-3 and I know I could have done that.”

Many others came close to moving on to states, like Marissa Panasiti and Clay Engle, who placed fourth in the 400 meter dash and the high jump respectively

Davis also placed eighth in the 400 meter dash.

Jarrett Taneyhill placed fourth in the javelin in his first year competing in track and field. He narrowly missed advancing to Shippensburg, inched out of third place by just one inch with a toss of 167 feet, 5 inches.

The boys 4×800 team came in  eighth place, along with the boys 4×100 team that placed seventh.

Panasiti earned a ribbon in the 200m dash, coming in sixth.

Good Luck to Nathan and Alexis as they go to perform at the state meet!