LANDOVER — A track and field team can’t win a state championship on the first day of a two-day meet, but winning three events is a good place to start.
The Hereford girls outdoor track and field team came into Thursday’s first day of the Class 2A state championships at Prince George’s Sports and Learning Complex both with a target on its back from winning last year’s outdoor state title and with redemption on its mind after being edged out by Century for the indoor state crown three months ago.
The Bulls picked up wins from Sylvia Snider in the 3,200-meter run, Maddie Drylie in the pole vault and the 4×200 relay. As a result, they’ll go into Saturday’s final day with an eight-point lead over Century, 44-36. Harford Tech is third with 28.
“I’m not getting overly confident, but I really hope we can get that win, especially for my senior year,” Snider said. “I’m really happy with how everyone’s been racing. I think we’re all here to have fun and do as well as we can.”
Snider won the 3,200 in 10 minutes, 57.6 seconds, more than 24 seconds clear of second-place Taylor Colson of Century. While Snider has more than a couple relay state gold medals, an individual gold always eluded her. That is, until indoor season, when she won two. Now she can’t stop hitting the top of the podium.
“I’ve been more excited going into my races. Instead of, I used to be really stressed and I get really nervous around big races,” she said. “I think now I feel more confident in my ability and I know I can go out and have fun, and don’t put as much pressure on myself as I used to.”
Snider also anchored Hereford’s third-place 4×800 team, running with Ridley Lentz, Dempsey Nelson and Charlotte Levis. But while Hereford has long been known for its distance prowess, the program hasn’t also been recognized for its sprinters.
Caden Bennis, Laylah Ensor, Carsen Neuberger and Olivia Clark are changing that perception after their win in the 4×200, running 1:43.10, more than a second faster than Randallstown and Harford Tech, who finished second and third, respectively.
“All season, we’ve been neck-and-neck with Randallstown, and we’ve never beaten them in the [4×200], until last week at regionals,” Clark said. “Coming [into the state meet] as the No. 1 seed is super intimidating; everyone’s after you. But I’m really proud of all the work me and my team have put in. It’s paid off.”
While Clark, Snider and the rest of the Bulls were blistering the track, Drylie was backing up her indoor state championship in the pole vault with an outdoor one to match.
Drylie cleared 10 feet, 6 inches on her first attempt. While Century’s Charlotte Prunkl also cleared the height, it came on her second attempt, giving Drylie another championship.
“It’s not the height I was hoping to get, but I’m really happy to win it for the second time in a row,” Drylie said. “I feel like my improvement from indoor in my mentality was really great.
“During indoor I was upset with how I was performing. When I missed a height, I would start crying immediately. This year, when I missed a height, I focus on what I can do to fix that.”
Family matters for Century
Century’s 4×800 relay team is truly a family affair. Twin sisters Emily and Elizabeth Mitroka lead off the race, then the baton goes to freshman sister Katie Mitroka.
“How many people get to say they’re on a relay with most of their family?” Emily Mitroka said. “It’s fun. We’re all closer cause of it, it’s awesome.”
“It’s brought us a lot closer,” Elizabeth added. “We argue all the time, but we have something … where we can connect better.”
Running anchor is Ella Lustig, who isn’t blood related, but is more or less another sister in the relay family.
“I’ve known them for so long, they treat me like family,” Lustig said.
Lustig took the baton for her anchor leg roughly 4 seconds behind Southern-AA. By the time she crossed the finish line, it was nearly a 7-second Century victory.
“I just wanted to push,” Lustig said. “I just said, ‘I want that gold. We all want this gold,’ So I had to push for it.”
Having four runners that are so close team up also creates some accountability, as you don’t want to let your sister — or in Lustig’s case, your “adopted sister” — down. At the same time, you’ll have three teammates who will always have your back.
“It pushes you more knowing you have so much support from the people around you,” Katie Mitroka said.
Surprise! You’ve already won.
Harford Tech’s Khory Reevey kept himself busy Thursday.
Reevey was competing in the 2A boys long jump, roughly around the same time he was scheduled to run a preliminary heat in the 110 hurdles.
After the first round of the long jump, Reevey was in the lead at 22-3 1/4. He went to go run his hurdles heat while the rest of the long jump finalists took their extra jumps.
It wasn’t until Reevey came back to the long jump pit to a sparse gathering when he was informed that no one matched his distance. He was the state champion.
“Once I found out, I don’t even know how to describe it,” the senior, at a loss for words, said. “This is my first individual state championship. I’m so proud of myself, so excited.”
Reevey’s busy weekend is just starting. He is also entered in the 300 hurdles, the triple jump and on Harford Tech’s 4×100 relay. Already a state champion, he’s hoping to use that momentum boost to win more gold.
“This one right here is going to give me the best, the most momentum, definitely,” he said. “I’m just hoping I can keep it for the 110 and the 300, and then the 4×1 and triple.”
Harford Tech also picked up a state championship on the girls side, as Madisen Morgan won the 2A triple jump.
On her fifth of six attempts, Morgan leapt 35-8 1/4, beating the mark of Lackey’s Evagellia Lilly Okwuosa by 1 inch.
The final run
Very few runners across can match the success Southern’s Eric Penkala has had in his career.
Entering the outdoor state championships, Penkala’s final high school meet before he joins the University of Maryland track and field team, Penkala already has 10 career state championships — along with one second and four thirds.
What else is there to accomplish but make history?
Penkala opened the meet teaming with Jaydon Robertson, Carter Thompson and Gavin Tompkins to win the 2A 4×800 relay in 7:55.64. Not only was it a championship run, it was historic. The time broke a state meet record that has stood since Hereford ran a 7:56.50 in 1978.
“Perfectly executed by everyone,” Penkala said. “Jaydon the first leg, we didn’t know he could do this — now we do. But we needed him, he was a late replacement. Plan was Jaydon, run a 2:01, Carter the second leg, 1:57, which is what he did. Gavin, who ran a 1:59, then me, a 1:55. … That plan was perfectly executed.”
In his final high school meet, Penkala plans to leave everything he has on the Prince George’s Sports and Learning Complex track.
“The countdown has already begun — it’s actually about to end,” he said. “You got to utilize as much as you can. If there’s ever a thought of, ‘Oh I’m tired, I’m hurting,’ you got to scrap it because there’s no room for error anymore.”
Other winners
In Class 1A, the Liberty boys have 45 points and a 24-point lead over Cambridge-South Dorchester. Leading the way was Gregory Schellberg, who won the 3,200 in 9:40.47. He also anchored the 4×800 relay team that finished second. Logan Gripe, Brennan Mattern and Neal Sanchez made up the rest of the group.
South Carroll got a win from freshman Tessa Altshuler, who cleared 10 feet on her first attempt to win the 1A pole vault.
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