In addition to pursuing dual-meet success each week, track and field teams and athletes spend many weekends competing in invitationals, which can serve as a good preview of what is ahead in the postseason.
Wyoming Area competed in three straight — and, for the third straight Friday night, Nicholas Kondrosky came up with a first-place finish.
Kondrosky’s efforts highlighted a series of strong performances by the Warriors, dating back to the April 10 Northwest Rangers Invitational, where Ben Gravine set a school record in the discus.
Friday night, it was Kondrosky making his way into the record books.
Kondrosky won the long jump with a record-setting leap of 22-3 to help Wyoming Area place fourth out of 14 in the boys team standings at the Cavalier Invitational in East Stroudsburg. The Warriors used their strong group of runners and throwers to amass 69 points despite not fielding a full team.
The Warriors had two of the top five finishers among 22 long jumpers. Luke Kopetchny was fifth with 20-9.
Wyoming Area also placed first and fifth in the discus where Gravine won with 156-8 and Isaiah Edwards threw 139-7.
Josh Mruk gave the Warriors a third winner, taking the shot put with 51-3. Gravine was sixth at 45-1.
The top eight in every event scored points, and Wyoming Area had three who did that in the javelin.
Mruk was second with a toss of 188-7, Chase Krogulski was fourth with 175-3, and Gravine was eighth with 154-2.
Kondrosky and Kopetchny teamed up again in the triple jump, taking second and third with distances of 44-3 and 42-11.
Stroudsburg beat out East Stroudsburg South 125½-105½ for the team title. Wyoming Area was just two points behind third-place Pocono Mountain West.
The Wyoming Area girls, with just two competitors, were 12th out of 14 teams with 20 points.
Milton won the team title 111½-107 over Stroudsburg.
Janesa Sancho won the 300 hurdles in 45.88 and was third in the 100 hurdles in 15.39.
Taylor Gashi was fifth in the discus with a throw of 99-10.
Walter Godek Twilight Invitational
Wyoming Area was sixth, and Pittston Area was eighth out of 29 boys teams that scored in the April 17 meet at North Pocono Middle School.
Dunmore won the team title 71-46½ over Wallenpaupack.
Wyoming Area had 35 points, two more than Pittston Area.
Kondrosky went 21-9½ to win the long jump and 43-11¼ to take third in the triple jump.
Mruk won the shot put with 54-4¾.
Gravine was second in the discus and sixth in the javelin in a meet where the top six scored.
Lucas LoPresto and the 400 relay team won for Pittston Area.
LoPresto threw the javelin 188-10 and was part of the 400 relay team that won in 44.61 seconds.
Kayden Bailey, Santino Capitano, and Deondre Miller joined LoPresto for the relay win.
Caden Boettger, Jakob Mead, Jacoby Ivey, and Brady Tucker took second in the 3200 relay.
Boettger was fourth in the 800, and Miller was sixth in the 100.
Pittston Area was ninth, and Wyoming Area tied for 15th out of 25 scoring girls teams.
Crestwood ran away with the team with 89 points, 40 more than a second-place tie between North Pocono and Wallenpaupack.
The Lady Patriots had 21 points, and the Lady Warriors had 14.
Bella Dessoye (800), Paige Bittman (high jump), and Elinor Schardien (pole vault) each took third for Pittston Area. Lexi Drozginski was fourth in the triple jump.
Wyoming Area’s Sancho won the 300 hurdles in 46.21 and finished fourth in the 100 hurdles.
