HAZLE TWP. – As track and field transitioned from the regular season to the postseason, Wyoming Area junior Ella McKernan and Pittston Area senior Aria Messner continued to excel.
McKernan was one of just five girls to earn multiple gold medals in Monday’s Wyoming Valley Conference Championships while Messner repeated an individual title and, in the process, led the Lady Patriots to a third-place team finish.
Wyoming Area began the day with a win in the 3200-meter relay. McKernan was part of that, then won the 800 where relay teammate Hannah Stoss placed third.
The Lady Warriors added a second-place finish in the 1600 relay with McKernan again playing a key role.
Along with those three events, McKernan will also compete in the 300 hurdles, an event she had only appeared in one time prior to this season, on the District 2 level. She already owns the Wyoming Area school record in the 300 hurdles.
“I feel like that really could be one of my strong events,” McKernan said when assessing her district possibilities.
Messner is another of District 2’s top four-event athletes.
A leap of 18-5 while winning the long jump put her within five inches of the career-best she set at last year’s district championships.
“I’m really shooting for that,” Messner said after winning the long jump, taking second in both the 100-meter dash and 400 relay and placing fifth in the high jump where she says she is currently struggling with her form. “
Dallas, the WVC Division 1 champion, ran away with the team title 160-111 ½ over host Hazleton Area.
Pittston Area was third out of 14 teams with 84 points, 16 in front of fourth-place Crestwood. Wyoming Area was sixth with 50 points.
Maddie Jakubowski was second in the 100 hurdles.
Jaiden Jones placed third in the 300 hurdles and sixth in the 100 hurdles.
Jenna Grieco took third in the 100. Elinor Schardien tied for third in the pole vault.
Isabelle Dessoye, in the 800, an Sadie Gregory, in the triple jump, each took fourth. Gregory was also eighth in the long jump.
Kaitlin Chernouskas was sixth in the javelin and Olivia Scalese was eighth in the 1600.
The Lady Patriots were second in the 400 relay, fifth in the 3200 relay and eighth in the 1600 relay.
McKernan won the 800 by almost three seconds in 2:17.07.
Shannon Kearns, who took second in the 300 hurdles, and Nina Angeli were also part of the 1600 relay victory.
Taylor Gashi was third in the triple jump.
Lily Kelleher was eighth in both the 400 relay and pole vault.
JORDAN RELAYS
SCRANTON – Pittston Area won the 4×100-meter relay with the team of Annika Lien, Jenna Grieco, Ali Butcher and Aria Messner in the 68th annual Jordan Relays May 2 at Memorial Stadium
Pittston Area finished in 50.15, beating out second-place Delaware Valley’s 50.96.
The Lady Patriots finished fourth in the 4×800.
Hazleton Area girls 71, Pittston Area 61
Hazleton Area defeated host Pittston Area April 30.
Aria Messner won the 100 and long jump and also anchored the winning 400 relay team.
The Lady Patriots finished 3-3 in the division.