SCRANTON – Jakiya Kroon did not have a particular event in mind when she decided to join the Pittston Area junior high track and field team as an eighth grader.
“I didn’t know what to do until they put me in my events,” Kroon said.
Coaches tried different ideas, but it was not long before it was evident that Kroon could run faster than all the other girls and she was going to be a sprinter.
A year later, Kroon is the only Wyoming Valley Conference girl who qualified for the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association Track and Field Championships in Class 3A in two events.
Kroon anchored Pittston Area’s 400-meter relay team that earned its state berth by winning the gold medal Thursday at the District 2 Class 3A Track and Field Championships and added an individual qualification by meeting the state standard during a third-place finish in the 100-meter dash.
By the time Kroon arrived at the varsity level this season, she was comfortable in her ability to compete as a sprinter.
“I came in confident,” she said.
After a standout freshman season, Kroon will introduce herself to another new track and field setting with her appearance at Shippensburg University.
“It will be my first look at it,” Kroon said of Friday and Saturday’s state meet.
Jenna Smith, Olivia Norwillo and Katelyn Wesp also qualified to run there. They handled the first three legs of the 400 relay, keeping the Lady Patriots close to the lead.
Kroon did the rest with a burst that carried her past Dallas’ Alondra Church, herself a state qualifier in the 200-meter dash.
Nicole Zambetti provided the Lady Patriots with their highest-place finish individually, missing the state standard in the 800 by less than a second while finishing second in 2:19.26.
Kroon was third behind Scranton’s Kyanhi Harbin, who also won the 200, and Delaware Valley’s Taliyah Booker. She finished in 12.50, exactly what she needed to advance, and edged Tunkhannock’s Jessica Cervenak by two-hundredths of a second.
Wesp and Kroon also handled the last two legs of the fourth-place 1600 relay. Kroon also placed eighth in the 200, making the finals along with Norwillo, who placed fourth.
Zambetti led off the 1600 relay team and handed off to Giavanna Innamorati.
Innamorati also finished third in the 300 hurdles and made the finals of 100 hurdles where a fall kept her from finishing and scoring.
Lauren LoPresto was sixth in the long jump and Leah Zambetti was seventh in the javelin.
The top six in each event earned medals while the top eight scored points.
Pittston Area finished eighth out of 19 teams with 46 points. Abington Heights beat out Wallenpaupack for the team title, 108 5/8-74.
CLASS 3A BOYS
Pittston Area only scored 10 points while finishing tied for 17th in the 19-team field, but the Patriots got eight athletes involved in the scoring.
The best finish was a sixth by the 3200 relay team of Dominick Angradi, Evan Elko, Tannon Kraklio and Kyle Mlodzienski.
Angradi, who placed eighth in the 1600, and Kraklio were also part of the seventh-place 1600 relay.
Issac Cavill was seventh in the 400 and was also on the 1600 relay that was led off by Joe Cornwell.
David Behm, in the high jump, and Caeden Messner, in the long jump, also finished eighth.
Wallenpaupack won the team title.
