North Clarion Does Well At 34th Annual Johnsonburg Junior High Track Invitational

on 1 May, 2023 at 16:14

All photos by Christie Datko – Above: Abby Hastings had a phenomenal day with a first place finish in the 3200.

The North Clarion Wolves boys and girls had a fine showing at the 34th Annual Johnsonburg Junior High Track Invitational on Saturday, April 29th.

The North Clarion girls finished in fourth place out of fourteen teams in the field, while the boys finished seventh out of thirteen.

Girls Meet:

The top individual finishers for the North Clarion girls were Grace Carroll, who won the long jump, with a leap of 14-0.75 and Abby Hastings who captured the 3200 in 14:18.11. Carroll also took second in the high jump at a height of 4-6.

**Grace Carroll leaps 14-0.75 to secure first place in the long jump.**

Emma Fitzsimmons had three Top Ten finishes, placing third in the 100 hurdles , with a time of 17.34, fourth in the long jump, with a leap of 12-7.25 and seventh in the 300 hurdles, crossing the finish line at 57.86.

**Emma Fitzsimmons on the inside lane of the 100 hurdles final**

Ashlyn Clark finished in fifth place in the shot put, with a heave of 29-2.5, while Eliza Datko finished tenth in the 800, with a 3:10.12.

**Ashlyn Clark finished fifth in the shot put.**

The three relays all did well.

The 4×100, consisting of Evelyn Carroll, Maggie Snodgrass, Fitzsimmons and Grace Carroll finished third, with a time of 57.46. The 4×800, which included Datko, Maggie Snodgrass, Callie Snodgrass and Abby Hastings, took sixth place, with a 12:19.01 clocking. The 4×400, comprised of the Snodgrass sisters and Lila and Eliza Gourley, ran a 5:22.27, good for eighth place.

The Girls Top Five teams included: 1) DuBois Middle School; 2) Elk County Catholic Middle School; 3) Fretz Middle School; 4) North Clarion; and 5) Cameron County.

Boys Meet:

Michael Swanson had the top individual finish for the Wolves in the boys contest, finishing in a three-way tie in the high jump, clearing 4-10. He also finished sixth in the 100, with a time of 20.32.

**Michael Swanson battling it out to finish fifth in the 100 hurdles.**

Patrick Durish was fourth in the shot put with a heave of 31-9. Anthony Bartley went 30-8, in the triple jump, good for sixth place. Dane Sliker finished sixth in the 800, with a time of 2:37.71, while Martin Ormeno ran a 1:06.26, to finish seventh in the 400.

**Dane Sliker runs to a sixth place finish in the 800.**

Durish, Sliker, Jonathan Lindig and Christopher Kim teamed up to run a 56.73 in the 4×100 relay, good for fourth place. The 4×400 relay, consisting Swanson, Sliker, Ormeno and Bartley, captured fifth, with a time of 4:34.02, with the same four joining to take fifth in the 4×800, running an 11:06.27.

The Boys Top Five teams were: 1) Fretz Middle School; 2) DuBois Middle School; 3) Beatty-Warren Middle School; 4) St. Marys Middle School; and 5) Elk County Catholic Middle School.

Coach Dan Patton had this to say, “Another rainy and cold day for an all-day track meet, but everyone that attended put in some solid performances and effort over the weekend.

“Grace Carroll won the long jump with a jump of just over 14’, which I thought was great given the conditions. I know there was some disappointment from her and other athletes, especially in the jumps, but when you are dealing with the type of weather we’ve had, you’re not going to PR every meet. Once things start to warm up, I think there will be some big performances coming from all our athletes.

“Abby Hastings winning the 3200 was another big highlight. It was a come from behind victory, which is always exciting to watch. The girl from Oswayo Valley got a big lead early and kept that lead until late in the race. Abby kept chipping away at the distance between her and the leader until she passed her and ran a personal best time. Kudos to her!”

(Way To Go, Wolves!!!!)