Mike Mastovich
mmastovich@tribdem.com
ALTOONA —
Janae Dunchack and the Northern Cambria girls track and field team capped an incredible four-year run in District 6 Class AA competition with yet another milestone event on Wednesday night at Mansion Park.
The Colts won their fourth consecutive 6-AA Track and Field Championship Meet in a manner that has been familiar for the current senior class.
Northern Cambria collected 101 points, 35 more than runner-up Forest Hills. Richland (65), Central Cambria (59) and Penns Valley (55) rounded out the top five among 25 schools.
Dartmouth-bound Dunchack was at the center of the success, as she won four events and broke two meet records. Dunchack, a state champion high jumper, broke her own record in that event and shattered another mark in the 200, the last of her four events on Wednesday.
“This is the last race I’ll run on here, ever,” Dunchack said after running a 25.64 in the
200 dash. “I really wanted to walk away with a win and remember it.”
There was plenty to remember.
Dunchack won 14 of 16 events she competed in during her four varsity seasons at the 6-AA meet.
The two times she didn’t win events at districts, Dunchack still qualified for the state track and field meet in Shippensburg.
That’s 16 state-qualifying performances.
“It’s really amazing,” Dunchack said. “District 6 has always had really big competitors. You’re pretty much racing against some of the best girls and jumping against them, too. Just to have this much success is a blessing, and it’s amazing.”
That sentiment was echoed throughout the Colts’ lineup.
Breanna Kochinsky won the 100 hurdles for the third straight year, finishing in 15.65.
She also qualified with a second-place in the 300 hurdles and advanced with a third place in the high jump.
“It shows a lot from our athletes and our coaches,” Kochinsky said of the four team titles. “I feel really lucky. This doesn’t happen often. You don’t get a group of athletes who can get three people to have 1,000 points (basketball) or to win a state championship (in volleyball) or to get to another state championship in another sport (basketball).
“To be able to compete at these kind of levels with my teammates is a good feeling.”
Kochinsky referred to the prolific success of Northern Cambria’s state volleyball championship team, a two-time state runner-up girls basketball squad that included 1,000-point scorers Kochinsky, Dunchack and Ariel Rocco, and the dominating performances by coach Jim Rocco’s track team.
“It’s been fantastic,” Dunchack said. “It’s been probably the best experience of my life. To be surrounded by all of these people that are excited to come out and run is amazing.”
Dunchack broke her own meet records with a 5-foot-8 high jump (5-6, 2009) and a 25.64 run in the 200 (25.78, 2009). She placed first in the 100 meters (12.67) and long jump (18-0).
“I was really happy about the high jump,” Dunchack said. “I had the previous record at 5-6, but I really wanted to make it 5-8 to make it harder to beat so it would stay a little longer.”
Dunchack intends to compete in all four events at Shippensburg.
“I did four my freshman year just to see what it would be like,” she said. “I found out that was really hard, so I did two my sophomore year. Then my junior year I decided I’d just go for it and I did all four again.”
Northern Cambria had a 1-2 finish in the discus, with Grace Thomas throwing 113 feet and Jessica Rocco second at 109-7.
Jessica Rocco won the javelin with a distance of 138-7. Penn Cambria’s Jessica Delic was second (135-8) and Forest Hills’ Teddi Burkett was third (123-9) to qualify as the top three in each event qualified for states.
Richland’s Paige Lumley qualified for the state meet in four events for the second straight year. Lumley won the 300 hurdles and qualified for states in the 100 hurdles, triple jump and long jump.
Lumley ran the 300 hurdles in 46.87.
“I worked really hard on the 300s this year, and all of my work has paid off,” Lumley said. “I’m starting to drop my times. I’m really excited for states. Hopefully, I’ll get top eight. That would be amazing.”
Lumley was second to Kochinsky in the 100 hurdles at 16.43. She was second in the triple jump (35-3¾) and finished second in the long jump (16-5).
Ligonier’s Courtney Bridge won the triple jump with a distance of 36-1. Lumley and Somerset’s Jayna Coyle finished second and third, respectively. Delic advanced with a third-place finish in the long jump (16-3).
The 1,600-meter run featured a group of the district’s high-profile runners. Homer-Center sophomore Angel Piccirillo won in a record-breaking time of 4:55.06 despite a strong challenge from Central Cambria senior Kelsey Seymour, whose 4:56.64 also bettered her sister Carly’s previous record of 4:58.01 set in 2008. Carly Seymour currently runs at Duke.
Piccirillo also won at the prestigious Penn Relays last month in Philadelphia.
Kelsey Seymour has been one of the area’s top runners in track and cross country for four years and has been on three state championship cross country squads.
Mount Union’s Katrina Woods was third at 5:08.87, and Forest Hills junior Leah Anne Wirfel was fourth at 5:11.40, with both bettering the state qualifying time of 5:18.3.
Piccirillo also won the 400. Bishop Carroll’s Emily Waksmunski (54.44) placed second and bettered the state qualifying time.
In the 800, Piccirillo broke another meet record with a run of 2:15.54. She edged Kelsey Seymour, whose 2:17.05 bettered the state qualifying time and was just a bit off the district record of 2:16.35 she set in 2008. Forest Hills’ Casey Gallaher was third at 2:20.79 and advanced to states.
Wirfel won the 3200 (11:12.31) and Central Cambria’s Kendall Seymour was second (11:22.50).
Central Cambria’s 3,200-relay squad placed first (9:34.81). Runner-up Forest Hills (9:45.80) also qualified for states. In the 1,600-meter relay, Forest Hills was first (4:07.2), Central Cambria second (4:09.84) and Cambria Heights, third (4:10.58), with all three qualifying.
Ligonier Valley’s Oliva Yanits qualified with a second-place in the pole vault (9-3).
Penns Valley’s 400-relay team broke a meet record with a 50.53 (Bishop McCort, 50.58, 2006).
Westmont Hilltop qualified for states with a third place at 52.07.
