SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. — Daysaun Spencer had a big goal in mind when he competed in the Class 2A triple jump Saturday at the PIAA track and field championships.
After winning the WPIAL title a week earlier at Slippery Rock University courtesy of a career-best leap of 46 feet, 7¾ inches, Spencer, a sophomore at Brentwood, aimed to hit 47 feet, a mark he thought might win him a PIAA title at Shippensburg University.
Spencer came up short in his quest, but it came with a caveat.
“It didn’t go as I planned, but I still came out on top,” Spencer said. “And I’m loving it.”
Spencer’s winning leap of 45-5¾ might not be what he envisioned, but it certainly was good enough to earn him the title he has coveted ever since he placed eighth at the meet as a freshman a season ago.
“Just getting up here, that felt so great,” Spencer said. “But coming back as a sophomore and winning it all, it feels so much better.”
Spencer’s title came courtesy of a big final jump. He sat in second place with a top leap of 44-7 heading into his sixth and final attempt.
“First or nothing,” Spencer said of his mindset going into the final attempt.
Spencer then unleashed a jump of 45-5¾ to claim the title in what was a close competition. The top five finishers were within 11 inches. Salisbury Township junior Steven Lozada was the runner-up at 44-9 ½.
“All of my jumps I was trying to find the perfect mark,” Spencer added. “In the finals I found my perfect mark, and I just went out there and did it.”
Schoedel repeats in 3,200
Jaxon Schoedel hopes a PIAA title will bring him some sleep. Not winning one Friday played a part in him not getting any shut-eye a night earlier. Schoedel, a senior at Mohawk, coughed up a late lead Friday and finished second to Quaker Valley’s Jonah Montagnese in the Class 2A 1,600.
“I actually did not sleep at all last night. Not just because of that race, but because of nerves,” Schoedel said. “I’m probably going to take a really good nap after this because I’m running on fumes right now.”
Schoedel bounced back Saturday in a big way, repeating as champion in the 3,200. He did it in meet-record time, too, finishing in 8 minutes, 59.34 seconds. The previous record of 9:04.09 set by Southmoreland’s Chris Dugan had stood for 28 years.
“I’m absolutely thrilled with it,” Schoedel said. “I actually was not expecting anyone to break 9 [minutes] today.”
Just as Schoedel did in the 1,600 a day earlier, he went blow-for-blow with WPIAL competitors Montagnese and Michael Braun of Freeport. Schoedel was in third through 1,600 meters before surging into the lead on the sixth lap. Braun, who like Schoedel is a Penn State recruit, finished second and Montagnese fourth.
Dino’s double
Gateway’s Dino Nadarevic has long had a big goal in mind for his senior season, one that came to fruition Saturday when he completed a PIAA championship double in the throws.
A senior, Nadarevic followed up a win Friday in the Class 3A shot put by capturing a second title in the discus. He was the only Class 3A boy from the WPIAL to win an individual title at the two-day meet.
“I said I wanted to win two golds, a shot and discus. I spoke it into existence. I worked hard for it and I’m incredibly happy,” said Nadarevic, a Duquesne recruit.
Nadarevic’s winning throw came on his very first attempt, as his toss of 180-2 stood throughout. Shippensburg senior Derek Lynch was the runner-up following a throw of 176-6 on his next-to-last attempt.
GCC’s Davis golden in the 400
As a freshman two years ago, Greensburg Central Catholic junior Jerry Davis, then competing for Serra Catholic, was running the 400 in the 53s and placed 14th at the WPIAL Class 2A championship.
Fast forward to Saturday, and Davis used a time of 48.50 to finish No. 1 in the state. Davis, the WPIAL champion and No. 1 seed, topped a PIAA Class 2A field that included runner-up Shymir Bevins of West Catholic, who ran a 48.99.
“Coming in here, I knew I was going to win. I was supposed to win. There were a little bit of nerves. I just had to perform,” said Davis, who went on to place seventh in the 200.
Davis’ gold medal performance came a year after he placed fifth at the PIAA meet a year ago.
“It’s awesome just being able to see how far I’ve come since freshman year,” he said. “My freshman year at WPIALs, I ran awful. It’s cool to see now I’m at the top.”
Quaker Valley wins team title
Quaker Valley rolled to the Class 2A team championship. In fact, the margin between the Quakers and the competition was so wide that they scored considerably more points than the second- and third-place finishers combined.
In what was a dominant performance, Quaker Valley totaled 75 points in the championships. Pottsville Nativity BVM was second (30) and Lewisburg third (27.33).
Two of Quaker Valley’s three gold medals came Saturday, both courtesy of relay teams. The 3,200 team of Montagnese, River Capek, Jackson Pethel and Clark LaLomia grabbed gold earlier in the day, while the 1,600 team of Davin Gartley, LaLomia, Jayden Juliano and James Irwin did the same in the meet’s final race. The 3,200 team finished in 7:56.89 and the 1,600 team in 3:21.69. Both of those squads also won WPIAL titles.
Montagnese won the school’s other gold medal of the meet, capturing the title in the 1,600 a day earlier.
Brad is a sports writer at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike. Email him at beverett@unionprogress.com.