JEFFERSON TWP — Jordan Geist came to play. So did the Butler relay runners.

All shined Saturday during the fourth annual Knoch Relays, the first major meet of the spring outdoor season.

“It's a chance for our kids to run in a big meet at home and we put relay events in that kids rarely get a chance to run,” Knoch coach Wess Brahler said. “This is a team format and it makes it fun for everybody.”

Knoch's Geist braved the elements — temperatures in the 40s with wind gusts — to post impressive marks in the shot put and discus. His shot put distance of 74 feet, two inches trails only Adrian Piteri of The Woodlands in Texas for longest in the nation so far this season.

Piteri has a 74-11.

“That's going to eat at me for a while,” Geist admitted.

Still, Geist's shot put throw was 23 feet farther than runner-up Ryan DeBoer of Seneca Valley at Saturday's meet. His discus throw of 195 feet, eight inches bested the field by 66 feet.

After the discus event, a thrower from another school approached Geist, asked for and received his autograph.

That's where he's at right now.

“Yeah, his competition is national in terms of throwers,” Geist's mother and Knoch throwing coach Judy Geist said. “They're keeping tabs on us and we're keeping tabs on them.”

Jordan wasn't disappointed in his numbers Saturday.

“The weather was nasty, but I've been doing this long enough that I can prepare for it,” he said. “I had home-field advantage and could stay warm indoors before the event. It was a little hard staying warm between throws.

“Throwing the discus 195 feet today is the equivalent of over 200 on a warm day, so I'm happy with that.”

The state discus record is 207 feet.

“That's what he's after this year,” his mother said.

Geist will compete at the Bojangles Classic in Columbia, S.C., this weekend.

Butler's girls cruised to the team title, topping the 12-team field with 158 points. The Golden Tornado boys tied Canon-McMillan atop the boys standings with 103.

Butler won every relay event on the track but one and set school records of 1:50.11 in the 4x200, 4:17.30 in the sprint medley and 4:07.61 in the 4x400 relays. Slippery Rock's quartet of Sierra Nagy, Macy McCall, Claudia Allen and Brady Dalton won the shuttle hurdles.

“This was good competition,” Butler coach John Williams said. “There were pockets of state-caliber, even national-caliber athletes here. It's a great early-season meet to be a part of.”

The Tornado's 4x400 relay team of Madison Tonini, Shana Hoy, Maegan Emanuel and Alexis Leech beat out the defending state champion quartet from Avonworth to win that event.

“It's special when you can beat a team of that caliber,” Leech said. “You get more fired up.

“I don't remember the last time our 4 by 4 didn't at least win our heat on the track. It's been a while.”

Leech was trailing Avonworth's final runner when she took the baton from Emanuel.

“Alexis isn't used to trailing at that point,” Williams said. “But she can close. She can finish. She showed that today.”

The Tornado's Jena Reinheimer was the lone double individual winner in the girls meet, claiming the shot put and discus.

Highlighting Butler's performance on the boys side was Jack Codispot, who set a personal best in the pole vault at 13 feet. Tarik Taoufik won the triple jump. Butler also won the 4x800 and 1,600 sprint relay, setting a school record of 3:49.22 in the latter.

Other county winners in the girls meet were Seneca Valley's Erin Danik (javelin), Knoch's Hannah Rowe (high jump) and Moniteau's Kendall Grossman (pole vault).

On the boys side, Moniteau's Jake Patton (300 hurdles), and Dalton Anderson (javelin), and Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic's Joe Kearney (long jump) won their respective events.

Girls

Team Standings

Butler 158, Canon-McMillan 97, Avonworth/Northgate 50, Knoch 37, Quaker Valley 36, Seneca Valley 31, Moniteau 30, Punxsutawney 29, Slippery Rock 28, Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic 11, Highlands 6, Aquinas Academy 1

3,200 relay: Butler (Erin LeMay, Maggie Welty, Emma LeMay, Liz Simms) 10:18.67; 1,600 run: Lucie Kubinski (QV) 5:35.35; 400 relay: Canon-McMillan 50.50; 400 shuttle hurdles: Slippery Rock (Sierra Nagy, Macy McCall, Claudia Allen, Brady Dalton) 1:08; 800 relay: Butler (Madison Tonini, Maggie Hohn, Shana Hoy, Alexis Leech) 1:50.41; 300 hurdles: Chyna Beck (C-M) 49.77; 1,600 relay: Butler (Madison Tonini, Shana Hoy, Maegan Emanuel, Alexis Leech) 4:07.61; 1,000 sprint medley: Butler (Maddie Glew, Maggie Hohn, Maegan Emanuel, Madison Tonini) 2:31.87; 1,600 sprint medley: Butler (Maddie Glew, Shana Hoy, Alexis Leech, Liz Simms) 4:17.30; Distance medley: Butler (Erin LeMay, Erin Gianneski, Liz Simms, Maggie Welty) 13:31.74

Shot put: Jena Reinheimer (B) 36-02; Discus: Jena Reinheimer (B) 128-01; Javelin: Erin Danik (SV) 116-03; High jump: Hannah Rowe (Knoch) 4-10; Long jump: Sierra Nagy (Slippery Rock) 15-04; Triple jump: Chyna Beck (C-M) 36-06; Pole vault: Kendall Grossman (M) 11-0

Boys

Team Standings

Canon-McMillan 103, Butler 103, Punxsutawney 63, Quaker Valley 63, Knoch 48, Moniteau 41, Avonworth/Northgate 36, Seneca Valley 25, Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic 25, Highlands 1

3,200 relay: Butler (Brett Brady, Aden Dressler, Steve Patterson, Tim Porter) 8:41.63; 1,600 run: Zach Skolnekovich (QV) 4:23.29; 400 relay: Canon-McMillan 44.70; 400 shuttle hurdles: Canon-McMillan 1:16.56; 800 relay: Avonworth/Northgate 1:37.97; 300 hurdles: Jacob Patton (M) 43.98; 1,600 relay: Canon-McMillan 3:39.82; 1,000 sprint relay: Canon-McMillan 2:11.63; 1,600 sprint medley: Butler (Michael Grecco,Cole Thompson, Cade Gratzmiller, Noah Beveridge) 3:49.22; Distance medley: Quaker Valley 11:22.11

Shot put: Jordan Geist (K) 74-2; Discus: Jordan Geist (K) 195-8; Javelin: Dalton Anderson (M) 151-0; High jump: C.J. Thimons (H) 5-6; Long jump: Joe Kearney (CWNC) 20-1; Triple jump: Tarik Tauofik (B) 39-11; Pole vault: Jack Codispot (B) 13-0