The Knights' day
PINE TWP — Friday proved to be quite a coming-out party for the Knoch track and field teams at the Pine-Richland Invitational.
Consider:
• The Knights boys and girls teams won team titles, the boys edging runner-up New Castle 78-77½ and the girls recording a 77-66½ victory over the host Rams.
• Brian Tackett was the Boys Track MVP for winning the 800 meters in a meet-record 1 minute, 58.48 seconds, placing first in the 1,600 (4:34.0) and anchoring the winning 3,200 relay (8:17.0).
• Carol Cress was the Girls Field MVP, winning the shot put (39 feet, 3 inches) and the javelin (119-10) and placing second in the discus (97-10).
• The Knoch boys opened the track portion of the meet with a win in the 3,200 relay and closed it with a win in the 1,600 relay.
• Zac Gross won the javelin with a toss of 157-4.
• The Knights girls team had two sets of sisters place first and second in an event while another pair of sisters medaled in another event.
Jolene and Alyssa Kunkel placed first and second, respectively, in the 1,600 in a school-record time, plus they finished fourth and fifth in the 3,200. Carol and Allyson Cress took the top two places in the shot put.
Gina and Sarah Robb each earned a pair of medals, including one each in the long jump.
"They've really doing what they've done all year," said Knoch girls coach Tom Hoffmann.
"That's great for the kids," said Knoch boys coach Wess Brahler. "We never try to win the meet. We just put kids where they have the chance to have the best success."
Tackett's performance was impressive considering he started the 3,200 relay with a 1:58 split, then posted two more victories in which he pulled away from the closest competitor."I was a little tired after the 3,200 relay," said Tackett. "I wanted to run relaxed the first two laps (of the 1,600), then the last two laps take over. I'm a kicker."In the 800, Tackett surged away from runner-up Chris Harmon from Karns City over the final 200 meters."He's been our workhorse," Brahler said. "Brian's one of those guys you give the baton to and he says, 'Whatever you need coach.'"The Kunkel sisters, who qualified for states in cross country, were close with Mount Lebanon's Kristen Connelly the first two-plus laps, then held off Shady Side Academy's Katrina Jueng. Jolene (5:22.39) edged Alyssa (5:22.69) at the line."We do our own thing," said Alyssa, a junior. "We push each other. ... It's just like racing someone on your own team.""We don't think about it," said Jolene, on running alongside her sister. "We do push each other."Carol Cress, who won the WPIALClass AAA title in the shot put last season, continued her solid throwing this season.
"I never thought I'd get back to 119 in the javelin," said Cress, who did it last season at the Butler Invitational. "I've been working at that goal and I did it. Now I have to set another goal."Cress is still eyeing Jen Crouch's shot put mark, which has stood for 19 years. She is less than two feet away."I'll start throwing, then we'll break it down and go again and try to get it right," Cress added.Gross was a little off his season high of 164 feet, but knows he can still do better."It didn't seem like a good day," said Gross. "Everything didn't seem to click. I was kind of hoping to be a little higher."Slippery Rock also turned in some strong performances, namely by senior Ian Campbell, who is in his first and only varsity season of track.Campbell was named Boys Field MVP for winning the high jump (6-3), triple jump (44-3) and placing sixth in the long jump. He also placed fourth in the 100.For the previous three seasons, Rockets coach Mike Kish and his staff had been trying to get Campbell to come out for the team before Campbell finally relented.After three days of practice, Campbell was about to hang it up, then decided to give it one more day."He told me it wasn't working," said Kish. "I told him, 'Don't give it another day. Give it a month.' I knew when he got that first meet, he would really enjoy it."Another Rocket to win an event was Elissa McCune, who took the girls 300 hurdles with a time of 46.13.Other first-place finishers included Seneca Valley's Mark Poydence in the boys shot put (47-1½), Mars' Justin Piocquidio in the long jump (21-4) and Karns City's Amber Saunders in the girls high jump (5-2).Piocquidio also was second in the high jump behind Campbell and in the 400 relay.Saunders was coming off a win at the Butler Invitational two weeks ago."I like to come in here and compete against the bigger schools," Saunders said. "To know I can compete with them will only help me."
