Fast climb to the top for McCaskey discus thrower at PIAA track and field championships (2024)

SHIPPENSBURG — The tears Genesis Castro shed before the meet were from stress. She wanted so badly to excel on the biggest stage.

The tears afterward were caused by a different emotion.

“Once I got on the podium, it was so relieving,” Castro said. “I started to cry again. It felt like such an accomplishment.”

There’s no bigger accomplishment in PIAA track and field. McCaskey’s junior claimed gold in the Class 3A discus Saturday.

Castro admired the scene from atop her little corner of the track world. Seth Grove Stadium was filled to capacity and her coaches and supporters were cheering near the fence.

“There are so many people in the stands and so many people clapping,” Castro said. “It makes me think I came a really long way.”

Castro reached 138-8 on her fifth attempt and held off Mechanicsburg’s Maria Clark, the District Three champion, at 132-2. It was the Lancaster-Lebanon League’s second gold in the discus this weekend. Lancaster Catholic’s Margaret Bila won Class 2A Friday.

The trajectory of Castro’s season shifted at the Cy Fritz Open at Millersville in late April. That’s when she hit her PR of 139-2, broke the school record and rocketed to the top of the state rankings.

At that point, state gold was at least on her mind. An added dose of motivation came when Clark defeated Castro, who was the No. 1 seed at districts.

“Winning is fun,” Castro said. “Once you get lower than first, it really pushes you to try harder. It makes you work on something that will make you take that next step up.”

Castro was struggling with throws in the 80s and 90s and didn’t finish in the top eight at the Bruce Dallas or Black Knight invitationals early in the season. Going from there to state champion definitely qualifies as a long way.

As Castro stood on the infield and conducted the interviews granted to every gold medalist, Clark walked over to say goodbye. The two wished each other good luck.

Clark is off to compete at Kutztown University. Castro has one more year at McCaskey.

“I’ll see you next year,” Clark said. “You’re gonna be right in the same spot.”

Castro then cupped her hands into the shape of a heart when she found McCaskey throws coach Liz Fulmer in the crowd.

The stress from before the meet was long gone.

“I wanted to do a good job,” Castro said. “I wanted to leave an impression.”

There’s no better first impression than finishing in first place.

One last run

Ella Wolfe wasn’t sure if she could break her middle school PRs when she returned to track as a junior following a three-year absence. That wasn’t a problem. Her times went way lower.

Wolfe, who left the sport to focus on triathlons, became one of the best distance runners to ever represent the L-L.

The senior closed out her career with a PR of 10:38.44 to place sixth in the Class 3A 3,200. That time moved Wolfe up to fourth on the all-time list. She ranks ninth in L-L history with the 4:57.32 she ran in the 1,600 Friday.

Wolfe, who has Olympic aspirations, said coming back to track helped her with triathlons. She’ll be on the cross country roster at the University of Arizona and could race again as part of her training.

Taking the fourth

Cedar Crest sophom*ore Eliana Schneider added another achievement to her list: her first individual medal at states.

The L-L League javelin and high jump champion took fourth in the Class 3A javelin when she reached 140-5. Blue Mountain’s Rosalind Gergely won at 152-4.

Schneider brought home a medal as part of Cedar Crest’s 3,200 relay team last season. She failed to qualify in the javelin, her best event. That made this medal significant to her.

“I’m not completely upset with how I finished,” Schneider said. “It was a tough day mentally and physically. Comparing yourself to everyone in the state and seeing how well you can do is pretty cool.”

McCaskey freshman Jada Lubin placed eighth with a PR of 124-10. Lubin was the District Three runner-up behind Schneider.

Relay magic

L-L girls made frequent trips to the medal stand for relays. The most unexpected result might have been Manheim Township’s 3,200 team.

The foursome of Kaila Atteberry, Piper Fogleman, Sarah Ebersole and Elena Barrall finished in 9:19.92 to take third in Class 3A. Township improved its time by 22 seconds over districts.

Annville-Cleona’s group of Miracle Hershey, Jada Morales, Sophia Caporaletti and Kendall Cooper took silver in the Class 2A 400 relay. The Little Dutchmen were sixth in the 1,600 relay.

McCaskey’s team of Damani Crosson, Aasly DeLeon, Isabel Roman and Corrine Miller was third in the Class 3A 400 relay. Their prelim time of 47.94 ranks sixth in L-L history.

Conestoga Valley’s 1,600 relay team placed eighth. The group of Tia Logan, Mae Linder, Alondra Montijo-Ortiz and Isabella Johnson ran the 10th-ranked L-L time of 3:55.90 during prelims.

Hall of Famer

Manheim Township grad Mackenzie Horn was inducted into the Pennsylvania High School Track and Field Hall of Fame Saturday.

The pole vaulter won state championships indoors and outdoors. Her top jump of 13-7.25 at the District Three meet was once a state record.

“I gave it my all when I was here,” Horn said. “It was a great time. I just went through some memories the other day when they popped up of me competing at states.”

Horn said she doesn’t mind seeing her records fall. It shows the sport is growing.