Erie High's Schneider a gold medalist at Friday's PIAA track and field meet

SHIPPENSBURG ― Updates about District 10 qualifiers from Friday's PIAA track and field championships at Shippensburg University:

Day one done

We'll be posting some more updates here later tonight, including some must-watch video, but that's it for now from Shippensburg University's Seth Grove Stadium.

Friday's first day of the PIAA track and field meet was light on overall medals for District 10 participants. However, two of them were of the gold variety.

Slippery Rock junior Levi Prementine won the Class 2A boys long jump during the morning field session. Erie High senior Bradon Schneider won the day's last medal event, the Class 3A boys pole vault.

Saturday's action back at Shippensburg will start at 9 a.m.

Bradon Schneider makes PIAA, Erie School District history

Collegiate Academy student Bradon Schneider did more than forever gain the status as a PIAA track and field gold medalist.

The senior also accomplished something no Erie School District student had done in more than 30 years.

Schneider, seeded fourth in Friday's Class 3A boys pole vault competition at Shippensburg University, won the 23-man competition with a height of 15 feet, 6 inches.

Mason Bucks, a junior from District 3 Palmyra, was the only other vaulter who cleared that same height. Bucks and Schneider each had three attempts to clear an even 16 feet, but each missed on all three.

Schneider was declared the champion based on one of pole vaulting's tiebreakers. He cleared each new height during Friday's action on his first attempt. Bucks didn't.

Schneider is Erie's first state track and field champ from once of its public schools since Tech Memorial graduate Dietrich Jells in the early 1990s, according to coach Jason Lombardo.

The Erie Times-News will do more research on that later tonight.

Prather nearly medalist in javelin

North East's Delaney Prather, in her first, last and only appearance in the javelin competition at a state meet, unofficially finished 10th in the Class 2A girls standings.

Prather's best throw during Friday afternoon's action was an even 119 feet. She qualified for the meet as District 10's gold medalist.

What made that unique was Prather never threw the javelin before this spring. She formerly competed for the Grapepickers' softball program.

The event's champion was Evelyn Bliss of Union-Allegheny Clarion Valley. She set the PIAA record with her throw of 170-2.

Crocker comes through with throwing medal

District 10 has its first state medalist for Friday afternoon's field session.

It's Cam Crocker of Oil City. The senior, with a toss of 162-11, finished seventh in the Class 2A boys discus standings.

The winner was Union-Allegheny Clarion Valley's Landon Chalmers at 171-5.

District 10 medal update

We're in a brief "lull" for the afternoon session of events. An update of District 10 medalists as of 1:30 p.m:

Willow Myers, Mercer: fifth in Class 2A girls 1,600 at 5:05.30

Karis McElhaney, Greenville: sixth in Class 2A girls 1,600 at 5:08.48

Caleb Prettyman, Franklin: sixth in Class 2A boys 1,600 at 4:19.63

Delani Berkson, Sharon: seventh in Class 2A girls discus at 114-6

Levi Prementine, Slippery Rock: first in Class 2A boys long jump at 23-1 1/4

Brandon Konieczki, Harbor Creek: eighth in Class 2A boys long jump at 21-2 3/4

Not track and field, but ...

Cathedral Prep tennis players have advanced to Friday's 4 p.m. quarterfinal round of the PIAA boys tennis tournament, which it taking place at Hershey Racquet Club.

The Ramblers' Gavin Ferretti won his Class 2A first-round singles match in three sets. Jonah Ng and Hayden Hutchinson were straight-set winners in 2A doubles.

The 2A state quarterfinals will start at 4 p.m.

Prementine, Konieczki with District 10, Erie County firsts

Slippery Rock's Levi Prementine is District 10's first state champion for the meet. He accomplished that in the same event Harbor Creek's Brandon Konieczki became Erie County's first medalist.

Prementine, a junior for the Rockets, came through as the favorite during Friday's Class 2A boys long jump. His best attempt of 23-1 1/4 easily exceeded his seed distance of 22-10 1/4.

Although Konieczki medaled, he was visibly disappointed with which one it was. The senior, at 21-2 3/4, finished eighth. He was seeded second with a distance of 22-9.

Prementine also is favored to win the meet's 2A boys 300 hurdles competition.

Prettyman gets pretty gift

Caleb Prettyman is District 10's first male medalist for the meet.

Prettyman, a Franklin junior, finished sixth overall in the Class 2A boys 1,600. His four-lap time was 4:19.63.

Harbor Creek's Logan Byerly also ran in the 2A boys 1,600, as did Cathedral Prep's Luke Brown in the 3A 1,600. Neither placed in the top eight.

Myers and McElhaney first medalists

The 1,600 meters is the only track event that will crown medalists Friday.

That left Mercer's Willow Myers and Greenville's Karis McElhaney as District 10's first medalists for the meet. Myers finished fifth in the Class 2A girls race at 5:05.30 and McElhaney at 5:06.81.

Brownsville star Jolena Quarzo repeated as the state champ with a time of 4:55.45.

Cathedral Prep's Lauren Raimy completed her timed final in the Class 3A girls 1,600, but was not expected to medal.

Notable event to open

Slippery Rock's Levi Prementine (22-10 1/4) and Harbor Creek's Brandon Konieczki (22-9) are seeded first and second in the Class 2A boys long jump. That event is scheduled to start at 9 a.m.

It's the only event this weekend where two District 10 athletes are favored to claim the gold and silver medals. Prementine also is favored to win the 2A boys 300 hurdles, which will hold its preliminary heats later today.

Thanks for following ...

... throughout Friday's PIAA track and field meet. This is Mike Copper reporting from the press area at Shippensburg University's Seth Grove Stadium.

Action starts at 9 a.m. We'll be posting occasional updates here of District 10 athletes throughout the day.

Also, thanks for your patience if there are longer-than normal delays between posts.

Contact Mike Copper at mcopper@timesnews.com. Follow him on Twitter @ETNcopper.

This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: District 10 at PIAA track and field: Erie High pole vaulter wins gold