Muhlenberg's Nadly Gyapong, Kutztown's Lauren Akers shine at Panther Invitational track and field meet
Apr. 27—Muhlenberg senior Nadly Gyapong did not let the rain slow her down at the Panther Invitational on Saturday at Schuylkill Valley in Leesport.
Gyapong won gold in the 100 and 200, the only female athlete from Berks to win two events at the meet.
"I'm glad that even with how the weather was today, I still continued with my form," Gyapong said. "I'm proud that I still pulled through and didn't let the weather get to my head."
Gyapong won the 100 with a time of 12.72 and the 200 with a time of 26.24. She entered the 100 as the defending champion after winning the event as last year's Panther Invitational.
"I'll improve more based on how I did today," Gyapong said. "I'm pretty proud of myself."
The defending Berks champion in the 200, Gyapong is poised to continue improving with the postseason less than two weeks away.
"Building on top of this will help me mentally, not just physically," she said.
In the field, Kutztown senior Lauren Akers competed for the first time since suffering a quad injury during the early part of the season. She finished first in the javelin on Saturday with a throw of 116-6.
"It feels good to be back and still have 'it' a little bit at least," Akers said.
Akers won the Berks title last year with a throw of 132-0. Following her performance on Saturday, she was quick to acknowledge that she still needs to build more strength in her leg.
"It was definitely a road to recovery," Akers said. "It was a quicker recovery, but those two weeks out definitely had an impact on me."
While she is working her way back to full strength, Akers enters the home stretch of the regular season with more confidence following the win on Saturday.
"(This will) definitely bring (my confidence) up," Akers said. "This year has just been a mess."
Conestoga Valley won the girls team title with 145 points. Schuylkill Valley took second with 92.75 points.
Other event winners from Berks: 1600: Abigail Gehris, Tulpehocken, 5:40.85. 3200: Julia Leady, Daniel Boone, 11:40.85. 1600 relay: Schuylkill Valley (Hannah Yob, Eve Kalinowski, Haley Huntsinger, Amelia Falsone), 4:23.15. High jump: Julia Rosenberger, Berks Catholic, 4-10. Long jump: Annie Gao, Schuylkill Valley, 16-5.5. Triple jump: Emily Cassler, Wyomissing, 33-4.5. Shot put: Faith Price, Berks Catholic, 33-3.5. Discus: Maddie Henne, Wilson, 115-6. Pole vault: Cara Miller, Exeter, 10-6.
