Black stars at PIAA Track and Field Championships; Somerset County athletes fare well

SHIPPENSBURG — In arguably the most outstanding performance at the 2023 PIAA Track and Field Championships, Conemaugh Township senior Ethan Black captured two individual Class 2A gold medals and anchored the victorious 4x100 relay team on Saturday at Shippensburg University's Seth Grove Stadium.

"It's been a great weekend, great people up here, lots of competitors pushing you," said Black. "I didn't get my record in the 100, but I was able to finish off a great year with a 200 record."

In Black's final race of his historic high school track and field career, he earned gold for the second straight year in the 200-meter dash with a new PIAA record time of 21.07.

"I'm glad to be one of those athletes whose been able to accomplish this," Black said of being in rare air as a back-to-back champ in two different events. "After last year, I set that standard for myself of winning states, and I knew I had to go back-to-back. That been my goal all year."

Meyersdale junior Tristin Ohler finished fifth in the 200-meter dash with a time of 22.19. In the process, Ohler broke the Meyersdale school record that stood since 2008.

Black ran a 10.55, besting Danville's Jackson Clarke to repeat as champion in the 100-meter dash.

"It feels great to get it again, go back-to-back but definitely not what I wanted to run timewise, but it's gold," said Black.

The Conemaugh Township boys ran away with gold in the 4x100 relay. Garrett Tunstall, Cameron Dunn, Jon Updyke and Black took the championship in a new PR of 42.51. Black was a part of a 400-meter relay team that qualified for states a year ago. An entirely new crew gelled and brought home a title.

"Coming into this weekend, we were really hoping to win a gold medal," said Tunstall, who ran the lead leg.

"We were just really hoping for gold. We came up and worked on our handoffs and we all executed well."

It is also Dunn's first year running. He put in the work along with his teammates and it paid dividends.

"It's great. I really only did track to get conditioned for football," said Dunn. "A few months later, I'm a PIAA state champ."

Updyke was playing baseball for Conemaugh Township a year ago. Updyke, a talented 3-sport athlete, came out for the track and field team this season and has made an immediate impact.

"If you would have told me a year ago that I would be standing here a gold medalist, I would have told you, you were crazy, because I would never do track in my life," said Updyke. "I'm really glad I came out. I love these three guys. I think that's one thing that really helped us is team chemistry, how much we bonded over these two weeks. We came out and did a PR today."

It was gold medal No. 2 of the day for Black. He anchored the relay and crossed the finish line with his arms raised in pure joy.

"First year for all of them, they really pulled their part in this," said Black of his teammates. "They kept us right with the other teams and I was able to pull ahead in the end. I couldn't ask for a better team."

In the girls' 4x100 relay, Somerset's team of Josie Smith, Kamryn Ross, Abby Urban and Sydney Rush also set a new PR with a time of 48.93 to take bronze.

"This is my second year here and the environment is always exciting," said Ross. "I'm super proud of my team this year."

Somerset got on the podium a year ago, but the relay team had loftier goals this season.

"Last year, since we got sixth place, our goal was to get higher than that," said Urban. "We became a lot closer this year, and we obviously met our goal."

Smith ran the lead leg for the Golden Eagles and set the tone.

"This feels really great," said Smith. "When you get in the blocks, you just have to think to push as hard as you can."

Rush had a busy weekend, competing in the long jump on Friday. She finished fifth in the 100-meter dash in a time of 12.36 earlier in the day on Saturday. She saved her best for last with an exceptional anchor leg to secure bronze.

"It was really exciting," said Rush of the relay run. "I like pushing at the end. I am really glad we PR'd. That was our goal. We made it, and I'm really proud of my teammates."

Conemaugh Township's Izzy Slezak took eighth in the 100-dash with a time of 12.51. The sophomore, who continues to dazzle in the 200-meter dash turned in a new PR of 24.88 to capture a bronze medal.

"Feels good this year, especially to be a sophomore and place," said Slezak. "Last year, I just had a bad day at prelims so I didn't make it to the finals. I kind of used that and my eighth place in the 100 as motivation to run in the 200. I gave it everything I had ... big PR."

Slezak is bound for bigger things, having achieved so much in only two years.

"I think that it kind of opened my eyes a lot more, because now I see what's possible," she said. "I know how hard I have to work these next two years to maybe get up higher on the podium."

Day 1 success

Conemaugh Township's Jackson Sotosky entered the PIAA Class 2A Track and Field Championships seeded 16th in the boys' long jump.

The sophomore saved his best jump for last on Friday. Following two scratches in the finals, Sotosky soared to a mark of 21-5½ to finish fifth in his first ever trip to states.

"I knew my first two jumps in the finals that I really needed to push it, so I moved my mark up a little bit but scratched," said Sotosky. "The last jump, I knew I had to get on the board to place and get a medal, and that's what I did. I somehow pulled it off. It was an emotional rollercoaster after scratching my first two jumps in the finals. It was just very exciting."

Stacking up the field Somerset County athletes head to PIAA Track and Field Championships seeking more hardware

Sotosky won both WestPAC and District 5 gold in the event. A podium finish at his first state meet will give Sotosky plenty of confidence for the remainder of his scholastic career.

"I am very excited for next year," he said. "I am going put all the work I can in during the offseason and try to make my speed and jumping better for next year."

On the girls' side, Rush finished seventh in the final of the long jump competition. She jumped 16-11¾ on her third attempt to earn a spot in the podium.

"At first, I was really nervous in the long jump because I wasn't doing my best," said Rush, who was seeded 14th in the event. "I had my last jump and knew if I wanted to make it to finals, I would have to have a good jump. I really went for it and that's when I got the 16-11. The jump got me seventh, so I'm proud of that."

Adam Ripple is the Daily American sports editor. He can be reached at 814-444-5926. Follow him on Twitter @ARipple_DAsport. Follow Daily American Sports on Facebook and @dailyamericanmedia on Instagram.

This article originally appeared on The Daily American: Black grabs gold; Somerset County athletes excel at PIAA Championships