NTL TRACK & FIELD: TOWANDA OVERCOMES UNCERTAIN START TO CROWN STATE CHAMPION IN 2021 (2021-06-13)

Northern Tier Sports Report
It’s not every year Towanda track and field crowns a state champion, but the Black Knights added to their list of title winners in 2021 as Porschia Bennett claimed the PIAA, Class AA high jump gold medal this season.

Bennett broke the school record in the first dual meet of the season, and never looked back. She was not only a state champion, but the first junior to win a state title, so she will be looking to be the first 2-time Black Knight champion next season.

But that wasn’t the only success story for Towanda.

Their girls team went 6-3-1 on the year, as the boys team finished 6-4. They also sent 13 athletes, and five relays to districts.

“The season as a whole was different, or one might say peculiar,” said coach Mark Vail. “We had two practices, then had two weeks quarantined. We had another week of lost practice time later in the season. Three meets were either postponed, or cancelled, yet, though it all, I think we had a great year.”

At districts Bennett won the high jump title, while sophomore Logan Lambert came up one spot short of making states in the triple jump. They also competed in other events - Bennett in the 400, where she took seventh, and Lambert in the 110 and 300 hurdles.

Also making districts for Towanda girls were Eliza Fowler (400), Hannah Risch (discus), Erin Barrett (javelin), McKenna Shafer (long jump), Olivia Sparbanie (pole vault, triple jump), and Hannah Ryck (triple jump). 

For the boys Ryan West (100), John Schoonover (100), Justin Schoonover (400), Logan Anders (javelin), Mitchell Mosier (pole vault), and Nick Place (pole vault) also qualified for districts, with Mosier taking eighth.

The girls had all three relays make it - the 4x100 (Shafer, Molly Larcom, Mirra Neilson, and Kelci Carle), the 4x400 (Kelsea Allen-Smith, Bennett, Foweler, and Carle), and the 4x800 (Fowler, Taylor Brennan, Gracie Carter, and Carle). The 4x400 relay even took seventh.

The boys had two relays - the 4x100 (West, John Schoonover, Elias Schrawder, and Mosier), and the 4x400 (Justin Schoonover), Schrawder, Lambert, and Mason Hartman).

“We had a very young team, and, as a staff, we are looking forward to next year,” said Vail. “Despite a rough start due to circumstances out of our control, the season ended with the highest accomplishment in a state champion high jumper.”

With a lot of the athletes coming back, they hope Bennett has company at Shippensburg in 2022.