NTL TRACK & FIELD: NEB'S LAUDERMILCH PUNCHES HER TICKET TO STATES IN THE 3200 (2025-05-16)

BY CHRIS MANNING
Northern Tier Sports Report
WILLIAMSPORT — Northeast Bradford’s Gracelyn Laudermilch punched her ticket to the PIAA State Championships on Thursday when she took third in the 3200 at the District IV Track and Field Championships.

Laudermilch ran 11:09.9, well under the state standard of 11:35.

“It’s a huge blessing,” Laudermilch said about going back to states. “I’m really excited. It really came full circle today, with the fact that I’m a senior and everything’s happening, so it felt good to get the state mark, and just have fun on Saturday and hopefully do well.”

The top three - Lewisburg’s Baylee Espinosa (10:51.62), Wellsboro’s Lauren Kosek (10:59.38), and Laudermilch - all separated themselves from the rest of the pack early and never looked back.

“I was excited for it,” Laudermilch said. “I knew it was going to be a fast race, I knew it was going to be a fun race. I just had some fun.”

Kosek led early, then Espinosa took the lead with Laudermilch passing Kosek to give chase.

“Baylee made that move, that was a hard move,” said Laudermilch. “I tried to go with it, It was the day, and after the 4x800 I was a little tired.”

Kosek would pass her later in the race, with Laudermilch holding tight to her to get under the state standard.

The fact that Laudermilch ran a tough 800 in the heat of the day a couple hours earlier and still performed well gives her confidence going into the 1600 and 800 on Saturday.

“That’s a huge thing, knowing that I have the strength, and I just have to lean on that,” she said. “In the past I’ve had the strength but I haven’t trusted that, and right now, I feel like I have the most trust in my training, so that’s really exciting, and that’s a really good place to be.”

The girls’ 4x800 relay of Laudermilch, Anaiah Kolesar, Sophie Bennett, and Lillie Maynard was sixth in 10:10.97. Bennett was 16th in the 3200 in 13:00.33.

Cora Franklin (90-feet, 4-inches) took 10th in the discus, with Amelia Kapr (18.09) finishing 20th in the 100 hurdle preliminaries.

For the boys the 4x800 relay team of Brayden Miller, Brody Bennett, Ryan Jones, and Creed Dewing was sixth in 8:30.53.

Jones was 17th in the 3200 in 10:46.08.

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PHOTOS BY CHRIS MANNING

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