Mifflin County, Juniata indoor track teams have strong performances at State College Invitational

By Kenny Varner Jr.
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Updated: January 17, 2024

By Kenny Varner

University Park – The temperatures may have been freezing on the outside of the Horace Ashenfelter Indoor track but the action was hot and heavy Wednesday night at the State College Invitational.

It was a night where the Mifflin County Indoor track and field team as well as Juniata were on display.

Mifflin County 800-meter runner Carter Smith finished in the top spot with a time 1:57.80.

Teams from all over Pennsylvania competed. Teams from as Close as State College and Saint Joseph High School, Altoona, Bellefonte, Indiana, Cumberland Valley and Hollidaysburg to name just a few.

“We had a really nice event. We haven’t competed in a while so it I thought they did well,” said Mifflin County coach Tamara Sechler.

Also Highlighting the night was a second place finish in the 60-meter run by Mifflin County’s, Myka Simmons and Juniata’s Sylvia Brubaker’s third place finish in the mile with a time 5:36.96. Simmons added a fourth place finish in the 200-meter run, with a time of 23.05.

Leading off the day was the boys 4×800 relay.

Mifflin County finished third in the event with a time of 8:27.04.

Juniata represented the lone place winner in the boys 60-meter hurdles Heath Hutchinson finished in 13th place with a time of 9.93.

Mifflin County Cyrell Green finished with a time of 10.66 while teammate Michael McNitt followed with a 10.98, good for 17th and 18th, respectively.

With Simmons taking second in the 60, teammate Ryan Kanagy finished in 15th with a time of 7.56.

Juniata’s Tayden Miller finished 26th with a time of 7.97.

Reese Cubbison opened his day with an 18th place finish in the mile, posting a time of 4:54.69.

Teammate Cody Fultz finished 22nd with a time of 5:01.10.

In the field portion of the event, Ethan Plank finished his night in the long jump with a 7th place finish launch of 18’8”. Teammate Reece Bell tallied a jump of 15’ 10”.

Juniata was represented by Miller who finished with a mark of 16’7 3/4”. Plank also shined in the triple jump posting a 36’9” jump to finish in 10th place. Teammate Austin McKnight finished in 15th with a jump of 32’8”.

In the boys shot put, the Huskies got a strong effort by Cayden Breon who had a throw of 29’ 11” capturing a fifth place finish.

McNitt also shined for the Huskies in the high jump, finishing with a best leap of 5’ 4”.

The boys 4×200 relay team battled through a tough race, finishing in 6th place with a finishing time of 1:41.62.

Juniata’s 4×200 squad finished in 8th place, just behind MIfflin County, 1:41.96.

The boys finished their day with a 4×400 relay time of 3:42.83 good enough for a third place nod.

On the girls’ side, the MIfflin County 4×800 relay team finished fifth with a time of 12:00.2.

In the 60-meter hurdles, MIfflin County got a 12th place finish by Olyvia Fennell with a time of 11.58. Her teammate Mary Kanagy finished 15th with a 12.00 showing.

Falynn Reinard paced the Huskies in the 60-meter run, posting a 8.89 en route to a 15th place finish.

Calleigh Keeler’s 9.02 was strong enough for a 16th place finish.

Reinard also finished 13th in the 200, with a time of 29.58.

In the mile, Brubaker notched a second while Mifflin County’s Ava Kratzer finished in 13th with a finishing time of 6:32.72. The Indians’ Jessica Bomberger finished with a time of 6:46.79.

Danielle Warfel finished strong in the 400-meter dash with a time of 1:04.38 good for 7th place. Teammate Mary Kanagy finished her event posting a 1:15.51.

Dallas Ivie represented the Lady Huskies in the 800, finishing with an 8th place time of 3:04.40.

In the rough 3000-meter run, MIfflin County’s Caroline Palopoli placed 8th with a finishing time of 13:58.64.

The Huskies were led in the shot put by Kylie Lynch with a throw of 45’ 3 1/2”. Her best was good enough for a 7th place nod.

In the next to last track event, the Lady Huskies finished 8th in the 4×200 relay with a mark of 2:06.85.

Rounding out the events for MIfflin County was the 4×400 Lady Huskies finishing the day with a 7th place finish of 5:09.4.