Burrell?s Myers states his college case at state track meet

By Paul Kogut
Valley News Dispatch

Published: Sunday, May 27, 2012, 12:30?a.m.
Updated 10 hours ago

SHIPPENSBURG ? When Burrell senior sprinter Darren Myers thinks about how far he?s come in a year, he?s amazed.

Myers went from falling short of the WPIAL track and field championships last year to earning a pair of PIAA medals this season. He went from being a relative unknown in local track circles to a success story.

Myers was sixth place in the Class AA 200 meters in 22.73 seconds and eighth in the 100 (11.41) on Saturday at the state meet at Shippensburg University.

?I?m ecstatic, thinking about not making WPIALs last year to medaling at states,? Myers said. ?That?s a big accomplishment.?

Myers, who won the WPIAL Class AA 200 title last week, hopes his success will attract a college scholarship offer. His ability to compete with elite high school sprinters could boost his chances.

?I?m hoping someone will come along real soon,? he said. ?That?s all I can hope for. Any Division I or II schools are fine. I just want to run in college.?

Several other local boys made it to the medal stand yesterday. In Class AAA, Kiski Area?s 3,200 relay team of senior Richard Lednak, junior Tyler Snider and sophomores Brent Kennedy and Patrick Miller took sixth place and dusted their school record with a time of 7:51.40.

Last week, the Cavaliers repeated as WPIAL champions even though they have two new members this season. Last year, despite winning the WPIAL title, they failed to make the finals at states. The squad earned some redemption.

?The experience from last year helped prepare us,? Lednak said. ?The pressure didn?t get to us. I think we proved ourselves.?

Kennedy (4:19.51) also took eighth in the 1,600.

?I got two state medals,? Kennedy said. ?You can?t ask for more than that. I?ll look to build on that next year.?

In the Class AAA 3,200, Fox Chapel sophomore Ethan Martin ran a personal-best time of 9:24.35 to clinch a seventh-place medal. Martin was seeded 13th.

?It?s awesome,? he said. ?I was seeded pretty low, and I was worried I?d be caught in the back (of the pack). But it split apart a little, and I was able to work my way up.?

In the Class AA discus, Riverview senior Nick Delmonaco scored a sixth-place medal at 153 feet, 9 inches.

?I wasn?t happy,? he said. ?I was definitely off. It just didn?t connect with me.?

On Friday, Delmonaco placed third in the shot put.

?I was better in the discus most of this year, but I ended up doing better in the shot put at states,? he said. ?It?s crazy how it works sometimes.?

Paul Kogut is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. He can be reached at pkogut@tribweb.com or 724-224-2696.

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