Tyrone boys track and field team is looking forward to the upcoming season with a lot if intensity. The boys team, which was 5-4 in dual meets last year is looking for improvement after returning proven lettermen in practically every event. Add to that mixture senior speedster Tom Crowl, who was unable to compete in 2003 because of injury.
The boys will miss Tyler Mertiff, J. D. Shaw, Aaron Jeffries, Dan Grazier, Matt Germino, Brian McManigal and Josh Frye, who provided the Eagles with steady performances throughout the 2003 season.
Returning lettermen Justin Clark, Adam Hoover, Matt Wheland and Terry Tate will be handling the discus and shot put. Bill Schreckengost and Adam Shaffer will be the top javelin competitors. Crowl along with Billy Dean, Chris Bradigan and Leonard Wilson will compete in the sprint events. L. Wilson will double up in the throwing events as well. Dan Domenick, Justin Wilson and Bradley Schmidt will handle the hurdles. Evan Stover and David Miller will be the pole vaulters. Nathan Barber will run the middle distance events, Trey Brockett will handle the jumping events and Eric Sweet and Aaron Houck will be the long distance runners.
In addition, Chad Barto (jumps), Guy Reitz (sprints), Mike Domenick (throws), Ron Miller (throws) and Donovan Truax (throws) also return from 2003.
Clark, Crowl, Dan Domenick, Hoover, Schreckengost, Stover, Barto and Wheland are seniors. Ron Miller, Dean, Tate, David Miller and Justin Wilson are juniors. Leonard Wilson, Barber, Bradigan, Shaffer, Brockett, Houck, Reitz, Mike Domenick and Truax and Sweet are sophomores.
A large class of incoming freshmen is being counted on to supply manpower and fill in the gaps and contribute to the program immediately.
T. J. Albright, Russell Beck, Solomon Beck, Jonathan Bishop, Chris Closson, Donnie Conrad, Nick Diehl, Robert Gherrity, Philip Kreckel, Doug Morrow and Jason Reese are all ninth graders who will be on the varsity track team this spring.
“We have a lot of returning lettermen, including standout sprinter Tom Crowl, who did not compete last year due to injury,” said long time boys and girls track coach Tony Yaniello (179-47-2 over 26 years). “Our strengths should be the hurdles, sprints and jumps where we have a strong group of returning lettermen. Although the development of our distance runners is an unknown at this point, all were freshmen last year, we are hoping for improvement in this area.
Yaniello is assisted by Steve Everhart, Mark Mitchell, Luke Rhoades and Karen Gilliland.
“We should be competitive in both leagues (Mountain league and Mountain Athletic Conference) and we hope to get a few individuals to the State meet,” stated Yaniello.
The Tyrone girls program must rebound from a 2-7 record in 2003 for head coach Tony Yaniello, who has been at the helm of the girls program for four years.
Numbers hurt the Lady Eagles a year ago and veterans Ashley Black, Marie DelBaggio, Misti Snyder and Jo Turner have graduated from that group.
“Our strength has to be the sophomore class after lettering and gaining experience last season as freshmen,” explained Yaniello. “Like last year, however, our numbers are down. Winning dual meets will be a big problem with our numbers being down. We just have to work hard and try to set the groundwork for the future with the numbers that we have.”
The Tyrone girls have just two seniors Adeena Harbst (middle distance) and Erin Langenbacher (distance). Both will be counted on heavily to score points for the Lady Eagles and to show strong leadership qualities for the younger girls. Harbst and Langenbacher can add to their experience on the track and field with what they have gained as members of the Lady Eagles cross country team.
Juniors Katie Whitby and Ashley Gilliland will add much-needed athleticism to the program, Whitby, who also starts and plays center field on the Lady Eagles softball team, in the sprint events and Gilliland with the throwing events.
Sophomores Paige Black (sprints), Marissa Hoover (sprints), Emily Ingle (middle distance), Michelle Lenning (sprints), Emily Lloyd (hurdles and jumps), Emily McKenna (middle distance and jumps), Ashley Turnbaugh (throws) and Kairann Isenberg (throws) will need to step up as a class and mature as quickly as possible for coach Yaniello.
Two ninth graders, Amber Davis and Shannon Shultz, will help out in the sprints and Donna Emery, Samantha Friday and Krista Marlett will also be available.
Today’s track meet scheduled for home against Chestnut Ridge has been camceled.
