The 2022 JHS track & field season started with a solid performance vs East Juniata Tigers on April 12th. Leading the way for the Juniata boys was Brandt Walters with four wins and Waylon Ehrnzeller picking up two for the Indians. Walters claimed the 100m dash with a time of 12 seconds flat, also with the 200m dash(23.9), and the long jump(18-3). He also helped the boys achieve a win in the 4x100 meter relay with Erhnzeller, Ricardo Maradiaga, and Heath Hutchinson (48.3). Ehrnzeller was first in the triple jump(34-10.5). Other individual wins came from Jordan Cruz in the shot put (43-3.75) and Tyson Aurand in the pole vault (11-0). Coach Kim Hart stated, “There was a ten-point swing that shows them (the team) how important it is to get every place in a track meet.” The Juniata boys ended up losing to the Tigers 85-65.
As for the girls, Juniata won 113-35 over EJ, with EJ girls having a low number of athletes on their team. Ashlyn Pannebaker had 4 wins, while Mackenzie Bennett, Emily Houtz, and Autumn Graybill each had 3. Isabella Armstrong and Haley Mummah had 2 victories. Pannebaker won the 100M (13.3) and 200M (27.4). She also won the 4x100M relay along with Bennett, Graybill, and Smith (54.7). She also helped the 4x400M relay with teammates Houtz, Graybill, and Smith (4:54). Bennett got individual wins in the 100M hurdles (17.8) and 300M hurdles (55.5). Houtz captured the win in the 1600M run (6:49) after running the 4x800M with Mummah, Peyton Shaffer, and Jessie Bomberger(13:40). Graybill won the high jump(4-8) and Mummah won the 3200(15:56). Armstrong won the long and triple jump(13-11)(28-1). Ava Shearer won the shot put (32-25) while teammate Ava Stoner won the pole vault (7-6). Coach Hart commented, “most of the girls bettered their marks from their first meet last year, in comparison, so they’re ahead of where they were last year and that is very important.”