Mitch Vleminckx ran fast, Jaron Ambrose hurdled his way to victory, Logan Caruso took two distance races and John Eakin moved up the all-time list in the shot put.
A banner day for the Bradford High, or just another day at the office for the Owls track and field team? Head coach Tom Tessena, though, says he coach Mark Kelley “are still working on getting each guy in their best combination of events.”
Bradford High won every track event and 17 out of 18 total competitions on the day for the 135-14 team win. Kane’s Austin Labesky, signed to compete on Slippery Rock University’s track team next year, won the javelin with a toss of 167-07.
“Our guys really needed a good day to get some better times and distances,” Tessena said.
Vleminckx had no problem with his four-event agenda for Tuesday’s home dual meet with Kane. The senior speedster won the 100 (11.2) and 200-meter (23.4) dashes, then went to the runway and took first in the long jump with a leap of 20-06. In one of the most exciting races of the day, Vleminckx held off Kane’s state-qualifier Ray Maze (52.0) in the 400 meters, running a personal-best 51.6.
Ambrose
Eakin, in his first competition of the season after battling injury, was cleared just throw the shot put. The junior made the most of his opportunity, coming through with a heave of 55-11.
“John had an outstanding throw in the shot in his first meet of the year,” Tessena said. “John is now the fourth-best ever in that event and is only two feet and four inches from the school record.”
Ambrose, a sophomore, took both the 110- (16.0) and 300-meter (42.4) hurdle races in personal bests while also teaming with Nate Blauser, freshman Tyler Kraft and Vinnie Bizzarro in the winning 4×400 relay.
Bizzarro, meanwhile, took the 800 (2:09) and also ran in the 4×800 relay, while Logan Caruso won the 1,600 (4:46) and 3,200 (10:47) to give the Owls the distance sweep. Junior Cade Hayden ran a personal-best time of 10:52 to finish second behind Caruso in the 3,200 meters.
Bradford High turned in respectable times in the two relays, with Blauser, Kraft, Issac Paterniti and Bizzarro winning the 4×800 (8:57), while Kyle Stewart, Mike Bosworth, Andy Pantuso and Donny Pattison passed the baton around the track in 47.0 in the 4×100.
Tessena pointed out Blauser and Paterniti’s 4×800 relay legs, noting the former ran a 2:10 split in his first attempt at that distance and the latter “ran very well in the 4×800 relay.”
Turning in a trio of second-place finishes were Matt Stafford in both hurdle races and the 200-meter dash, while freshman Derek Sunafrank was third behind Vleminckx and Maze in the 400 with a personal-best time of 55.2.
Bosworth was third in the 100-meter dash and Paterniti had a personal-best time of 4:55 for a second-place showing in the 1,600 meters.
In the field, junior Ryan Whittemore took the discus with a throw of 129-01 and was second to Labesky with a heave of 158-10, both personal-best distances.
Pantuso won the triple jump (38-05), Daemone Patterson (5-04) edged Pattison for first in the high jump while placing third in both hurdle races and second in the 100 and Jeremiah Fitton won the pole vault (12-00) on fewer misses, with Jack Kellam (12-00) second.
Also, sophomore Nathan Gehm had a personal-best in the shot put (42-05) for second place, while freshman Dakota Panighetti placed in both the long and triple jumps.
The Owls are back at home Tuesday against Brookville and then head to the Kane Invitational on Saturday, April 22.
At BRADFORD
Bradford 135, Kane 14
100: Vleminckx (B) 11.2, 200: Vleminckx (B) 23.4, 400: Vleminckx (B) 51.6, 800: Bizzarro 2:09, 1,600: Caruso (B) 4:46, 3,200: Caruso (B) 10:47, 400 relay: Bradford (Kyle Stewart, Mike Bosworth, Andy Pantuso, Donny Pattison) 47.0, 1,600 relay: Bradford (Jaron Ambrose, Nate Blauser, Tyler Kraft, Vinnie Bizzarro) 3:40, 3,200 relay: Bradford (Blauser, Tyler Kraft, Issac Paterniti, Vinnie Bizzzarro) 8:57 110 hurdles: Ambrose (B) 16.0, 300 hurdles: Ambrose (B) 42.4, longjump: Vleminckx (B) 20-06, triplejump: Pantuso (B) 38-05, highjump: Patterson (B) 5-04, shotput: Eakin (B) 55-11, discus: Whittemore (B) 129-01, polevault: Fitton (B) 12-00, javelin: Labesky (K) 167-07
This article was updated at 1:59 p.m. on April 12 to reflect that Logan Caruso won two distance races and finished ahead of Cade Hayden. A previous version incorrectly stated Vinnie Bizzarro won in the first paragraph.
