PIAA Track & Field – Day One Recap

By: HSSN Staff
Saturday, May 24, 2014 | 1:04 AM

Maddie Holmberg and Max Adams are both students at Hempfield High School. They went to the same elementary school and the same middle school. They belong to the same church.

On Friday, they ended up in the same place again. The top of the winners stand.

Holmberg and Adams gave Hempfield two state track and field champions as they both won gold medals today, the first day of the PIAA track and field championships at Shippensburg University. The final day of the championships is Saturday.

Both Holmberg, a junior, and Adams, a senior, had eye-opening performances. Holmberg won the Class AAA girls long jump with a leap of 20 feet, 1 inch. It was the best jump ever by a WPIAL girl in any event on the WPIAL or PIAA level, according to WPIAL track historian Jim Faiella.

Holmberg’s mark also was only 2 inches away from the PIAA Class AAA championship meet record.

Meanwhile, Adams won the Class AAA boys discus with a throw of 198 feet, 3 inches. It was Adams’ best throw ever by more than 6 feet and it finally gave him a gold medal. A senior, Adams had qualified for the PIAA meet in three previous years, but couldn’t win.

Adams was a little worried that he might be in for a disappointing PIAA meet again when he woke up sick in the middle of Thursday night. He was staying in the dormitories at Shippensburg.

“My allergies were bad and I had a huge headache,” Adams said. “I almost got sick in the middle of the night.”

Adams felt better in the morning, but still not 100 percent. Everything seemed to come together when he got to Shippensburg for the meet.

“My first throw I almost got my PR [personal best],” said Adams. “Then the last throw, I really killed it.”

Adams will compete in the shot put Saturday. Half of the field events were held today and preliminary heats in running events were also held. The rest of the field events and all of the running finals will be held today.

“If I throw what I know I can throw, I’ll win it,” Adams said of the shot put.

Holmberg easily won the long jump. Her winning jump was almost two feet better than the second-place mark of 18-3 by Jessica Stever of Indiana.

Holmberg already had the title won by the final time she jumped. She had leaped 19-1. But she got the 20-1 on her final attempt of the meet.

“I don’t know what it is,” said Holmberg. “Sometimes, I just do everything right, it feels good and I’m able to get all the way through with everything.”

Holmberg will compete in the 300-meter hurdles finals and the 400 relay today.

The other WPIAL winner on the first day of the meet was Madison Wiltrout of Connellsville. She is only a freshman and she won the Class AAA javelin with a throw of 151-1.

“All I wanted to do this year was make it to the WPIAL [championship] meet,” WIltrout said. “I didn’t expect this.”

WIltrout seemed surprised at her title.

“Being here, I don’t think I even realize how important this is,” she said. “The seniors and upperclassmen do. I don’t even know what to say.”