With ‘perfect’ combination of speed, stamina, Laurel sprinter wins 400-meter gold

By: Paul Schofield
Saturday, May 25, 2024 | 10:09 PM

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SHIPPENSBURG – Laurel junior Tori Atkins had a busy but productive Saturday at the PIAA Track and Field Championships at Shippensburg University’s Seth Grove Stadium.

Of the 18 points earned by the Spartans, Atkins was responsible for 14 of them.

Atkins placed in three sprint races. She won the Class 2A 400-meter run, placed sixth in the 200 and eighth in the 100.

She breezed to a win in the 400 in a time of 55.49. She was more than a second faster than Notre Dame Green Pond’s Savina Steele, who ran a 57.15.

“The 400 was my main event (Saturday),” Atkins said. “This was special. I’ve been working hard all season for this. I ran my personal record and won, so this was special.”

Atkins said her stamina and quickness make her a better 400-meter runner.

“It’s the perfect race for me,” Atkins said.

Atkins placed second in the 400 as a sophomore, and she used that disappointment as motivation this season.

“I was striving for first all season,” she added. ‘I’ve been working hard so I could do it.”

Paul Schofield is a TribLive reporter covering high school and college sports and local golf. He joined the Trib in 1995 after spending 15 years at the Daily Courier in Connellsville, where he served as sports editor for 14 years. He can be reached at pschofield@triblive.com.

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