Track team competes at the Pan-Ram Invitational

Gabby del Pielago
Student athlete Gabby del Pielago who medaled at the invitational

By Matthew Berg

April 8th was the 34th annual Pan-Ram Invitational at Central Dauphin. This was a very big track meet that attracted dozens of teams from across the state.  

Some of our very own athletes took home medals: Gabby del Pielago, Abby Butera, Faith Stewart, and Shane Regener. The Boys 4×8 got fifth, the Girls 4×8 came third, and the Girls 4×1 finished sixth.

This atmosphere had a positive impact on the athletes. Neil Oestereich ran both the two-mile and mile events. He said he performs better at invitationals. “A regular track meet’s kind of laid back, you’re like, it’s just a little dual meet. You can relax. But with these, there’s so many more people cheering. It’s also a lot better for getting good time.”

Coach Thomas Gentzler said there were two student standouts during the meet.

“Abby Butera, she finished fourth in the mile but she ran a PR of 5:25, which is a very great time this early in the season. She came back and finished second in the two-mile, the 3200. Then she was also on the 4×800 meter relay team that placed third. Gabby del Pielago finished second in the 400, so she had a great performance there.”

He also commented on the team’s performance as a whole. “Overall, I thought we did really well. It’s a great meet that has 39 teams there. So it’s a great early season meet to really try to get some PRs and really set yourself up for a good spring.”

The track season is winding down. The final two track meets are on April 25th and May 11th, and there is a final invitational this weekend. York Suburban athletes hope to have a strong close to the year.

I’m Matthew Berg, Trojan News.