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 BY JEFF FALK

 LEBANON – Ahhh performance.

 We are not engines or machines. We are flawed humans subject to failure.

 So how do we reach our peak performances on any given day?

 Diet and energy are factors. So are practice and technique.

 Focus and concentration play their parts. As do rest and preparation.

 It would seem that the answer lies somewhere within a concocted combination of all those, unique to each individual.

 On a breezy Saturday at Lebanon High School, Shayla Bonzelet and her Cedar Crest girls’ squad put their best feet forward at the annual Lebanon County Track and Field Championships. Bonzelet’s perfect day produced the county meet’s Outstanding Female Athlete award, while helping the Falcons to a tight and dramatic team title over a spirited group of Cougars from Palmyra.

 In edging Palmyra by nine team points, Cedar Crest notched its fourth straight triumph at the County meet. Elco was third, followed by Lebanon, Annville-Cleona and Northern Lebanon.

Bonzelet, a speedy junior, took home gold from all four events in which she competed – the 100-meter dash, the 200-meter dash, the 400-meters and the 1600-meter relay, which clinched the championship for the Falcons.

 “The one thing this team has really embraced is Tiff’s energy, her fight and her courage,” said Cedar Crest head coach Rob Bare, of his wife, who recently passed away from cancer. “The Cedar Crest Falcons really brought the energy and enthusiasm today. We really try to get that across to our track and field kids and our cross country kids.”

 “It’s the little things that count,” said Bonzelet. “It’s preparation and making sure you’re doing everything correctly in practice. You have to have good mental thoughts, and go out there and do your thing.”

 Bonzelet’s thing was running fast, and racing with the knowledge that if she put the team first, the individual stuff would take care of itself.

 With the team championship hanging in the balance, Bonzelet’s kick in the anchor leg of the final event of the day – the 1600-meter relay – proved decisive. The first three legs of Cedar Crest’s relay were handled by teammates Megan Heagy, Gwyneth Young and Ally Freshley.

 “I didn’t know I was going to be in the four-by-four,” said Bonzelet. “Coming in, I figured I’d get a couple of medals. My favorite race was probably the 400. I had some tight races. But that’s kind of my main event.”

 “Shayla Bonzelet trains 48 weeks out of the year,” said Cedar Crest assistant head coach Brandon Risser. “She’s our leader and captain. She runs hundreds of miles in the off-season. We never have to coach her on the details of things.”

  In the 400, Bonzelet turned in a time of 59.52, an effort that was more than two seconds faster than runner-up Sarah Galvan of Palmyra. She was clocked in a winning 26.71 in the 200-meter dash, and edged out Cougar Maliyah Stough in the 100.

 “It means a lot to me,” said Bonzelet. “I was consistent, and went out and did the best I can. I’m really excited. I look foward to this. It’s a fun meet.

 “This was definitely one of my better meets,” continued Bonzelet. “But there’s a lot of races to come. I’m ready to P.R. (personal record) in a few events.”

 While Bonzelet’s day may have been perfect, it wasn’t the only extraordinary performance turned in by the Falcons. Cedar Crest senior Hannah Woelfing won her specialty – the discus – by 23 feet, and finished as the runner-up in the high jump, the shot put and the triple jump. 

 Young dominated the 800-meter and 1600-meter competition, while teammate DeAsia Holloman grabbed the gold in the 100 hurdles, with a County Meet record of 15.07 seconds, and Amber Levengood ascended to victory in the high jump.

 “On paper, we thought Palmyra was the favorite coming in,” said Risser. “Maybe I didn’t do my math very well. But our girls had to step up to get wins.”

 Palmyra’s fortunes were spearheaded by Genieva Martin, who earned gold in the javelin, Cael Bixler, who emerged victorious in the 300 hurdles and Hannah Rohrer, who easily won the 3200 meters. The Cougars’ foursome of Kaitlyn Becker, Jess St. Clair, Rohrer and Riley Holsople teamed up for a triumph in the 3200-meter relay.

 Elco was well represnted as well, as evidenced by senior Ryelle Shuey’s new county record of 41-3 in the shot put. Sophomore Katelyn Rueppel turned in a gold medal performance in winning the long jump, and also anchored the Raiders’ victorious 400-meter relay team that included Natalie Swingholm, Devon Rosengrant and Julia Nelson.

 Elco’s Kaylisa Montijo was crowned the county queen of the triple jump.

  Kayla Long of Annville-Cleona bested her competition in the pole vault.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   To purchase images in this article email jkfalk2005@yahoo.com, or to view more go to https://lebanonsportsbuzz.com/photo-gallery/.

 

 

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Lebanon County Track and Field Championship Records      
 
LEBANON COUNTY MEET RECORDS
****************************************************************
EVENT EFFORT PERFORMER SCHOOL YEAR
100m Dash 12.0 Leslie Hummer Annville-Cleona 1985
10.4 Greg Miller Palmyra 1999
200m Dash 25.1 Reagan Hess Annville-Cleona 2016
21.4 Greg Miller Palmyra 1999
400m Dash 57.5 Sue Wolfe Annville-Cleona 1987
49.0 Jeronimo Rodriguez 2015
800m Run 2:17.4 Kayleigh Perry ELCO 2010
1:54.3 Derin Klick Lebanon 2016
1600m Run  5:08.8 Kayleigh Perry ELCO 2009
4:19.4 Drew Gerberich ELCO
3200m Run 11:13.8 Stacy Stoner Northern Lebanon 1995
9:40.1 Connor Strynkowski Palmyra 2011
100m Hurdles 15.07 DeAsia Holloman Cedar Crest 2019
110m Hurdles 14.4 Matt Deysher Cedar Crest 2011
300m Hurdles 45.9 Joy Buckwalter Palmyra 1989
39.1 Chris Bradley Cedar Crest 2010
400m Relay 49.5 DeAsia Holloman, Hannah McCurdy, Arile Jones, Destinee Holloman, Cedar Crest 2017
 43.1 Peter Groff, Damon Edwards, Cedar Crest 2014 Jarred Brandt, Denzel Pierre
1600m Relay 4:06.8 Maria Tukis, Jess Dembrowski, Palmyra 2014 Miranda Salvo, Katie Dembrowski
3:24.7 Chris Coleman, Alex Galli, Cedar Crest 2011 Shaun Ditzler, Mychal Robinson
3200m Relay 10:01.6 Erin Frey, Angie Paliometros, Lebanon 1995
Shelby Margut, Jess Lentz
8:00.4 Chad Bomgardner, Jordan Cruise Cedar Crest 2013 Jared Glosser, Willie Bragg
Shot Put 41-3 Ryelle Shuey Elco 2019
61-1.25 Jeremy Silverman Annville-Cleona 2001
Discus 134-10 Hannah Woelfling Cedar Crest 2018
161-10 Jeremy Silverman Annville-Cleona 2001
Javelin 133-9 Meghan Briggs Palmyra 2006
203-9 Thomas Jordan Cedar Crest 2003
Long Jump 19-1.5 Reagan Hess Annville-Cleona 2017
22-2.75 Pete Habegger Cedar Crest 2003
Triple Jump 37-3 Ariel Jones, Cedar Crest 2017
45-2.5 Mike Wagner Annville-Cleona 1980
High Jump 5-7.5 Ariel Jones, Cedar Crest 2017
6-6 Dana Hollinger Cedar Crest 1979
6-6 Andrew Batula Annville-Cleona 2008
Pole Vault 12-1 Erin Winters, Lebanon 2014
14-9.5 Darryl Miller Northern Lebanon 1979

 

 

 

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