With Mother Nature refusing to give NEPA more than one day in seven where there is no precipitation, concerns for the track and field athletes, and their championship part of the season, being threatened heighten. That being said, the annual Robert Spagna Championship meet is scheduled for Tuesday at 4 p.m. at Scranton Memorial Stadium. We are keeping our fingers crossed.

Abington Heights’ Calista Marzolino.
Jason Farmer / Staff Photographer

This is the best meet of the season. Sure, there are those who point to the District Championship meets, but dare I say, there is no title more impressive than one earned at the Spagna meet?

In this era of participation trophies, realignment, extensive expansion of classifications, power ratings, the Spagna Championships crowns the TRUE champions of track and field. There are no separations based on classification within the meet or with the team scoring. The only caveat is the Class 3A team with the most points accumulated and the Class 2A team with the most points are the champions. But there is no separation within the meet. If a Class 2A athlete finishes first, the team receives 10 points. If a Class 3A athlete finishes second, the team receives 8 points. The athletes who win gold medals are the true Lackawanna Track Conference champions for their event. No coaches’ vote. No subjectivity. The clock, the tape, the crossbars do not lie. They do not show favoritism. They do not show bias. No debate. No discussion.

The champions here are the best of the best.

So, we should continue to applaud the officers of the Lackawanna Track Conference for hosting this meet. There are coaches who have some concerns with its scheduling date, so close to the district championships, because ultimately the goal of the elite athletes is to reach the state meet. However, athletes should compete. In college, there are the conference championships, regional championships and then the NCAAs. That’s what makes the end of the track and field season so special.

Last spring, the Spagna Championships produced some of the greatest and most memorable moments in LTC history.

 

 

2018 MEET RECORDS SET

 

 

  • 110 Hurdles: CJ Anderson (DV) 14.39 (meet record 14.32 in trials; old mark, 14.86, 2014, Gavin O’Donnell, Lakeland).

 

  • 1600: Tyler Wirth (WAL) 4:14.13 (meet record; old mark, 4:19.19, 2012, Rico Galassi, Holy Cross).

 

  • 400 Relay: Scranton (Jared Cipriano, Akash Darjee, Ian Lewis, Rodo Brown) 43.24 (meet record; old mark, 43.62, 2017, Valley View).

 

  • 300 Hurdles: CJ Anderson (DV) 38.35 (meet record; old mark, 39.87, 2010, Zach Kruger, Blue Ridge).

 

  • Triple: Ky’Ron Harbin (SCR) 45-11 (meet record; old mark, 45-5, 2015, Ky’Ron Harbin, Scranton).

 

  • 800: Katie Dammer (AH) 2:14.96 (meet record; old mark, 2:18.80, 2012, Kaitlyn Lewis, North Pocono).

 

 

 

 

 

Dammer

QUICK HIT

Last season, Abington Heights’ Katie Dammer won the 1,600-meter run, the 800 and the 3,200 to lead the Lady Comets to the Class 3A championship in one of the great individual efforts in the history of the Robert Spagna Championships.

 

 

 

 

 

Abington Heights’ Kyle Burke, left and Wallenpaupack’s Tyler Wirth side by side in the 1600 during the Robert Spagna Championships

 

 

 

RETURNING SPAGNA CHAMPIONS

 

Lakeland’s Mikayla Marino has won four Spagna titles in three seasons.
Christopher Dolan / Staff Photographer

2018

Pole: Victoria Atkinson (SP) 12-0
400: Mackenzie Turner (WAL) 58.64
Shot: Mikayla Marino (LAK) 39-0
Discus: Mikayla Marino (LAK) 126-4
Long: Calista Marzolino (AH) 16-6.25
High: Calista Marzolino (AH) 5-2
Triple: Calista Marzolino (AH) 35-3

1600: Tyler Wirth (WAL) 4:14.13 meet record
800: Tyler Wirth (WAL) 1:59.23

 

2017

Pole: Dani Heine (AH) 11-0
Shot: Mikayla Marino (LAK) 34-7.5
High: Calista Marzolilno (AH) 5-2

1600: Tyler Wirth (WAL) 4:20.58
800: Tyler Wirth (WAL) 1:57.15 meet record

 

2016

Shot: Mikayla Marino (LAK) 33-2.25

 

 


 

 

HISTORY

 

 

TEAM CHAMPIONS

 

BOYS AAA

BOYS AA

2005

Wallenpaupack

Lakeland

2006

Abington Heights

Lakeland

2007

Wallenpaupack

Lakeland

2008

Abington Heights

Lakeland

2009

Scranton Prep

Valley View

2010

Honesdale

Valley View

2011

Valley View

Dunmore

2012

Scranton Prep

Holy Cross

2013

Valley View

Lakeland

2014

Delaware Valley

Lakeland

2015

Western Wayne

Lakeland

2016

North Pocono

Lakeland

2017

Scranton

Lakeland

2018

Scranton

Lakeland

GIRLS AAA

GIRLS AA

2005

Delaware Valley

Lakeland

2006

Delaware Valley

Lakeland

2007

Abington Heights

Montrose

2008

Abington Heights

Western Wayne

2009

Abington Heights

Western Wayne

Montrose

2010

Abington Heights

Montrose

2011

Honesdale

Holy Cross

2012

Western Wayne

Holy Cross

Lakeland

2013

Abington Heights

Lakeland

2014

Abington Heights

Lakeland

2015

Abington Heights

Lakeland

2016

Abington Heights

Lakeland

2017

Abington Heights

Lakeland

2018

Abington Heights

Western Wayne

 

 

 


 

 

 

Delaware Valley’s CJ Anderson.
Christopher Dolan / Staff Photographer

 

 

 

 

MEET RECORDS

 

BOYS

 

110 Hurdles

CJ Anderson, DV, 2018

14.32

100

Pat Monahan, NP, 2015

10.73

1600

Tyler Wirth, WAL, 2018

4:14.13

400

Lionel Wilson, HON, 2011

49.71

300 Hurdles

CJ Anderson, DV, 2018

38.35

800

Tyler Wirth, WAL, 2017

1:57.15

200

Pat Monahan, NP, 2015

21.97

3200

Luke Jones, EL, 2013

9:33.28

Shot

Matt Slagus, NP, 2017

54-8½

Discus

Matt Slagus, NP, 2017

186-1

Javelin

Gavin Darcy, DUN, 2017

212-10

Long

Cody DeBoer, MON, 2009

22-10

Triple

Ky’Ron Harbin, SCR, 2018

45-11

High

Devon Strubert, NP, 2012

6-6¼

Pole

Ryan Wilkes, VV, 2015

16-6

3200 Relay

Lakeland, 2007

8:05.80

(Ryan Arthur, Mark Bucklaw, Drew Babcanec, Kyle Pepson)

400 Relay

Scranton, 2018

43.24

(Jake Osborne, Seth Vernon, Evan Carey, Ethan Carey)

1600 Relay

Lakeland, 2016

3:25.40

(Collin Cooper, Garth Estadt, Matt Pidgeon, Cy Babcanec)

 

Scrantons KyRon Harbin

 

 


 

 

Lakeland’s Cassidy Jenkins

 

 

 

GIRLS

 

100 Hurdles

Cassidy Jenkins, LAK, 2015

14.47

100

Jordan Hoyt, AH, 2010

12.08

1600

Tessa Barrett, AH, 2013

4:55.63

400

Kaitlyn Lewis, NP, 2015

58.01

300 Hurdles

Cassidy Jenkins, LAK, 2015

44.38

800

Katie Dammer, AH, 2018

2:14.96

200

Jordan Hoyt, AH, 2010

24.84

3200

Katie Dammer, AH, 2017

10:40.45

Shot

April Doyle, LAK, 2009

43-0

Discus

Jenn Slagus, NP, 2012

137-1

Javelin

Emily Hughes, HC, 2011

137-1

Long

Liz Pattara, SP, 2015

17-6¼

Triple

Brooke Estadt, LAK, 2015

37-11½

High

Trina Carito, LAK, 2006

5-4

High

Sarah Kimsey, MON, 2010

5-4

High

Audrey Calkin, HON, 2011

5-4

High

Tori Doyle, LAK, 2011

5-4

Pole

Lucianne Burner, NP, 2015

12-3

3200 Relay

Wallenpaupack, 2012

9:41.25

(Hannah Stack, Stephanie Halas, Emily Martone, Chelsea Mann)

400 Relay

Abington Heights, 2008

49.4

(Tara Tulaney, Kristi Polizanno, Jordan Hoyt, Danielle Wasilewski)

1600 Relay

Honesdale, 2012

4:00.68

(Mary Martin, Katie Miller, Summer Hill, Janna Wilson)

 

Abington Heights’ Jordan Hoyt.