Two of the Lancaster-Lebanon League’s most accomplished throwers made their presence felt at the New Balance Nationals outdoor track and field championships last weekend.
Lancaster Catholic’s Margaret Bila and Cedar Crest’s Eliana Schneider each finished seventh at the meet, which was held at Franklin Field in Philadelphia.
Cedar Crest’s Kaddel Howard placed third in the 400 and Lampeter-Strasburg’s Colin Whitaker took second in the 5,000 meters.
Bila, who won PIAA Class 2A gold in the discus as a junior last month, set a PR when she reached 150-5. That surpassed Bila’s previous best by nearly 10 feet and ranked her fourth in L-L history.
Schneider, a league and District Three Class 3A champion in the javelin as a sophomore, hit a top throw of 132-08. Schneider finished fourth in the state last month.
Whitaker had the highest finish on the medal stand among L-L athletes when he finished 1.5 seconds behind Nolan Sutter in the longest distance event. The L-S grad is headed to Notre Dame.
Howard, the two-time PIAA Class 3A champ in the 400, posted a time of 53.89 to capture bronze. That was about 0.7 seconds off the sophomore’s PR.
