Colin Whitaker has reclaimed his place in the Lancaster-Lebanon League track and field record book.
The recent Lampeter-Strasburg grad owned the fastest time in the 3,200 meters until his mark was broken by Manheim Township’s Adam Kingston at the PIAA championships last month. Kingston finished in 8:58.21 to place third in Class 3A.
Whitaker ran the two-mile in 8:57.57 at the Night at the Island meet held in Pittsburgh June 1. That time converts to 8:54.17 for the 3,200.
Kingston and Whitaker are the only L-L League runners to break nine minutes. Whitaker’s previous record was 9:00.66, set at the PIAA championships in 2023.
Whitaker, a Notre Dame recruit, ranks fifth in L-L history in the 1,600 at 4:10.44. Kingston is a rising senior. He’ll have a chance to chase the record again next spring.
Coaching change
Rick Periandi, who led Conestoga Valley’s boys to back-to-back league championships, has stepped down as track and field coach after 19 years.
Periandi has accepted a teaching position at Wilson and will help coach football and track at West Lawn. He led the Buckskins to three league titles during his tenure.
CV had three individual league gold medalists last season: Jayden Johnson (100, 200), Jordan Sensenig (110 hurdles) and Thabo Lautsbaugh (triple jump), plus the 400 relay winner.
Winning it all
When Coatesville captured the PIAA Class 3A team championship last month, it was also a triumph for a McCaskey Hall of Famer.
Damien Henry, a 1990 grad, has been Coatesville’s head coach since 2010. The Red Raiders have one of District One’s historically great programs.
Coatesville won the 400 and 1,600 relays and finished with 27 team points, one more than runners-up Palmyra and Butler. The 1,600 relay team brought home the title by winning that event by .07 seconds.
Henry played football and ran track at McCaskey and was elected to the school’s Hall of Fame in 1998.
