Lady Mounts Keep Winning Tradition

The Ephrata girls had already clinched the dual-meet win over Manheim Central Monday afternoon.

They also locked up at least a share of their seventh Lancaster-Lebanon League Section Two title in eight years.

But when junior Mary Campbell took the baton from Faith Hershberger, the Mountaineers had some unfinished business on their home track in the 4x400-meter relay’s anchor leg against Barons sprinter Laura Good.

“I knew she was tough, and I knew she was really good,’’ Campbell said. “I just tried to hold on with her, and at the end, I just tried to outkick her.”

Pulling ahead in the home stretch of a fierce final lap, Campbell helped the Mountaineers shave two seconds off their season-best time to finish first in 4:14.6. Campbell also won the 1,600 (5:25.5) and the 800 (2:25.0), and she led off the winning 4x800 relay (10:36.5) in the Mountaineers’ 11436 dual-meet victory.

Manheim Central won the boys meet 80-70. The Barons (4-2) outscored Ephrata 53-10 in the field events, and Will Rivers contributed 20 points with individual wins in the 100 (11.1), 200 (23.2), long jump (22-1.25) and triple jump (45-4.75). The win prevented the Mountaineers (5-1) from clinching at least a share of the Section Two title.

Mountaineers sprint ahead

Wayne Hooper, who previously served as a volunteer assistant for the Mountaineers, is in his first season as a head coach at Ephrata (5-0). He saw the program evolve, as athletes assumed the roles left vacant by their predecessors.

“It just seems like,” he said, “when one (athlete) goes, another comes in.”

Sprinters have helped key Ephrata’s success in the team’s run of section titles. Monday, Ania Johnson picked up where the likes of Kelly Liebl and Jennie Young laid the foundation, winning the 100 (12.4) and 200 (26.7), anchoring the winning 4x100 relay (50.2) and finishing second in the long jump (15 feet, 8 inches) to Hershberger (16-2).

“I hadn’t been doing as well in these last three meets,” said Johnson, a sophomore. “This meet, I was, like, ‘I have to get it together.’”

Also on the track, Ephrata’s Talia Schaffer won the 100 high hurdles (16.2) and 300 intermediate hurdles (49.0), holding off Manheim Central’s Lexi Hosler (49.1) in a tightly contested race. Ephrata’s Alyssa Fedorshak also won the 3,200 (12:43.0).

In the field, the Mounts’ Lexi Clayton won the shot put (31-5.5) and discus (110-1), Kandice Liebl opened the day with a win in the javelin (117-11) and Hershberger won the triple jump (32-8) to go along with her long jump victory. Ephrata’s Piper Snow capped the day by clearing 9-6 to win the pole vault.

Young Barons continue growth

The Barons (4-2) picked up a win on the track when freshman Kylie Bannister posted a personal-record time of 1:04.0 in the 400, just ahead of Ephrata’s Baileigh Andrews (1:04.6) and Bethany Schrom (1:04.8)

“I heard a girl running,” Bannister said, “but I didn’t know where she was. It was my push to get faster.”

With just four seniors on the roster, Manheim Central first-year head coach Ryan Kennedy said he saw Monday’s meet as a stepping stone for his burgeoning program.

“Our girls team has a lot of potential,” he said, “so it was good for them to see today what it means to be a very successful track team.”

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