Relays highlight successful season for Hampton track

By: HSSN Staff
Friday, May 25, 2018 | 12:51 AM

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The day after the WPIAL championships, Hampton athletic director Bill Cardone asked track coach Derek Brinkley how the team fared at the May 17 meet.

Cardone already knew the answer, of course. So did Brinkley.

“He just wanted to get it in writing for the website and morning announcements,” Brinkley said. “But I didn't want to stop at just telling him the kids that got on the podium. We had kids finish in places like ninth and 14th that had fantastic showings.”

It was the culmination of a season when both boys and girls squads excelled at the team concept — maybe more than ever in Brinkley's 15-year tenure. All six relay teams qualified for WPIALs, including the girls 3,200-meter unit that advanced to the PIAA meet in Shippensburg.

The girls team finished undefeated in section play at 5-0, and the boys were 3-2, losing their first two meets by a five points combined.

“We never sit around and say this is the best group,” Brinkley said. “We've had some pretty good kids in the past, and fantastic kids this year. When you start thinking about it, it's all comparative … but the group we had this year has to definitely make a run for it.”

The girls distance relay team of Cambell France, Valerie Fischer, Riley Obringer and Olivia Bianco grabbed WPIAL silver with a time of 9 minutes, 28.15 seconds. The girls 1,600 relay team placed seventh in 4:03.07. Alternates Logan Nicklas and Peyton Wheeler round out the relay group to states. All of them are underclassmen.

Though individuals like Fischer shined in the 400, where she finished fourth to qualify for the PIAA meet, Brinkley praised those left off the podium — junior Matt Gust (800, 11th), junior Colton Trush (300 hurdles, ninth), senior Jesse Berzonski (discus, 11th), and Wheeler, a junior who finished 14th in the 300 hurdles.

“She had a senior to train with last year,” Brinkley said of Wheeler. “This year, it was a bit more of a challenge. In the end, she didn't run as fast as she wanted to, but she learned how hard it is to do yourself.”

More surprising than the girls relay teams were the boys 3,200 relay runners — if only for the fact that the expectations going into the season weren't as high. Just two weeks ago, the team sat outside the top 12 in qualifying time for the fastest heat. Brinkley knew the team needed a good showing at the Pine-Richland Invitational on May 4, and he got it.

“Super excited about that team,” Brinkley said. “I always told them, your potential is capped if you're in the slower heat. We need to get in that fast heat. They busted their butts at that last-chance meet.”

The foursome of Jonah Wyzomirski, Matt Gust, Joey Cafaro and Gage Galuska set a season-best at WPIALs, with a seventh-place finish in 8:14.67, six seconds faster than the Pine-Richland meet.

The boys' side also saw a trio of hurdlers excel, including Trush; Ben Brandeis, who finished one place out of state qualifying in the 300 (fifth, 40.17); and Mike Yakich, who secured his second trip to states with a silver medal at 14.73 in the 110 hurdles.

“I've been fortunate to have close to 10 really great boy and girl hurdlers over 15 years,” Brinkley said. “Ben was a great athlete and Michael, we've just talked about so many times before. Colton, I'm just through the roof excited for.”

With only Wyzomirski graduating, this likely won't be the last time Hampton sends all six relay teams to WPIALs.

“That's unprecedented. It's really awesome to do that. You start looking around at teams like North Allegheny and Mt. Lebanon, they have six teams,” Brinkley said. “Then so do we. But Hampton is so much smaller. It's tough not to take things like that for granted. It made me appreciate what our kids accomplished.”

Devon Moore is a freelance writer.

Tags: Hampton