WPIAL qualifiers, WPIAL finals and PIAA state competition are all the most important end-of-the-season meets for the track team, and they all came to a conclusion on May 23 and 24.
The WPIAL individual qualifiers meet was held on May 6. The meet ended with multiple advancing results for Freedom athletes. Seniors Joanne Barlamas, Gigi DeWeese, Jared Hogue, Sydney Kaercher and Niki Vargo, Juniors Danny Conrad, Tina Davis and Brenton Harrison as well as Sophomores Trevor Adams, Erich Borgman, Megan Scott as well as Annie Shvach each advanced into the WPIAL Individual Finals.
Almost every one of these athletes competed in an individual event, including: 100 and 200 meter dash, 100 meter hurdles, 800 meter run, pole vault, high jump, javelin and shot put. Although Barlamas competed in an individual event, she also ran in the 4×400 meter relay with Kaercher, DeWeese and Shvach. Shvach doesn’t attend Freedom, but through cooperation with Quigley Catholic High School, she was able to participate in track and field.
Two days later on May 8, the boys’ team traveled to Mohawk to participate in the WPIAL Team Finals. The boys didn’t win any team medals.
The WPIAL Individual Finals were held on May 15 at Baldwin, and Freedom had four athletes place. Halfway through the meet, the rest of the events were cancelled due to rainy weather. The continuation of the meet was held two days later, May 17. Although Barlamas qualified for WPIALs, she didn’t run, so Davis ran in her place.
Hogue, Harrison, Adams and Vargo advanced forward to the PIAA Individual Championships. Hogue competed in both the 100 meter and 200 meter sprint, while the others competed in one.
“It feels great [to make it to states] mostly because I know my season could be over, and I’m lucky enough to have a couple more races and tries at the 200 [meter dash] record left,” Hogue said.
“I was more excited to make it this year than any other because I can say that I qualified for states all four years [of high school],” Vargo said.
Out of the 12 athletes sent to the WPIAL Individual Finals, four of them moved onto the state competition. The championship meet was held at Shippensburg University on May 23 and 24.
The results from this meet are as follows: Hogue placed 6th in 100 meter sprint and placed 5th in 200 meter sprint, tying the previous 200 meter sprint school record. Harrison placed 9th in high jump. Both Vargo and Adams did not earn medals, but placed 16th in pole vault and shot put, respectively.