Area athletes stand out at District 6 Class 2A girls track and field meet

ALTOONA, Pa. – Four local athletes or relay teams earned gold during Wednesday’s District 6 Class 2A track and field championships at Mansion Park Stadium, which featured a two-hour weather delay.

Forest Hills senior Mylee Glessner set a meet record in the 110-meter hurdles, and sophomore teammate Bella Ascherl earned gold in the 3200. Richland junior Natalia Mavridis was the winner in the 800, and Central Cambria’s Delaney Snyder, Alaina Long, Makenzie Hite and Paige Alexander prevailed in the 3200 relay with a time of 9:30.39, won by 20.11 seconds over Bellwood-Antis.

Bellwood-Antis collected the team title with 96 points. Central Cambria (82), Forest Hills (78), Richland (76) and Tyrone (74) followed.

The top three in each 2A event advance to the PIAA championships May 22-23 in Shippensburg unless a state-qualifying standard was met. The 3A winners in every event move on.

Glessner clocked a 14.93 to set a new district standard.

“Actually, it feels amazing,” said Glessner, a Seton Hill University signee. “I actually thought it was 14.91, but I guess I got it. I don’t know, I’m just very happy.”

She rebounded from a fourth-place finish in the event a year ago.

“I was having a lot of health issues,” Glessner said of 2025.

“I wasn’t in the right state or anything. I think it really built me back up to really encourage myself to get back to where I was.”

Glessner is finding her stride at the perfect time of the season.

“I’m definitely a lot stronger than I was ever,” Glessner said.

“I’ve been working out so hard. I recently had a rib injury. I just got back from that. It’s obviously a miracle. I thank God every day for even running. I feel like I’m back to where I was at the beginning of the season before I hurt my hip.”

Cambria Heights senior Rachel McClellan finished fourth, but advanced with a state-qualifying time of 15.92 in the 300 hurdles.

Ascherl broke away from Central senior Lanee Berkhimer at the three-quarter mark of the 3200, winning in 10:56.86.

“It was amazing because my goal going into it was to get under an 11,” Ascherl said. “I’m not gonna lie, I feel like I had more in the tank, but I just knew I had to get competitive. I just need to learn to trust myself more and learn how to go around. I think it was a good race overall.”

Ascherl kicked it into another gear to create distance in front of Berkhimer.

“It was like two laps to go and I was like, ‘I feel like I have a lot in the tank,’ ” Ascherl said. “ ‘If I want to get under 11, I got to probably go now.’ ”

Mavridis, who earned gold in this year’s 800 with a time of 2:18.36, won 2025 district titles in the 400 and 3200. Mavridis finished second in the 400. Northern Cambria senior Emilee DePetro advanced in the 400 with a third-place finish.

In the 800, Central Cambria’s Alexander (second) and Snyder (third) also advanced.

Forest Hills’ Samantha Papcunik, Joslyn Valko, Ellie Shaw and Ascherl finished third in the 3200 relay event. Papcunik was second in the 300 hurdles.

Forest Hills sophomore Danika Faith, the defending champ, finished second in shot put behind Homer-Center’s Maggie Voyda. Richland junior Isabella Hajer was third. United senior Maya Ressler was second in the pole vault.

Richland (Addison Piscatello, Aubrey Dunlap, Catherine McAneny, Mavridis) was second in the 1600 relay, and Central Cambria (Snyder, Long, Hite, Alexander) finished third.

Central Cambria’s Bella Templeton was third in the 300 hurdles.

In the triple jump, Cambria Heights’ Brielle McMillen (second) and Richland’s Trinity Macey (third) advanced to Shippensburg.

In the 400 relay, Penn Cambria’s Lily Gergely, Danielle Farabaugh, Reagan Ronan and Kate Eckenrode finished second in 50.67. Eckenrode, a sophomore and the defending 100 champion, was second in the 100 and third in the 200 to advance in three events.

In 3A, Somerset freshman Libby Marteeny advanced with a second-place finish in the 800 at 2:15.92. Somerset junior Emily Fisher clocked a 11:00.76 in the 3200 for second, advancing to Shippensburg with her time.

Jake Oswalt is a copy editor for The Tribune-Democrat. Follow him on Twitter @TheWizOfOz11.