Delsite leaps to success in return to Lewisburg

Even though she moved away from Lewisburg at a young age, Lydia Delsite always knew she was destined to return one day.

Delsite lived in Lewisburg from third to sixth grade before moving to the Pittsburgh area. But Delsite has returned to Lewisburg for her senior season, where she’s leaped to lots of success in the jumps.

Delsite will seek her to cap her high school career with state medals in the long jump and triple jump at the PIAA Class 2A meet this weekend at Shippensburg University’s Seth Grove Stadium.

Delsite qualified for states by winning District 4 titles in both events last week. Delsite leaped 17 feet, 93/4 inches on her final attempt in the long jump. She won the competition by nearly a foot.

Delsite then hopped to a 38-53/4 in the triple jump — nobody else was able to crack 37 feet.

“I’m very happy about it,” Delsite said. “It wasn’t a season best for long jump, but I know that it was a big jump. I’m pretty happy about that. To be able to win both is just amazing. Next week is gonna be great because hopefully I’ll have good flights and just perform the same type of way.”

Prior to moving back to Lewisburg, Delsite attended Moon Area, where she started jumping when she was in eighth grade. There, Delsite competed at the state meet twice in the triple jump, but she didn’t medal. Moon Area competes in Class 3A.

Before the spring season started, Delsite finished fourth in the triple jump in the indoor state championships. Then in the spring, Delsite quickly made her mark, setting Lewisburg school records in the long jump (18-1) and triple jump (38-5 3/4) while tying the high jump record (5-4). The milestones in the high and long jumps both came during the Heartland Athletic Conference meet on May 9.

In the long jump, Delsite broke a school record that stood since 1977 while the triple jump record hadn’t been eclipsed since 2006. Delsite shares the high jump school record with Simone Awor (2002).

“Lydia has been focused on growth since the winter,” Lewisburg coach Michael Espinosa said. “Throughout a challenging season of competitive dual meets, invitationals and championship meets, she has continued to push her limits. I am proud of the work that she and (jumps coach Brooke) Leitzel have put in. I am excited for her opportunities this weekend in Shippensburg.”

Delsite has athletic talent in her blood — her father, Bryan, is a Southern Columbia graduate who won three consecutive state titles in the triple jump and another state gold in the high jump.

Bryan Delsite then continued his jumping career at Syracuse, where he earned three Big East championships in the triple jump and two more in the high jump. Delsite qualified for the NCAA Championships once.

Bryan Delsite currently coaches both cross-country squads and the women’s track and field team at Robert Morris, a position he’s held since 2020. Before being hired at Robert Morris, Delsite spent seven years as an assistant coach at Bucknell. Prior to his stint at Bucknell, he served as the head coach for the cross-country and track and field programs at Duquesne for 15 years.

Since Bryan Delsite coaches during Lydia’s season, he is often back and forward between Lewisburg and Robert Morris. The Delsites have a house near Pittsburgh and signed a one-year lease for a home in Lewisburg.

Whenever he wasn’t able to attend Lydia’s meets, Bryan would still find time to give her a pep talk before she competed. Lydia would also send her dad videos of her jumps, and he would give her tips.

“He’s my biggest inspiration,” Lydia Delsite said. “He jumped like 53-4 (in the triple jump) — that’s his PR. He’s insane. But I will always strive to be like him one day. I want to improve like he did. I want to go to college next year, and jump the marks where I’m taking over those record boards and winning those conference meets and all that stuff.”

Delsite will continue her jumping career at Penn State, where she’ll be joined by two of her high school teammates Baylee Espinosa and Teagan Osunde.

“I’m very excited especially because we’re all three different event groups,” Delsite said. “So it’s like we don’t know each other’s strengths and PRs and stuff, but we’re there for each other all the time. We’re watching each other’s events, we’re clapping each other on, and the fact that we’re all going there together is just brining my home team to my new four-year journey.”

But no matter what happens in her final high school meet, Delsite is glad she was able to experience it at Lewisburg.

“I felt like it would’ve been a good place to end my high school journey,” Delsite said. “They won districts last year, so having me obviously helps them win districts this year as well. I just think I always loved Lewisburg, the environment, the town, the small area. So I was really happy that my parents let me come back. I feel like I actually got a finished track season and a finished senior year because I just think this was always where I grew up and where I wanted to be.”