Scoblick
Gigi Sabatini from Abington Heights, shortly after receiving her state track and field medal at Shippensburg University.
Tom Robinson | Abington Journal
The 2022 Abington Heights girls track and field season was like the 14 that preceded it in important ways.
It was also very much unlike the 2021 season in ways that matter nearly as much.
The Comets posted their 15th straight unbeaten dual meet regular season and the Lackawanna Track Conference divisional titles that go along with such perfection.
This time, they also continued that success into the postseason with strong performances in team standings and individual achievements.
A year ago, Abington Heights had the odd combination of extreme dual meet strength without enough power in any one event to contend for titles and score significant points at the larger championship events of the postseason. As a result, they slipped all the way to 13th out of 19 in the District 2 Class 3A Championships team standings and did not qualify a girl for the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association Championships at Shippensburg University.
The Comets were back to competing for postseason championships this season, winning the Jordan Relays titles, placing second to Wallenpaupack in Class 3A at both the Robert Spagna LTC Championship Meet and the District 2 Championships and sending athletes to Shippensburg when the season culminated in a pair of state medals.
A recap of those postseason performances.
PIAA CHAMPIONSHIPS
SHIPPENSBURG – Gigi Sabatini wrapped up her Abington Heights career with a sixth-place medal in Class 3A in the 800-meter run at the PIAA Championships.
Teammate Anna Scoblick tied for eighth.
The top eight in the state in each event earn medals and team points.
“In a race that’s with a stacked field, like at states, the goal is to run the first lap fast, but relaxed, and not get boxed in at the beginning,” Sabatini said. “I just wanted to put myself in a good position so I could make a move in the second lap.”
Sabatini was 10th at the midway point, but unlike some of those she was chasing, she was able to maintain her speed, needing just 11-hundredths of a second more to run the second lap than the first.
“I got out fast and didn’t get boxed in, so after that I was feeling confident,” she said. “Coming into the bell lap, I knew I was in a good spot so I was happy with that.”
Sabatini finished in 2:14.71.
The top seven girls in the high jump all cleared 5-foot-4.
Scoblick was one of seven who made it over 5-2, but not 5-4. She was one of just two, however, who did not have a miss prior to 5-2, allowing her to place in the eighth-place tie.
The five girls who had earlier misses fell short of a medal because of the tiebreaker.
Abington Heights finished 20th out of 27 teams in the 3200 relay in 10:05.85 and 23rd of 27 in the 1600 relay in 4:09.93.
DISTRICT 2 CHAMPIONSHIPS
SCRANTON – Wallenpaupack edged Abington Heights, 94½-87, for the team championships behind four individual gold medals by hurdler/jumper Anastasia Ioppolo.
State medalists Sabatini and Scoblick helped keep the Comets in contention on the second day of the two-day meet, each winning an individual gold medal along with contributing to the 1600 relay title.
Sabatini also anchored the 3200 relay title, the first event decided in the two-day meet.
The Comets were strong in the relays, also taking third in the 400.
Marygrace Sabatini was part of both relay wins. Emma Horsley and Reese Morgan were also part of the win in the 3200 while Kaylyn Elliott ran the other leg in the 1600.
Isabella Allen took second in the pole vault.
SPAGNA CHAMPIONSHIPS
SCRANTON – Abington Heights posted the highest score of any of the second-place teams – Class 3A and 2A, boys and girls, but Wallenpaupack came up with the title, 102½-92½, behind another four gold-medal performance from Ioppolo.
Gigi Sabatini won the 400 and 800 while Scoblick tied a meet record while winning the high jump at 5-4. Both were part of the 1600 relay title with Marygrace Sabatini and Elliott.
JORDAN RELAYS
SCRANTON – Abington Heights won four out of six events and scored 52 out of a possible 60 points to beat LTC Division 2 champion Wallenpaupack by 11 points and claim the championship.
Gigi Sabatini and Anna Scoblick were part of three wins each for the Comets, who posted all four of their victories by more than five seconds.
“Obviously, districts are the priority, but Jordans still mean a real lot to us,” Sabatini said.
Morgan anchored two wins with legs of 1600 and 800 meters.
Elliott led off two wins.
