Vanessa Badalamente from Abington Heights finished third in her long jump division at the Interscholastic Unified Sports State Track and Field Championships.
Submitted photo
SHIPPENSBURG – The Abington Heights Unified track and field team made its first appearance at the Interscholastic Unified Sports State Track and Field Championships May 23 and 24 at Shippensburg University and finished seventh in the nine-team field.
Manheim Township won its third straight title with 59 points, beating out Wallenpaupack by four. Abington Heights compiled 39 points, two behind sixth-place Corry.
Danny Dolcetti led the way for the Comets, winning Division 6 of the long jump and placing second in Division 4 of the 400 meters.
Michael Shuey also scored in two events, taking second in his division of the 100-meter dash and third in the shot put.
Luthor Trask (400), Danil Dempsey (800) and Matthew Tokash (mini javelin) each won their divisions.
Lindsey Bartell, Hilde Temblador and Liam Fick added second-place finishes while Vanessa Badalamente, Tanner Shane and Ryan Finnerty had thirds. Aidan Fick also competed.
The top three finishers in each division scored points for their teams.
Northeast/Pocono Regionals
SCOTT TOWNSHIP – Abington Heights earned its trip to Shippensburg University when Dolcetti led the way May 7 at Lakeland as the Comets posted the highest team score in the seven-team field to claim the Northeast/Pocono Unified Champion Schools Regional Championship.
Dolcetti joined Isaiah Sorge from East Stroudsburg North as the only people to win their individual track and individual field events as well as being part of a winning relay.
Abington Heights scored 74 points to finish first, five ahead of East Stroudsburg North. Wallenpaupack was third with 67, followed by Wyoming Valley West with 54, Hazleton Area 53, East Stroudsburg South 51 and Mid Valley 39.
UCS is a Special Olympics program in which proportional numbers of athletes with and without intellectual disabilities compete as teammates. Sports, club activities and whole school engagements are all part of the UCS program, which is designed to promote social inclusion.
In UCS track and field, each participant can be part of one of the three track events (100, 400 and 800 meters), one of the field events (long jump, mini javelin, shot put) and in one relay (4×100 and 4×400). The 4×400 is not contested in the regional and state events.
Multiple divisions are created in each event, according to previous performances, grouping competitors together in co-ed competition at each track meet.
The thriving Abington Heights UCS program includes two competitive bocce teams in the winter and the maximum 40-person roster in track and field in the spring.
For the state championships in Shippensburg, each school selects a 12-person lineup while trying to earn one of the nine team state berths available through regional competition. Those 12, plus two state alternates, made up the 14 team members that earned the state spot through their performances at Lakeland.
Dolcetti finished first in the 400-meter run in Division 5, in the long jump in Division 7 and as part of the 400 relay in Division 1.
Tokash and Trask each won an individual event along with joining Dolcetti and Tanner Shane for the relay win.
Lindsey Bartell, Michael Shuey and Tokash won their divisions in the 100-meter dash.
Trask won in the 400.
Danil Dempsey won in the 800, Elizabeth Stanley in the mini javelin and Liam Fick in the shot put.
Stanley and Adam Gomaa were the alternates.
Debbie Musgrave is in her first season as head coach of the Abington Heights track and field team after also completing her first season as bocce coach.
