Salesianum School successfully defended its spring track and field state championship with a solid performance May 21-11 at Dover High School. The Sals finished with 160 points, which was 62 better than runner-up Smyrna.
The Sals, who normally score in the distance running and field events, added some top finishes to the sprints this season to help seal the victory. That started early, as junior Michael Portale won the 100-meter dash. Portale also finished second in the 200, just ahead of teammate Jasyn Truitt.
Junior Ryan Banko won the 1,600-meter run, taking the gold by .04 seconds. Banko followed that with a victory in the 3,200 by a more comfortable 2.54 seconds.
In the field events, Jake Fichter and Matt Klous finished first and second, respectively, in the pole vault.
The Sals picked up some points in the relays. They won the 4×100, 4×200 and 4×800 events.
Other top three finishers included Luke Riley second in the 800-meter run; Ethan Hinds, third in the high jump and second in the long jump; Anthony DelliCompagni, third in the long jump; Micah Wing, third in the triple jump; and Ben Thornton, third in the shot put.
In Division II, Vaughn Highland of Saint Mark’s won the shot put with a throw of 48-04.25, almost three feet longer than his nearest competitor, as the Spartans finished third in the team standings. Max Diossi of the Spartans came in third. The Spartans took second in the 4X400-meter relay, and Logan Klein was third in the discus. Those, plus a number of other strong performances, catapulted Saint Mark’s to the medal stand.
St. Elizabeth tied with Brandywine for fifth overall out of 22 teams. The Vikings took third place in the 4X100 relay, and Donte Dockery was third in the triple jump.
Dylan Addo of Archmere was third in both the 100- and 200-meter dashes, and the Auks were second in the 4X200 relay. The team finished in eighth place.
