Grzyb qualifies for national toss

TO NATIONALS — Elizabeth Grzyb of Lovell will compete in the softball throw at the nationals to be held in Pennsylvania on Aug. 6.

LOVELL — For the seventh year in a row, the Lovell Recreation Department compiled a large group of 21 youth qualifiers, ages 9-14, boys and girls, to participate in the nationally recognized Hershey Track & Field State Championship Games on July 6 in Bangor.

The mission of the Hershey program is to promote physical fitness, participation, friendship and sportsmanship; and features over 400 of the best young track and field athletes in North America. The North American Final will be held Aug. 6, in Hershey, Pa., at the Henry Hershey Field on the campus of the Milton Hershey School.

Coaches Michael Mendonca, Bob Mallon, Martha Grzyb, and Jennifer Eastman enthusiastically prepared 27 area youth athletes to compete in track running distances from 50 meters dashes to the 1600 meters mile run, and field events, the softball throw and the standing broad jump. In preparation, a local Hershey meet was held in North Conway, N.H, on June 15 with the neighbori.ng Conway Rec Team to learn the elements of track and field, have fun and essentially gain experience for the upcoming qualifying meets.

The district Maine state qualifier meet was held in Portland on June 25, and 21 youth athletes of Team Western Maine advanced to the July 6 State Championship.

Advancing to the North American Final from Team Western Maine is Elizabeth

Grzyb of Lovell. She will compete in the softball throw. Her throw of 158-feet, 11-inches surpassed all in her 13-14 age division at the state championship and awarded her a spot at the Aug. 6 Pennsylvania nationals. The entire team and coaches are ecstatic about Elizabeth’s qualifying performance and wish her the very best.

The following are the Team Western Maine results at the Hershey Championship:

Girls’ Division

TEAM WESTERN MAINE members include: (standing, back row, left to right) Christian Bedell, Eben Eastman, Owen Burk, Ethan Burk, Arianna McCarthy, Kyleigh Rose, Beth Marshall, McKenna McGrath, Emily Grzyb, Sully Briggs, Patrick Carty, Josh Rose, Iriana Norkin, David Marshall, Stephanie Tibbetts, Bridget Fahey; (kneeling) Caleb Ness, Cole Leblond, Emily Carty, Merys Carty being held by Elizabeth Grzyb, Grace Marshall, Meggie Powers, Gabrielle Ramsey, Olivia Albert and Olivia Pelkie.

50 Meters: Merys Carty, ages 9-10, fifth place, 9.43

100 Meters: Emily Grzyb, ages 11-12, seventh place, 16.87; Olivia Pelkie, eighth place, 16.92; Kyleigh Rose, ninth place, 17.37; Bridget Fahey, 10th place, 19.23

100 Meters: Elizabeth Grzyb, ages 13-14, fourth place, 15.99; Beth Marshall, ages 13-14, fifth place, 17.35

1600 Meters: Elizabeth Grzyb, ages 13-14, first place, 6:35.98

800 Meters: Emily Carty, ages 11-12, sixth place, 3:26.39

400 Meters: Grace Marshall, ages 9-10, sixth place, 1:45.78

4x100 Meter Relay: ages 11-12, third place, 1:11.91, Kiara Tibbetts, Olivia Pelkie, Arianna McCarthy, Emily Carty

Standing Long Jump: Grace Marshall, ages 9-10, sixth place, 4-feet, 7-inches; Merys Carty, seventh place, 4-feet, 6-inches

Standing Long Jump: Kyleigh Rose, ages 11-12, third place, 5-feet, 8-inches; Emily Grzyb, fifth place, 5-feet, 4-inches; Olivia Pelkie, seventh place, 4-feet, 7-inches; Bridget Fahey, eighth place, 4-feet, 4-inches.

Standing Long Jump: Beth Marshall, ages 13-14, seventh place, 5-feet, 4-inches

Softball Throw: Merys Carty, ages 9-10, sixth place, 49-feet, 8-inches; Olivia Albert, eighth place, 34-feet, 9-inches.

Softball Throw: Elizabeth Grzyb, ages 13-14, first place, 158-feet, 11-inches

Boys’ Division

100 Meters: Josh Rose, ages 9-10, sixth place, 18.84

100 Meters: Caleb Ness, ages 11-12, 11th place, 21.06

100 Meters: Sully Briggs, ages 13-14, seventh place, 15.09

200 Meters: Ethan Burk, ages 9-10, fifth place, 41.81

200 Meters: Eben Eastman, ages 11-12, fourth place, 35.52

800 Meters: Christian Bedell, ages 11-12, fifth place, 3:10.82

800 Meters: Sully Briggs, ages 13-14, fourth place, 2:46.96; Patrick Carty, sixth place, 3:02.76; Reed Wales, seventh place, 3:33.87

1600 Meters: Patrick Carty, ages 13-14, fourth place, 6:16.56; Reed Wales, sixth place, 7:29.66

400 Meters: Josh Rose, ages 9-10, third place, 1:22.74

400 Meters: Christian Bedell, ages 11-12, third place, 1:16.20

4x100 Meter Relay: ages 11-12, fourth place, 1:12.43, Cole Leblond, Eben Eastman, Caleb Ness, Christian Bedell

Standing Long Jump: Ethan Burk, ages 9-10, seventh place, 4-feet, 8-inches

Standing Long Jump: Eben Eastman, ages 11-12, sixth place, 5-feet, 9-inches

Standing Long Jump: Sully Briggs, ages 13-14, fourth place, 6-feet, 9-inches

Softball Throw: Josh Rose, ages 9-10, fifth place, 88-feet, 9-inches

Softball Throw: David Marshall, ages 11-12, eighth place, 76-feet, 1-inch; Caleb Ness, 11th place, 57-feet, 8-inches

Softball Throw: Patrick Carty, ages 13-14, fourth place, 104-feet, 4-inches; Reed Wales, fifth place, 63-feet, 10-inches.