(EDITOR’S NOTE: Since May of 1999, the Times News Sports Department has featured an On This Date practically every day, highlighting an event that happened in the past. With the coronavirus putting a halt to sports locally and nationally, the On This Dates have been expanded to the stories that actually ran in the next day’s newspaper. Today’s On This Date story is from April 22, 2005).

By Joe Plasko

jplasko@tnonline.com

POTTSVILLE - Kati Dempsey was satisfied with her performance at Friday’s wet Crimson Tide Invitational.

Given what Dempsey and her Pleasant Valley teammates accomplished, they had reason to be ecstatic.

Dempsey swept first places in her three individual events and the Lady Bears dominated the girls competition to capture the championship of the 12-team meet at Pottsville’s Veterans Stadium.

Pleasant Valley placed first in six of the 18 events and second in five others to blow away the field with 133 points, well ahead of second place Hazleton Area’s 74. Lehighton was fifth with 56 1/3.

In addition to Dempsey, the Bears received gold medal performances from Kelly Whitenack (400), Michelle Fisher (100 meter hurdles) and Jen Szarzynski (discus).

In the boys competition, Lehighton senior Dan Miller was a double gold medalist in the discus and high jump, also placing second in the shot put and sixth in the long jump.

Pleasant Valley’s Lucas Souza also grabbed gold, winning the triple jump.

On the girls side, the Bears demonstrated great depth.

“It was our balance,” said Pleasant Valley coach Woody Metzger. “We’re stronger than I thought we were. We scored in almost everything we brought.”

The Bucknell-bound Dempsey, a state silver medalist in the Class AAA high jump last season, tied her season best in that event by clearing 5-2, one inch higher than second place Kaitlin Hahn of Lehighton.

“I’m content with my performance, but not as happy as I could be,” said Dempsey. “It’s all right considering the weather. I was almost over 5-4 today, but I just didn’t snap my legs over the bar.”

Dempsey also hit a season’s best 48.1 in winning the 300 intermediate hurdles, as well as leaping to gold in the long jump at 14-8 1/2. She anchored the Bears’ 4x100 team of Lauren Petroski, Jheannelle LaGuerre and Fisher to a second place in 52.7 seconds.

Whitenack, a senior who’s used to running longer distances, is finding success in the sprints, setting season’s bests in winning the 400 (1:00.6) and gaining a silver in the 200 (27 flat).

“I’m very happy with that,” said Whitenack. “This was the fastest I ever started. It was so cold I wanted to get it over with.”

Fisher, a freshman, and Amy Hoskins went 1-2 for the Bears in the 100 meter hurdles, with Fisher clocked at 16.8. Szarzynski took gold in the discus at 109-4 and took a fourth in the shot put.

The Bears’ Erica Drozd placed in three events, taking second in the javelin (100-1) and shot put (a season’s best 34 feet) and fifth in the discus.

Also taking bronze medals for the Bears were Brittany Zimmerman in the javelin, the 4x400 team of Samantha De Nardo, Krista Erdesz, Colleen Ward and Whitenack (a season’s best 4:33.9) and the 4x800 team of Eva Dzizckowska, Whitenack, Rachel Federico and Erdesz.

Miller takes golds

Lehighton’s Miller, last year’s silver medalist in the AA discus at states, hit 163-8 to win the discus competition. His season’s best is the school record 166-7 he hit on Tuesday.

Miller won the high jump at six feet, hit 48-11 3/4 in taking second in the shot and leaped 19-1 in the long jump.

“I really was to be in the 170 foot class in the discus,” said Miller, who admitted a groin pull hampered him a bit in the high jump, where he cleared an area best 6-3 this week.

The Bears’ Souza, an exchange student from Brazil, leaped 40-6 in the finals to win the triple jump.

“I never jumped for track before this year, but I’m pretty happy with it so far,” said Souza.

Other second places went to Lehighton’s girls 4x800 of Steph Fortson, Ashley Troxell, Kaitlin Piosa and Christine Fairchild (10:45.8) and Piosa in the 800 (2:36.1).

The Indians got thirds from Kyle Brong in the shot put, Camille Dagorn in the 200, Fairchild in the 800, Kristi Klotz in the triple jump and the 4x100 team of Amanda Rider, Dagorn, Katie Semanoff and Requal Sanders.

Pleasant Valley’s boys 4x800 of Steve Parisi, Evan Outlaw, Tommy Hyde and Ryan Moyer had an area best 8:43.2 in placing third, while Moyer was third in the 3200.

Blue Mountain won the boys team title with 86 points, while Lehighton was eighth with 45 and Pleasant Valley tied for 10th with 21.