MINERSVILLE — Minersville’s Ben Hinkel is one of the top returning mid-distance runners in the Schuylkill League.
The Miners’ Cassidy Mason could be in the mix for gold in the distance events come the league meet.
Both helped lead Minersville to a sweep of Nativity on a gusty, October-like April day Wednesday.
Hinkel, a senior who attends Tri-Valley, won the 800-meter run, 1,600 and ran a leg of the winning 1,600 relay team during the Miners’ 113-28 victory over the Hilltoppers in a Schuylkill League Division II meet.
The Miners (2-2, 1-0 D-I) also beat Carson Long 113-23 in a non-league meet.
Mason took first in the 1,600, 3,200 as well as the 3,200 relay with Brittany Cory, Alison Cullen and Brianna Smulley during Minersville’s 97.5-44.5 victory.
Wednesday’s victories were a long time coming for Minersville.
For the past four years, the Miners, thanks in part to their co-op with Tri-Valley, were in Division I and didn’t have much dual meet success.
This season, both are back in Division II.
The boys’ team went 2-18 in league meets during the four years spent in Division I. Minersville’s last league victory was over Tamaqua on May 2, 2012.
“I am just going to these meets and doing what is best for the team,” Hinkel said. “We do as well as we do. I am happy with every victory we get.”
The Minersville girls never won a Division I meet, going 0-20. The Miners’ last dual-meet league victory came in their final Division II meet prior to the
move up in 2011, a victory over Nativity on May 3, 2010.
“I think as a whole we feel like we all deserve this because we’ve been against such tough teams in the past,” said Mason, a senior. “It definitely feels good to win.”
Despite the lack of dual-meet wins in recent years, Hinkel has developed into one of the league’s best in the 800. He was the second in the event in the league meet last year and won a District 11 Class AA title in the event, qualifying for states.
Hinkel ran a 2:20 on Wednesday, beating teammate Clement Rushanan (2:27). The time was less than satisfactory for Hinkel, considering his season best last season was a 1:58.76. He’s hoping to drop times when the weather gets warmer and Hinkel’s goal is to get a 1:55.
“I want to run much faster,” he said. “I want to be getting down to 2:05, 2:06 range right now.
“I would much prefer it warm, 60 degrees, no wind. The wind is my bane because I am not a big guy and the win just pushes me back. The cold just makes me tighten up.”
Austin Pritiskutch (100, 200, 400 relay) also won three events for Minersville. Wesley Yutko (400), Kyle Stephen (3,200), Bailey Wertz (110 hurdles), Trent Shatalsky (high jump), Kei’dre Taylor (long jump), Ethan Schatz (triple jump), Kane Heffron (discus) and Ethan Schatz (javelin) added individual wins for the Miners.
The lone track victory for Nativity (0-2, 0-1 D-I) came from Tyler Cooper in the 300 hurdles, while Bill Devers won the shot put.
Mason ran the 1,600 in 6:48 on Wednesday, beating teammate Marlena Purcell (3:01). Mason then had a 14:36 in the 3,200 as Minersville’s Autumn Pedron (15:00) finished second.
“The two-mile was the toughest for me so far I, think, since I had to do the mile and 4-by-8 before it,” Mason said. “I was definitely happy that I came out and won that one.
“I would like to be a little warmer, but it is manageable,” Mason added. “The whole time you just have to focus on what you want and want you are going after. You try to put in the back of your mind, but it is always there with how cold it is.”
One of the big focuses for Mason the remainder of the season will be the 3,200, her favorite event. She could definitely be in the running for a league title now that four-time league champ Paige Stoner has graduated.
Mason was sixth in the event at leagues in 2014 and was fourth in 2013.
Jennifer Berdanier had a pair of individual victories in the 400 and 800 for the Minersville (1-2, 1-0 D-I) on Wednesday. She also teamed with Sha’kyrah Bethea, Kristen Lowe and Kelsey Weiss to win the 400 relay, as well as a victory in the 1,600 relay with Keara Suprock, Smully and Purcell.
Kaitlyn Glore (pole vault), Reiley Lonergan (triple jump), Lauren Womer (discus) and Bethea (100) added individual wins for Minersville.
All seven of the victories by Nativity (0-2, 0-1 D-II) came from three athletes. Lindsay Lord (100 hurdles, 300 hurdles, long jump) won three times, while Carina Buechel (200, high jump) and Ashley Strausser (shot put, javelin) each won twice.
Meet Summaries
Boys’
Minersville 113- Nativity 28
100 — 1. Pritiskutch (M) 12.3, 2. Barlett (M) 13.0, 3. Griffiths (M); 200 — 1. Pritiskutch (M) 25.8, 2. Yutko (M), 3. Barlett (M); 400 — 1. Yutko (M) 56.0, 2. Schatz (M), 3. Moran (M); 800 — 1. Hinkel (M) 2:20, 2. Rushanan (M), 3. Fox (M); 1,600 — 1. Hinkel (M) 5:20, 2. Fox (M(), 3. Stephen (M); 3,200 — 1. Stephen 12:01. 2. Rushannon (N), 3. Cazonie (M); 110 H — 1. Ba. Wertz (M) 21.2, 2. Cooper (N), 3. Tellez (M); 300 H — 1. Cooper (N) 50.5, 2. Ba. Wertz (M), 3. Br. Wertz (M); 400 relay — Minersville (Barlett, Eubanks, Griffiths, Taylor) 51.0; 1,600 relay — Minersville (Yutko, Rushanan, Pritiskutch, Hinkel) 4:15.0; 3,200 relay — Minersville (Stoppie, Cazonie, McCullin, Nettles) 10:14.5; High Jump — 1. Shatalsky (N) 5-4, Heffron (M), 3. McDonald (N); Long Jump — 1. Taylor (M) 16-10½, 2. Griffiths (M), 3. Barlett (M); Triple Jump — 1. Schatz (M) 35-1½, 2. Taylor (M), 3. Griffiths (M); Shot Put — 1. Devers (N) 37-2½, 2. Fink (M), 3. Tobin (M); Discus — 1. Heffron (M) 109-9¾, 2. Devers (N), 3. Fink (N); Javelin — 1. Schatz (M) 120-9, 2. Devers (N), 3. Heffron (M).
Minersville 113, Carson Long 23
100 — Pritiskutch (M) 12.3; 200 — Pritiskutch (M) 25.8; 400 — Yutko (M) 56.0; 800 — Hinkel (M) 2:20.0; 1,600 — Hinkel (M) 5:20.0; 3,200 — Stephen (M) 12:01.0; 110 HH — Brice (CL) 20.9; 300 H — Brice (CL) 48.9; 400 relay — Carson Long (Brice, Ucheawega, Butler, Johnson) 50.8; 1,600 relay — Minersville (Yutko, Rushanan, Pritiskutch, Hinkel) 4:15.0; 3,200 relay — Minersville (Stoppie, Cazonie, McCullough, Nettles) 10:14.5; High Jump — Heffron (M) 5-4; Long Jump — Taylor (M) 16-10½; Triple Jump — Schatz (M) 35-1½; Shot Put — Fink (M) 35-8; Discus — Heffron (M) 109-9¾; Javelin — Schatz (M) 120-9.
Girls
Minersville 97.5, Nativity 44.5
100 — 1. Bethea (M) 15.4, 2. Daukas (M), 3. Pytko (M); 200 — 1. Buechel (N) 32.2, 2. Bethea (M), 3. Duakaus (M); 400 — 1. Berdanier (M) 1:07.5, 2. Buechel (N), 3. Suprock (M); 800 — 1. Berdanier (M) 2:59.0, 2. Purcell (M), 3. Petlansky (N); 1,600 — 1. Mason (M) 6:48.0, 2. Purcell (M), 3. Ellis (M); 3,200 — 1. Mason (M) 14:36.0, 2. Pedron (M), 3. Lowe (M); 100 H — 1. Lord (N) 18.3, 2. Weiss (M), 3. Dewald (M); 300 H — 1. Lord (N) 54.9, 2. Weiss (M), 3. Putko (M); 400 relay — Minersville (Lowe, Weiss, Berdanier, Bethea) 58.5; 1,600 relay — Minersville (Berdanier, Smully, Suprock, Pucell) 5:08.0; 3,200 relay — Minersville (Cullen, Smulley, Corey, Mason) 12:23.8; High Jump — 1. Buechel (N) 4-8, 2. Lonergan (M), 3. Pytko (M); Long Jump — 1. Lord (N) 12-4½, 2. Pytko (M), 3. Smarr (N); Triple Jump — 1. Lonergan (M) 26-3½; Shot Put — 1. Strausser (N) 26-0½, 2. Simons (N), 3. Schappe (M); Discus — 1. Womer (M) 69-2, 2. Dewald (M), 3. Kerrigan (M); Javelin — 1. Strausser (N) 97-0, 2. Kerrigan (M), 3. McDonald (N); Pole vault — 1. Glore (M) 8-0.