Hopewell Track and Field
Emma Palmieri Captures State Medal in 400m Dash
Hopewell junior sprint star and quarter-mile queen Emma Palmieri had a big weekend at the PIAA State Championships in Shippensburg, taking home a 6th place medal in the 400m dash.
Emma finished second in her preliminary heat on Friday in 58.14 seconds – her second-best time of the season – which qualified her for the final Saturday afternoon. She ran even faster on Saturday, finishing 6th in 58.04. This is the second state medal Emma has earned in her career. She adds it to the 8th place medal she won last year with the school record 4x100m relay team.
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Emma also ran the 200m dash, finishing 14th in the prelims with a 26.12. She was also 15th in the prelims in the 4×100 along with Maya Richburg, Avery Boyd, and Nevaeh Persi-Jones. They ran their best time of the season in 50.23. All four girls return next season, and they already have their minds set on the top of the podium.
The boys of Hopewell had two narrow misses on the medal stand. Zach Kovell and Connor Progar both finished in 9th place, just off the podium. Kovell ran a terrific race in the 400m prelims, nearly matching his personal best time, but his 50.05 effort was just .07 seconds short of qualifying for the 8-man final. Progar’s pole vault competition went similarly. He cleared the bar at 13’6″ (his PR and school record is 13’7″) but was unable to conquer the next height at 14′. The 8th place medal went to Bryce Weirich of Juniata Valley on a tie-breaker – he also finished at 13’6″ but with fewer attempts.
The boys 4×100 replay of Kovell, Josh Brunton, Tyler Lewis, and Nick Adams finished 26th in 44.27 seconds. With only Lewis graduating this year, they have a great chance to return next year as one of the top teams in the state.
Tyler Lewis also finished 15th in the 100m hurdle prelims with a strong time of 15.50, despite battling a tight hamstring. Tyler has had a pretty fantastic track and field career at Hopewell. He has won a county championship in the hurdles, owns a school record in the 4x100m, and competed at States twice. He will attend Geneva College next fall.
The Hopewell contingent left Shippensburg encouraged and hungry for more success. The trip back begins in June with summer workouts. 2024 has been a fun and successful season, but 2025 will be even better.
