NTL TRACK & FIELD: WELLSBORO'S PIPER HOPRICH WINS TWO STATE GOLDS (2026-05-23)

By: Chris Manning
Northern Tier West Sports Report
SHIPPENSBURG — Wellsboro track and field had one of their best state meets in program history, especially on the girls' side, led by Piper Hoprich claiming a pair of gold medals in the 100 and 200 meters finals at the PIAA Championships on Saturday.

"I was not expecting that at all today," Hoprich said about taking home two golds. "I PRed in both of my events today, so that was super exciting. It was just a great today."

Lauren Kosek took home a silver in the 3200 while the girls 4x100 and the boys 4x800 both finished their seasons on the podium.

As a team the girls were third in the state with 37 points, just behind winners Chenango (40) and Hughesville (39).

Hoprich led things off by winning the 100 meters in 11.90, running a personal best despite the rainy conditions.

"It's not even processing right now, I'm so excited," Hoprich said after the race. "I put so much work into this."

Hoprich was seeded fourth going into the race and running in lane three.

"I was very nervous," she said. "A girl ran a huge PR yesterday, so that was in the back of my mind, but I just got out really hard and tried to maintain hit. I saw the girl right behind me, she finished at .03 behind me, but I was pushing myself. I just tried to hit through the line."

Hoprich got out of the blocks fast and that set the tone for the race.

"I felt really good, I was not worried about my start at all," she said. "I just tried to use that throughout the entire race, that strong start."

Despite winning by just .03 Hoprich knew she'd won gold, and immediately acknowledged the large contingent of Wellsboro fans in the stands.

"I looked over, and I have so much support here - they were all cheering me on," she said. "That was so great."

The junior was a little more confident in the 200, especially since she was coming in as the top seed. She won in 24.39.

"I would say the 200 is my primary event, so I was a lot less stressed going into it," Hoprich said. "It was nice to run the 100 this morning, and win, and that was a huge relief."

Hoprich led throughout but was pushed on the outside by Catasqua's Hailey Jenkins, who finished in 24.76.

"I love competition that pushes me to get times that I want, and pushes me to get the places that I want," said Hoprich.

Finishing the day with two PRs was just icing on the cake, especially considering the weather was more like early April than late May.

"I've been waiting for this for so long," Hoprich remarked. "I've worked so hard. My dad, my coaches, and all of the girls and boys on my team have been really helpful."

Hoprich's next step is to go to nationals this summer.

"It's a great way to end the regular season," she said.

Kosek took home the first state silver medal of her career as she ran 10:35.87 to be runner-up in the 2-mile.

"I think it's cool because everything from third and back are the same color medals," Kosek said. "Now I have something that really shows second place."

She and Lewisburg's Baylee Espinosa (10:33.05) ran together much of the race well ahead of the chase pack as they finished over 15 seconds in front of the third place runner.

"At the beginning of the season I was like, 'I would really love to get second,'" explained Kosek. "My goals were, 'I want to be in this race.' I want to race for first place at the 1600 mark, and that's what I did."

Kosek led the first lap before Espinosa took the lead. Kosek just drafted off her the rest of the way as they slowly pulled further and further ahead of everyone else.

By the halfway point they had a 10 second lead and with two laps to go it was over 15 seconds.

"I was right behind her at the 1600, and I was like, 'if I'm still with her now so why not one more lap?'" Kosek said. "That was what pulled me through the second half of that race."

At the start of lap seven Kosek pulled right up on Espinosa's shoulder like she was going to take the lead.

"I learned through our races that if it's even going through your head the possibility of going around you probably should," remarked Kosek. "If you are truly going to your maximum effort, and you think 'I can,' you probably should. But, at the same time I was like 'I have to be brave, but I can't die these last two laps.' So on the final stretch going into the seventh lap I was like, 'I'm going to at least go out into the second lane, and if it happens it happens.' She's a strong racer, and she wasn't about to let me pass her. She put up a fight, and I was like, 'I've just got to stay with her, don't let her get any further."

It was cold and rainy for an April day, let alone May, but Kosek didn't let it affect her.

"We've raced in these conditions before," she said. "It's not going to stop any one from running fast times."

The 400 meter relay foursome came in fourth with a time of 50.25, edging out Wyomissing by .01 seconds.

The team of Sophia Yoder, Luna Moyer, Paige Rush, and Hoprich set a new school record on Friday, then finished the weekend on the podium.

"It's such a huge thing for us," said lead-off runner Sophia Yoder. I'm so excited. This is my senior year, and this is the farthest I've ever made it, so I'm really excited."

With just eight competitors everybody gets a medal as long as they don't DQ - that means no false starts and making sure to hang on to the baton, but that wasn't easy in the pouring rain.

"It was a little bit concerning the slipperiness of it, but we've run in so many meets like this it wasn't that big of a deal to me," Yoder said.

The first hand-off had gotten quite a few teams on Friday so making sure they had that down was key.

"There's always a worry that in rain and wet weather that it's going to slip, or you're going to drop it, but you just have to keep a level head, and keep going, and get the baton to somebody else," said Moyer.

She had to hand off to Rush into the turn at the halfway point.

"The turn is rough," Moyer said. "I have to keep my speed up, and keep my speed going so that I can give a good hand off to my leg, and I just have to tell her that she's going to do the best job, and she can go, go, go."

When she got the baton Rush's main goal was holding their position through the final turn.

"I was little nervous, but I just ran as fast as I could," she said.

It helped that she was handing off to the fastest girl in the state for the final leg.

"It's really fun," said Rush. "I love it, I always trust her."

Once it go to Hoprich she knew she just had to get the baton across and they would all go home with medals.

"That was kind of what was carrying me through the race," she said. "I had fifth. My girls had us a good head start, and I just tried to carry us home."

After all the medals Hoprich has racked up over the years this is the first time she was sharing it with teammates.

"It's so fun to medal with this team."

The biggest surprise of the day may have been the boys 4x800 taking sixth out of the slow heat with the team of David Seeling, Jude Cuneo, Max Macias, and Henry Whitney.

The Hornets ran 8:13.26 to win the second heat with only five teams out of the third head ahead of them.

"It's pretty exciting," lead off leg Seeling said. "We knew we could run a lot faster because we dropped the baton at districts, so we knew that time wasn't our fastest. We were hoping to get a podium, that was our goal."

Seeling ran a 2:04.65 first leg to put his team into third at the first hand off.

"I tried to come out at a two flat," he said. "My first split was kind of slow, I tried to pick it up but didn't quite. It was a little disappointing but we still got a decent time."

He handed off to Cuneo who ran a 2:03.39 leg to put them into first in the heat.

"It was fantastic," Cuneo said about them being up front. "I knew I Just had to move up on the next guys, then I got to the last 200, I felt really good, and just cruised right in and got the baton to Max."

Macias went out a little reserved, falling back to third, but turned it on down the stretch to hand off back in second with a 2:04.39 split.

"I've had some bad first paces for other races, so I was just trying to save it on the last leg," said Macias. "I had a lot left to give, so I figured I'd just try to catch back up. I was so excited to get the baton to Henry, and I was really hoping he would keep it up."

Whitney put down a 2:00.84 time as he held off Central Clarion's anchor at the end the take first.

"The rest of the guys set me up for a really great race," Whitney said. "I don't think I could have asked for a better place to be in."

Central Clarion ended up on the podium, too, as the two teams weren't just racing each other, but racing the teams in the final heat.