Pequea Valley (PV) High School student-athletes who are part of a newly formed track and field co-op with Lancaster Mennonite School participated in the PIAA District III Championships track and field event held in May at Shippensburg University.

PV students who excelled and received medals at the competition included Jonah Zink, who placed eighth in the 1,600-meter; Aubrey Ressler, who placed sixth in the 4x800 relay and sixth in the 3,200 meter; and Jorja Eby, who placed eighth in the 300-meter hurdles. Caleigh Vincent placed sixth in the 4x800 relay; sixth in the 1,600 meter; and fourth in the 3,200 meter.

According to head coach Keith Andrew, the partnership between the two schools this past season was a great success, allowing both high school and middle school teams from PV to compete in track and field for the first time.

"Pequea Valley does not have a track. ... For their athletes to participate in track, (they can join) a co-op, where they basically become a member of another school's track team. In this case it was Lancaster Mennonite," he explained.

Track practices were held at Lancaster Mennonite, and the PV School District provided buses to transport the athletes.

Andrew noted that the effort to form a PV track team actually began the previous spring. "Last year, I had four athletes that ran as independent PV runners, meaning they ran under the name of PV, but we had to find a track to practice. We practiced late in the evening after Lancaster Mennonite finished their practice," he said, noting that team practices were also held at Lampeter-Strasburg High School. "There were some that wanted to do it again this year, and we were looking for a co-op so it would be more competitive. Lancaster Mennonite's program had dwindled in numbers, so they were looking to rebuild their program so that's how the co-op formed. It was good for both programs. Both programs benefited."

Andrew said that prior to the formation of the co-op, it had to be approved by both schools, the District 3 committee and the PIAA, adding that he was pleased at the success of the effort this past year. "The high school students all medaled in at least one of their events at the district championship," he said. "It was neat to see all that progress."

He said he was also impressed with the students' hard work and commitment, which led to their success at districts. "Jorja (had never considered track and field), and finally I said after one of her practices, 'You might want to think about trying the hurdles,' so I got her into the 300-meter hurdles," said Andrew. "Caleigh and Aubrey medaled this year. You need four girls for a relay team, and they excelled and ran their fastest event times this year. Jonah, who just started running last fall, really excelled. His times were hugely impressive."

Looking ahead, Andrew hopes to add even more track and field participants next spring. "Our goal is to increase our numbers," he said, noting that 18 students from PV middle and high schools participated last year. "We would like to double that number."

Although PV High School has a cross-country program, he said that students may not be aware that track and field competitions involve more than running. "There are jumping and throwing events. We can get football players involved in throwing and soccer players in the short sprints," Andrew stated. "(PV students) have never been exposed to (track and field). With the current athletes as ambassadors, we can recruit more and get greater numbers - numbers that can be competitive."