The Whitehall track team took a little spill against Nazareth Area High School last week, dropping both the boys and girls meets for their first losses of the season.

Both meets were close, but the Blue Eagles managed to fend off the charging Zephs, defeating the boys 87.5-62.5, while the girls were upended, 81-69.

Head coach Jim Sebesta said that it was a close meet, applauding his team's endeavor against a well-balanced Blue Eagle squad.

"They're very competitive kids," said Sebesta. "The effort has been outstanding."

The Zephs continued to show firepower in the sprints with Decontee Krayee and Cassie Schmidt nabbing points in the 100 and 200. Krayee was first in the 200 (26.8) and second in the 100, while Schmidt was third in both events.

The Zephs have a strong group of female sprinters that have consistently earned them points this season.

"I thought those kids competed well in the sprints," said Sebesta.

The girls continued to pound the track in the middle distances, with LeAnna Cruz winning the 400 (1:08.04) and Angela Stella doing the same in the 800 (2:25.0). Natalee Rackus was second in the 800, crossing the tape in 2:31.3.

In the long distances, Emily Brand won the mile, crossing in 5:46.7. Sebesta said that Brand defeated one of the top milers in the district, Nazareth's Amber Grello, en route to the win. In the 3,200, Brand came in second, while Heather Bush was third.

While the Eagles were able to dominate the hurdles, Sebesta noted that his group kept pushing, trying to close the gap as best they could. They were able to rebound in the relays, winning both the 4x100 and 4x800 races. The 100 team of Krayee, Ivanna Jones, Cassie Schmidt and Arianie Pizarro won in 52.6, while Cruz, Kayla Cunningham, Rackus and Korin Koehler won the 800 in 13:43.8.

The jumps were another area where they tried to stay with the Eagles, with Kaytlyn Suranofsky finishing second in the pole vault, and Taylor Hamscher nailing second in the triple jump. Additionally, Kelsey Millets was third in the triple jump.

Sebesta said that his jumpers are improving with each meet. He said he's seen the progress since last season and expects that trajectory will continue.

"They're getting better," he said.

The Zephs once again relied on their trio of outstanding throwers to nab firsts, with Mikaela Fedor winning the shot (34-06.00), Shay Gimbel rising above the competition in the discus (92-05.50), and Nicole Umbenhauer earning top honors in the javelin (93-05).

That group was also swept the discus and Umbenhauer finished third in the shot.

"Those three are just so consistent," said Sebesta.

The boys faltered a bit in the individual sprints, but came back with a vengeance in the relays, winning all three events.

The 100 team burst through the tape in 45.2, as James Wah, John Johnson, Nick Shafnisky and Kyleem Harrison combined for the win. In the 400, Michael Eible, Kurt Koehler, Jean Falcon and Michael Leonhardt were tops, finishing in 3:42.4. Finally, the 800 squad of Eible, Leonhardt, Falcon and Elliot Miller won in 9:16.8.

Individually, John Johnson placed second in the 100 and was third in the 200, while Wah finished third in the 100.

The boys middle distances was highlighted by Leonhardt's win in the 800 (2:03.01), while Koehler finished third in the 400.

The distances saw Gabe Lamm come in first in the 3,200 with a 10:16.0 mark. Also, Brian Plucinsky was second in the mile.

Sebesta said that Lamm has been consistent all year even though it's his first time as a member of the track team. He's been able to grab points in a number of distance races this year.

As with the girls, the hurdles were the domain of the Nazareth boys, taking both events. However, Julio Girardo was able to nab third in the 300.

In the jumps, Sebesta said that Falcon delivered a personal best, winning with a 6-4 mark. Harrison was second in the triple jump, while Zack Hixson was third in the pole vault, and Isaiah Carey was third in the triple.

Sebesta said that Falcon is a strong leader, lending his talents to a number of events to help the team get crucial points.

Also getting a personal best was Jake Wygant who won the shot with a 48-02.00. He was joined in the top spot by thrower Nick Nejad who won the javelin with a 156-11 mark. Additionally, Kenneth Christine-Mann was second in the discus, while Aaron Genevese was third in the shot.

Sebesta said that Nejad is "just scratching the surface" of his ability and fully expects him to be one of the best throwers the school has produced.

"He'll be up there with the best of them some day," said Sebesta.

The dual meet marked the first loss for the Zephs in Lehigh Valley Conference competition. It was a tight battle, with the Eagles grabbing enough points in certain areas to solidify the win.

"They had just enough to beat us," said Sebesta. "I was really proud of the effort."