The Zephyrs recent trek to Shippensburg University to compete among some of the best track and field male athletes in the state, yielded some strong results while providing experience for everyone.

The Zephs were part of the Shippensburg Jack Roddick High School Invitational held April 20. The AAA bracket featured 60 teams, with Whitehall earning 10.5 points to finish in the 25th spot.

The event was won by Cumberland Valley High School who amassed 59 points, four ahead of second-place Central Dauphin High School.

Cumberland posted three wins to win the meet, coming in first in 800, 1,600 and the 2000 meter Steeplechase, vaulting them to the top of the standings.

Head coach Jim Sebesta said he was really pleased with the way his kids competed. Four athletes tallied points with Nick Nejad taking 5th place in the javelin (161-10); J.C. Falcon finishing 6th in the high jump (6-0); Jake Wygant earning 7th in the shot (47-00.00), and Brian Plucinsky finishing 7th in the Steeplechase (7:01.75).

"I was extremely happy with the way they performed." said Sebesta.

Sebesta said they had to endure wind gusts of 50 miles per hour, and still posted some outstanding results, especially Nejad who continues to improve every time he steps on the track to throw the javelin.

"[For] Nick Nejad it was his first big meet in terrible conditions and he finished in fifth place," Sebesta said.

Sebesta said that it was a long day, with the Steeplechase finishing late in the afternoon. Still, it provided them with a chance to compete against some of the best track athletes in the state.

Sebesta said that Plucinsky took a crash course in the Steeplechase, taking about a week to prepare for the race that combines running long distances while negotiating obstacles in the form of hurdles and water hazards. His effort was aided by assistant coach Mike Lelko who ran the event in college, said Sebesta. Sebesta confirmed that Plucinsky now holds the school record in the Steeplechase, admitting that he's the only one to officially compete in that event as a member of Whitehall. While Sebesta may have interjected some levity, he said that Plucinsky showed a strong aptitude for the event.

"It looked like he's done it for the whole season," said Sebesta who saw his distance runner move from his 21st seed position to finish 7th.

Since the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association meet takes place at Shippensburg University, Sebesta said that he took throwers and jumpers so they could acclimate themselves to the "runways and throwing areas for jumpers" since the boards at states are at different distances from those they normally jump.

"It's good for them to get a chance to see it early," said Sebesta.

Sebesta also said that they didn't take the girls or a lot of runners because all of their meets will be bunched in such a short amount of time. He wanted them to concentrate on those races and get ready for the postseason since there isn't an appreciable difference in the track at Shippensburg which hosts the PIAA Championships. The one exception was Plucinsky.

"We took Brian because it is the only place to run that race and it's something he would like to run in college," said Sebesta.