A maroon and gold caravan will be carrying a number of Whitehall athletes whose mission is to make the PIAA Track and Field Championships a memorable event.

Making the trip to Shippensburg will be Ivanna Jones, Amanda Crooks, Calvin Schneck and Tyler Meyers. All four qualified for the finals at Seth Grove Stadium on the campus of Shippensburg University which begins May 27.

Jones qualified in the high jump, long jump and triple jump, establishing new school records in the latter two jumps at the district meet. Jones added the triple jump this season to her state-qualifying résumé, making it a clean sweep in the jumps for the senior.

Qualifying in every jump was a tough task given the talent in the district, but Jones made sure she had her body was ready.

“I’m excited, that’s what I came and rested at leagues for to do this, to get to states,” said Jones.

Jones has been battling some nagging injuries and resting at the league meet proved beneficial.

Jones was disappointed she didn’t do better in the high jump, finishing second with a 5-1 mark. But she was pleased with her long jump results, breaking her previous school record with an 18-03.50 mark. She also took down her newly minted triple jump record the final day at districts, setting the new mark with a 36-08 leap.

Jones’ numbers in both the long jump and triple jump were considered elite marks by a venerable track and field website that tracks high school performances.

Her goal at Shippensburg is to medal in those events.

“That’s what I’m going to try and do,” said Jones.

Crooks will be on the track at Seth Grove Stadium competing in the 100 meters. It’s the second consecutive year she’s qualified for the race.

The sophomore finished second, crossing the line in 12.26. She said her start the preceding day in the preliminaries was a bit better, so she had to make up ground to get back to where she wanted to be in the finals.

“I got there and I’m happy I qualified for states,” said Crooks.

Even with that bad start, she managed to take second by a comfortable margin, making sure she stayed technically sound the rest of the race.

Crooks also wanted to help the 4x400 team break the school record. While they did medal, coming in fourth, they missed the record, finishing in 4:08.32.

Her goal is to climb the standings ladder at the PIAA Championships, and is looking forward to the opportunity.

Calvin Schneck’s journey to the podium was much different at districts than it was at the league championships. As he saw the time flash for the first 400, a number that revealed a very slow sixty seconds, he knew he had to pick up the pace.

“Last week I ran a .56 and I thought that was way too fast, and this week was way too slow,” said Schneck.

Schneck believed that Pottsville’s Collin Ebling, who had taken the lead, would set a quick pace. However, the first lap proved differently and he had to adjust his tactic knowing that Wilson’s Joe Espinal was looming.

“I had to kick pretty hard to hold my spot,” said Schneck. “I made it, it was a weird race, but I made it.”

It now puts him in that caravan to Shippensburg, a place he’s wanted to be following last year’s disappointment in the 800 at districts. He had spent an enormous amount of energy battling a talented field and a strong headwind in the mile, leaving little in the tank for the finals of the 800. The decision to run both races found him failing to qualify for either one.

This year he concentrated solely on the 800.

“I just came in as fresh as I could,” he said.

Part of that relaxation process included going home and just resting before his race. With the finals at the Zephyr Sports Complex, Schneck was able to go home and just decompress while he waited for his scheduled 6:30 pm start.

Schneck also does visualization exercises the night before a race. He said he’ll play the race out in his mind, concentrating on the steps he’ll take if something goes wrong during the 800.

“It all worked out, I just went through my normal routine, got the job done, and now I’m headed back to states,” said Schneck.

Meyers is headed to Shippensburg for the first time. The junior has been throwing the discus since his freshman season and has seen steady improvement over that time. This season he was consistently among the top three in every meet, winning a majority of those meets in the process.

His success this year could be contributed to an offseason workout regimen that included the assistance of a former PIAA discus champ and Whitehall graduate.

“During the offseason I worked with Andy Fahringer,” said Meyers. “He really helped me out with my form.”

Meyers said that if you saw video of him throw last season as compared to this year, it was night and day.

“Last year there was no form whatsoever,” he said.

Meyers said that a good throw requires the use of the lower body. That’s essentially where the power comes from when heaving the discus.

“It’s more legs and hips than arm,” Meyers said.

While a lot of people who compete in the discus have upper body strength, the more consistent performers have a more svelte or “scrawny” physique, Meyers said. What separates them is that they have really fast hips.

He earned third place in the district meet with a 153-06 mark. That toss was also considered elite by Penn Track XC, a website that compiles track and field stats from all scholastic athletes.

When he steps onto the field for his moment in the circle, Meyers is looking to continue his upward arc.

“I just want to throw the best that I can throw,” said Meyers.

He knows the competition probably precludes him from winning the event (Jordan Geist from Knoch High School has thrown 193-6 this year), so he’s just trying to get to eclipse his own mark which currently sits at 155 feet.

“If I can beat that, I’ll be happy,” said Meyers.