Saturday at the PIAA Track and Field Championships, Salisbury’s Steven Lozada was asked if he considers himself more of a triple jumper or a pole vaulter.

Without hesitation, the Falcon junior responded by saying, “I’m both. I’m an athlete.”

He proved at the meet that he isn’t just any athlete, but that he’s one of the best in the state.

Lozada took second place in Class 2A in triple jump and third in pole vault to earn a pair of state medals Saturday at Shippensburg University’s Seth Grove Stadium.

“I can’t put into words how awesome it is to watch his progression over the last three years,” said Salisbury head coach Alex Hess. “And knowing we still have another year, I’m excited for things to come.”

Lozada’s day started in triple jump, where he competed alongside Salisbury teammate Joshua Hudak, who finished 13th overall with a jump of 42 feet, 9 1/4 inches.

Lozada was in jeopardy of not getting through preliminaries when he jumped 44-9 3/4 to not only secure a place in finals, but also take over first place until Brentwood’s Daysaun Spencer sailed 45-5 3/4 on his sixth and final attempt.

“I was seeded seventh, so second wasn’t really in my mind,” said Lozada, who came a quarter inch from matching his career best triple jump. “I wanted to jump 45 feet. I was just under that, but second place came out of nowhere. I wasn’t expecting that.”

An unpredictable wind caused Lozada to alter his approach at states.

“The wind was whirling,” he said. “It was different directions every jump. That was definitely a factor. It would sometimes be in my face or from the side. I moved my step, where I start running, about three feet forward because of the wind and stayed at that point.”

In pole vault, an event which Lozada won league and district titles this year, he was able to achieve a career best.

After clearing 14 feet during the regular season, Lozada increased his personal pole vault record by six inches as he took third place with a height of 14-6 at states.

“I screamed ‘Yeah’ all the way down,” he said. “It was a great feeling.”

Lozada entered the pole vault event at 12-6 and cleared that height and 13-0 on his first attempts. He made 13-6 on his second try then took all three of his attempts to clear the bar at 14-0.

He made 14-6 on his second try. Winner Gavin Holcombe (Danville) made 14-6 on his first try to secure the win. Second-place Ashton Grossman (Moniteau) also made 14-6 on his second attempt, but was awarded second place based on having fewer total misses than Lozada.

Lozada enjoyed his first state meet, competing in front of a large, enthusiastic and knowledgeable audience.

“More ecstatic than I’ve ever been for an event,” Lozada said. “The environment here, I’ve never felt anything like it.”

He can’t wait to return next year and try to repeat or build on this year’s success.

“I want to strike gold in both my events,” he said. “Leagues, districts and states would be great.”

Salisbury junior Emma Yakaitis also competed at the state meet. The District 11 300-meter hurdle champ finished 16th last Friday in the event, improving two places on her 18th seed. While she didn’t advance to Saturday’s finals, the junior who only began hurdling over a year ago, will look to return next year and get to finals.

While Lozada and Yakaitis have one more year left, Hudak will graduate next week.

After battling injuries during his junior year, Hudak earned his first track and field medals this spring when he finished in the top four in long jump and triple jump at leagues. The soccer player and football kicker/punter followed that with a third-place finish in triple jump at districts to earn the honor of ending his high school athletic career at the state championship meet.