The cold never stopped the Lakeland Lancers! The winter track team at Lakeland Regional High School had a successful 2023-2024 season. The team used hard work and dedication to add to their streak of wins and success.
Head Coach Domiano Conforti shared his admiration for the team, saying, “The track program continued its winning streak of winning a major championship. The girls program captured the Big North Conference Championship, marking the 8th year in a row for the Winter Track Program. The boys team remained competitive all season despite being young.”
At the Big North Conference Championship, the girls defended their title and won the meet, scoring in every event and earning over 100 points. Looking back at this victory, senior Ashley Hammerle said, “I had an awesome time pole vaulting indoors for the first time and it was nice to defend our Conference Championship for Conforti’s last season!”
At State Sectionals, freshman Jaelynn Vivanco placed third in the 55 meter hurdles. Senior Alexa Goll used dedication and strength to finish fifth in the 400 meters. In addition, juniors Isabella Andriulli earned second in shot put, and Catherine Wiley placed third in the 800 meters. For the boys, senior Kyle Keyes got second in the 55 meter hurdles, and junior Brody McCormack placed third in the shot put.
Goll spoke with The Ledger regarding her phenomenal season and first place win at the County Championship, saying, “I prepared prior to this race and I knew exactly what I had to do. Competing with very fast girls, I knew this was going to push me to run faster. Winning that race, especially in the winter season, was very rewarding.” On the season as a whole, Goll, who will continue to run cross country and track and field at Bucknell University in Pennsylvania, said, ““I’m very happy with how I performed this winter track season, but there is always room for improvement.”
At the State Championship, exceptional races were performed. Senior Kyle Keyes demolished the school record with his best time of 7.84 seconds in the 55 meter hurdles. This outstanding performance allowed him to move onto the State Meet of Champions on March 2, where he raced some of the best runners in the state. Keyes will continue to run track and field at Bryant University in Rhode Island.
Coach Conforti concluded by saying, “As I am stepping down after 20 years and 58 seasons coaching at Lakeland, I will forever be grateful for all the wonderful memories. The future is brighter than ever and Lakeland Track and Field will continue its dominance well into the future.”
On having a coach like Conforti, who has been awarded many accolades in the role, Goll said one of her best memories is sharing her county win with him. “We both have worked so hard for this moment and I was glad to share it with such a great coach.”
