The 39th McDowell Invitational got off to a rousing start for local athletes Friday afternoon as Cranberry and Oil City finished 1-2 in the girls 3200 relay.

Both foursomes shaved serious seconds off their previous best times. The Berries -- with Beatrice Kolesar (pictured), Elena Ishman, Darien Wenner and Ava Earp doing the work -- ran 9:52.45 to repeat as champion. That was 23 seconds off their previous best this season.

Oil City was right behind -- at least kind of --  at 10:07.53, knocking 14 seconds off their previous best. And Corabel Shiley (pictured), new addition Bailey Stevens, Lily Shiley and Addison Wyant finished well ahead of the rest of the field.

Not long after that, Kolesar took third in the 1600. Corabel Shiley was seventh. Neither junior ran a season's best.  

Later on, two Oil City athletes won titles in the field events. Olive Collins cleared a PR 5-3 to win the high jump and Madi Garland put the shot 36 feet, not only a personal best but a Pennsylvania top 50 throw.

But as of the 6 o'clock news, results were in for the sprints and short hurdles. but that was about it. Oil City's Michael Fink was fifth in the hurdles, and interestingly, he beat basketball star Kenny Godoy of Girard.

Oil City girls scored twice in the 100 hurdles. Olive Collins was fourth and Stevens was seventh.

There was a big surprise in the boys 100 where Kc Wasiulewski of Ft. LeBoeuf ran 11-flat to top reigning state champion Vinny Feliciano of Mercyhurst. Feliciano ran 11.12 and was just ahead of erstwhile star long jumper Tymir Phillips of Meadville who was timed in 11.15. 

Feliciano was not to be denied in the 200, though.

​The Oil City boys scored well in the open 400. Sophomore Morris Woodhouse was second and junior Dylan VanWormer was fourth. Both ran personal bests.

Sophomore Carter Thompson was fourth in the 300 hurdles and also beat Penn State Behrend-bound Godoy, who was fifth. Both ran personal bests. Stevens was fifth and Collins eighth in the girls 300.

Wyant was runnerup in the girls 800, and freshman teammate Kaelyn Klapec was eighth. Oil City's Rilee Matalino was fifth and Cranberry's Dalton Wenner was eighth in the boys 800.

Kolesar was second in the 3200, a race that Shiley sat out. Ishman was fifth. Daniel McCain seventh in the boys 3200.

1600 relay results: Oil City girls (L. Shiley, Stevens, Wyant, C. Shiley) fifth; Cranberry girls (Olivia Smith, freshman Navy Perry, Earp, Jillian Wry), eighth; Oil City boys (VanWormer, Matalino, Thompson, Woodhouse), third (3:31.25); Cranberry boys (Cole Findlay, Blake Marchinke, Wenner, Landon Baker), fourth (3:32.63). Oilers, Berries ran in different heats. Both are flirting with school records.

Field events

Results of the field events were late being released. In addition to her win in the shot, Garland, a junior, took second in the javelin as Oil City finished fourth in the team standings. For seventh-place Cranberry, Wenner was third in the pole vault and ChishaBetty Watson was fifth in the high jump. McDowell was team champ.

Neither Nevin Stinson nor Spence Singleton competed for the Oil City boys, who were eighth as a team. Best and only medal finish in the field was a third in the high jump by Fink.

Findlay was sixth in the long jump and in a four-way tie for eighth in the high while Shane Clarke in the javelin and Hunter Montgomery in the shot collected fourths. The Berries were last among 17 teams. Bradford, which shined in the field, won all the marbles. 

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