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Mercersburg hosts track & field event in new venue


The new Hale Field House at Mercersburg Academy was a busy place Friday.

The facility hosted its first event, the Mercersburg Invitational, and the indoor track & field meet drew athletes from several area schools, including Chambersburg, Greencastle-Antrim, James Buchanan, McConnellsburg and Mercersburg.

Blue Storm coach David Grady said, "I could not be more pleased with how this meet played out today. Obviously we were a bit anxious ahead of time trying to get everything ready. We have had access to the space for about 2 1/2 weeks and there is a lot to get situated the way that it needs to be for a meet."

The field house has a six-lane, 200-meter track, with an eight-lane straightaway for sprints. It also has facilities for long jump, triple jump, high jump, pole vault and shot put, all of which can be contested simultaneously. The field house floor has a Beynon rubberized surface designed specifically for track & field events.

"I give a lot of credit to the track & field coaching staff, to our athletic department, and to the meet officials who all put in a lot of time and effort preparing for this meet," Grady said. "In the end, what made it really special, though, was seeing the high-level competition and sportsmanship from the athletes today.

"I was so impressed with the performances of the athletes from all of the schools in the meet.  It was exciting just to pause and watch the events. It made the up front preparation worth the time and effort."

Meet results were not available by late Friday night.