EDINBORO — Bradford High junior John Eakin placed sixth in the shot put with a throw of 52’9’’ at the Tri-State track and field championships Saturday.

However, Eakin did not qualify for the state meet, scheduled next weekend at Penn State.

“They went with 15 competitors only,” BAHS coach Tom Tessena said. “He was 22nd, but only one foot away from 15th even though he was 2’4’’ over the 51-foot qualifying mark.

“John has had a great indoor season. He has thrown over six feet further than his outdoor distance in the shot put. He has also posted some good times in the sprints. He has made impressive gains in his lifting as well.  He is the top guy returning in the District 9 AAA and has his eye on the district and school records in the shot put.”

Senior Mitch Vleminckx placed eighth in the 200 meters in 23.39, just missing qualifying for states.

“He has had a great indoor season and we are looking for an exciting outdoor season,” Tessena added. “Mitch is almost back to full strength after battling a leg injury all winter. Mitch has worked very hard in the weight room this winter.”

The 4×800 relay team  of Tyler Kraft, Issac Paterniti, Andrew Kraft and Vinny Bizzarro posted their best time of the year with a 8:38.46 and placed seventh overall.

Junior Logan Caruso continues his improvement with a good time in the mile (4:42.59) for 12th place. 

Sophomore Matthew Stafford had his best time of the year in the 60-meter high hurdles (9.55) and placed 19th. Bizzarro placed 14th in the 800 meters with a time of 2:08.54. 

The 4×200 relay team of Stafford, Andy Pantuso, Eakin and Vleminckx placed 11th with a time of 1:37.67.

“We had a very good season this winter,” Tessena concluded. “We competed well in six meets and gained some great experience for the outdoor season which will begin March 6.

“The coaches would like to thank the boys for all their hard work they put in. This will help us this spring.”